How did 3rd-party apps not available on The Apple Store get on my brand new 2021 M-chip Mac?
A couple of months ago I ordered a new (not refurbed) 2021 24-inch M-chip Mac online directly from Apple. It arrived about a month later via FedEx. When it arrived, it had ClamXAV and a related disk cleaner installed on the Desktop.
It also crashed a lot! I have never seen a Mac do this. The new Mac crashed about every 15 minutes, sometimes more frequently. The first two calls to Apple Support didn’t help; the third call was elevated to a support supervisor, which also didn’t help. The fourth call found its way to a different support supervisor who was shocked when I told him I had not installed ClamXAV and the disk cleaner; he said Apple doesn’t ship Macs with third-party apps unless the customer orders them (I had not) and that these two are not available on the Apple Store (they’re not). We removed them, manually deleted many remaining related files, and my Mac has been crash-free since.
I told the support supervisor that I want to know how those apps got on my supposedly brand new, clean Mac. He promised to elevate my question and that I’d receive an answer. Since then I’ve heard nothing from Apple. Crickets, despite repeated follow-up calls.
My question is: Has anyone heard of anything like this before? Any theories about how this happened? Should I be outraged? Should I demand a new, clean machine? (I’m loving the new Mac so this would sadden me, but it might be best. It seems to me my machine was compromised at the factory or before it reached the warehouse; I want to know how and I want to know that Apple is taking steps to see it doesn’t happen again.)
Any thoughts?
Joe C.
Columbia, South Carolina
Comments
Either way though, for what you paid for it, I would request another unit and demand that Apple explain things. Just insist.
If that machine has been tampered with (away from Apple) you're better off with a new machine and peace of mind.