Apple marketing chief uses rare Twitter post to take shot at Android security issues - Page 2

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apple

 

I guess this is where we disagree. Because the average person is looking to buy a phone, not a mainframe that requires a college degree in computer science.

 

The average user is not a pimpled faced 17 year old nerd living in their mom's basement and spending hours rooting their phone.

 

The average user is somebody like a mom or a grandmother, and they are not interested in being "educated" in order to properly and safely use their devices. They just want a phone that works.

No, we don't really disagree on that point. I'm saying I know exactly what you're talking about, and I see it on a daily basis because of the field of work I'm in. All I'm saying is that it's hard for me to feel sorry for people who screw up, then blame an inanimate object. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by JackTheRat 


In much the same way that the GUI wasn't real computing…you had to go to the DOS command line for that, apparently.

Wow, when was the last time anyone used that argument? Seems like you're really reaching here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by monstrosity 

Android users deserve to have their bank accounts raped.
Do homeless people even have bank accounts?

I don't even... what a stupid thing to say.

I don't own an Android device, or a Windows device, but I don't wish harm on people that use other platforms. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apple ][ 

 

They do indeed.

 

I don't know about Android users, but I value my info, and there is no way that I would put all of my personal info at risk just to save a buck or two. I'm talking about various bank account info, credit card info, trading firm info, email info, online retail info, various passwords etc............And somebody expects me to put all of that on an Android device, that is about as secure as a safe made out of cardboard? 

 

I just completed a bank transfer earlier today on my iPad. No way in hell would I have ever done that on any Android device.

...and had it been done on an Android phone, the PIN number would have been 1234. 

As they say, "The difference between stupidity and genius is that there is a limit to genius."

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1stGenRex 

Hence why I cringe when an average person asks me for Admin Rights on a work laptop, so they can install some mundane piece of software. Again, this goes back to my point of stating that users are the weakest link, and they should be educated. If they chose not to educate themselves, or ignore those who try, then I have a hard time feeling sorry for them.

I think you may be referring to people being ignorant of social engineered fraud. Even in this day people are still wiring large amounts of cash to Nigeria. 

As always, read these with a pinch of salt.

In this report, they included apps that you intentionally install to monitor your phone.  (They didn't call them malware; they listed them as "monitor" apps, but did include them in their overall threat chart.)

Otherwise, it looks like none of the trojans came from the Google Play Store.  Can anyone find one from this list like that?

They also required the user to turn on "loading from untrusted sources", and engage in risky behavior such as installing an app from a suspicious text, that claims to be a free game and yet wants access to your contacts and SMS.

Therefore, as far as I can tell from cross-searching McAfee's files, most affected very few people (in some cases, under 50), and in limited parts of the world, such as Spain or Italy or Southeast Asia.

--

This is a publicity grab like that other report saying iOS "leaked more info".

Doesn't matter what OS the report is supposed to be about, these things are mostly an advertisement from an anti-virus maker, drumming up business.

Don't jailbreak or turn on outside sources, exercise common sense, and the threat level is near zero.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jragosta 


Not really. It's the same argument, even though it has been modified.

There have been endless varieties of this argument:

- Real computers use command lines, GUIs are for losers
- Real programmers program in assembly
- Real power users have to be able to tweak every element of their mobile phone
- Real computer users know how to edit the registry.
And so on. And on. And on.

For decades, people have been arguing that a simple, user friendly experience must somehow be the antithesis of powerful computing. They've never been able to justify that position, but it keeps coming back in slightly different forms.

In reality, if there's one thing that computer history teaches, it's that if you want to see the devices that the entire industry will be using tomorrow, look at Apple's products of today.

I cringe at the thought of one of my Average Users modifying the registry. 

But to your last point, I guess it could be said that if you want to see iOS' features of tomorrow, look at Android today.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marvin 


That needs to go on the list. You remember what Android used to look like?

I don't think that malware feature is coming to iOS anytime soon.

I do. I also remember a time where iOS didn't support MMS, didn't have spell check, didn't have a notification bar, didn't have facebook integration, didn't have turn by turn navigation...and on and on and on!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marvin 


By all means go on and on and on. Only the notification bar can be justified as having been influenced by Android. Copy/paste was delayed by Apple until they could do it properly so that things like this don't happen:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/feb/22/samsung-copy-paste-problem

By contrast, Android went from a Blackberry rip-off to an iPhone rip-off in its first 2 years on the market:

December 2007:

 

By November of 2007 Google had also demoed a touchscreen proof-of-concept Android phone. They weren't just looking at Microsoft or Blackberry-esque designs. There were a few different ones being shown around. It's just the Blackberry one that ever gets mentioned.

