First off, for the purposes of this article, we will be calling Windows computers “PCs” and Apple computers “Macs”, so don’t get on my case about how Macs are also personal computers. Also, I understand that not all Mac users are like the ones that I describe in this article, I am talking about the diehard fan boys who don’t let you get a word in edgewise as they blather about how great their $3,000 chrome gizmo is. Let’s get right down to it. For years Mac users have been gloating about how their computers are so secure, and how their systems are “inherently more stable”, etc. The PC users out there know what I am talking about, and also know that if you try to engage such types in any form of logical debate, they soon shut down and just repeat “but it is a Mac” over and over. I have waited for years to laugh at these people and it seems that my time is soon at hand. As the Mac market expands, the Mac users are becoming an increasingly large target for malware, which brings me to my first point.

The goal of installing viruses on a widespread scale is generally to make money either by scamming people or by stealing data to sell illegally. If you want to get the most out of your virus, you will try to infect as many computers as you possibly can, so it follows that you would naturally try to infect PCs as they have been the dominant computer for just about everything for a number of years. Apple has had a very small clientele up until the last few years, and the people that did own them were using them for personal things, not business work. This means that there was nothing worth stealing off of Macs for many years, so hackers ignored them completely. Now that Macs are beginning to be used by a wider range of people, you can be sure that a wave of Mac viruses and malware are on their way.

Even worse than the proliferation of viruses for Macs is the general attitude of Mac users. They are not used to having to watch their asses all the time, so they are therefore unprepared for what PC users have been experiencing for years. Security is a mindset, and these Mac users are not going to have the correct mindset to avoid all of the malware that is thrown at PC users on a daily basis. That being said, that doesn’t mean that all PC users are great at this (witness all of the people that still get viruses) but I think that it will be even worse when Mac viruses and bugs hit the mainstream.

On a similar note, there will be a definite lag period where Mac antivirus programs will not be able to even come close to repelling all of the attacks. PCs have gone through this process slowly over the years as the attacks have increased, but I think that the Mac market will be hit in the face with all of the viruses that will be used at first. For PC users, there are many good security programs to choose from, and they are all updated frequently, providing fairly good protection. This industry has taken years to develop into its current state, and while the Mac club will not take quite as long as the PC sector has, it will still be too long.

This all being said, I hope that I am completely wrong and the Mac community rides this storm out only semi-battered, but I am afraid that many are going to be in for a rude awakening. Please only make intelligent comments, don’t be a troll.

-TheEllimist