Copy/Paste issue was caused by TouchWiz, not Android. It's RIGHT THERE in the first sentence! 

Originally Posted by 1stGenRex 
Copy/Paste issue was caused by TouchWiz, not Android. It's RIGHT THERE in the first sentence!

What's your point?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marvin 


The Blackberry one is mentioned as that's the only one that came before the iPhone so it shows what Google came up with without Apple's influence. Multi-touch concepts that arrived months after the iPhone only showed how far behind they actually were and this was backed up by it taking 2 years to bring the proof of concepts to production. They did make a few better decisions like non-blocking notifications (as did Palm) that Apple eventually adopted and having a notification center but it's crazy to suggest that Android's minor refinements mean Google or Android device manufacturers are now the innovators that Apple has to copy and that they are catching up.

Google's choices for their software development do allow the possibility of getting newer features faster as any manufacturer can develop their own features into the OS but it comes at a price. That price includes Android device manufacturers struggling to differentiate themselves from the crowd and in some cases end up fragmenting the OS. It also includes an increased likelihood of malware. These things need to be acknowledged. Too often it resorts to one company's efforts being the right way and the other being the wrong way. Apple's and Google's choices both have advantages and disadvantages and they both make innovative developments but by far, Apple took the biggest steps forward and that shouldn't be dismissed.

The choices that Apple makes generally also seem to come out on top such as the software keyboard and curated app store that were originally criticised.

Marvin, did you look at the video I linked from November of 2007 which predates the Blackberry-like image you offered? I'm guessing not. There's plainly a touchscreen Android phone demoed in it.

As for who's innovating and whose imitating, both Apple and Google are very obviously influenced by each other, yet both are developing their own unique features. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by jungmark 


And the iPhone was shown in jan 2007.

I believe you're correct, or at least plenty close enough.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marvin 
The ratio of innovation to imitation isn't the same with both though. There's a strong effort to try and put the two on level ground now that Apple has a notification panel and that's not a fair thing to do.

That's a valid point. Android has "lagged" behind iOS for most of it's existence. It's only been in the past year or so that they could be considered on equal footing, yet separate and unique IMO.

iOS apps are leaking more personal info than android apps...

http://www.androidnova.org/ios-apps-leak-more-personal-info-than-android-apps/

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harsh9 

iOS apps are leaking more personal info than android apps...

http://www.androidnova.org/ios-apps-leak-more-personal-info-than-android-apps/

Yeah we've already seen that one. AI posted it's own article here about it a few days back.

Originally Posted by Cletus 
I don't Twitter. Is twittering once per ten days rare?

Compared to the frequency of public postings (across all mediums) of the other Apple executives, it's ludicrously frequent.

Compared to the average "twitterer", it's within the margin of error of never having made a single post.

So take that as you will.

Moved discussion here:

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by hfts 

The article was on AI a few days ago, and you commented on it.

Jeeze you have poor memory, or is it a selected one ?

If someone tells me, you have a 78% chance of being hit by the train if you cross at the level crossing that is not controlled by warning lights and a barrier, versus 0.17% if you cross where it is encouraged to (due to warning/barrier etc.), I guess you would not only cross where its dangerous but poke your tongue to mock those who do the correct thing. 

The article didn't claim Android devices had a 78% chance of being infected with malware so you've not offered a valid analogy. When you can come back with a source showing the actual rate of infection then we have something to discuss. X% of some undefined number doesn't tell you a thing about how prevalent malware is.

For those without the patience to wait for numbers from HFTS, here's some to put things in perspective. According to estimates based on a report from Lookout Security the percentage of US Android devices that will encounter some form of malware in 2013: Less than 1/2 of 1%.. In Japan even less than that. Russia on the other hand comes in at 35%.  Note that even includes relatively benign Adware. 

http://thenextweb.com/google/2012/12/13/lookout-predicts-18-4m-android-users-will-be-infected-with-malware-during-2012-and-2013-or-some-1/