Apple Removes Antivirus Support Note, Reiterates OS X’s Built-In Protection

As we saw yesterday, the accusations from the BBC, Washington Post, and Cnet saying that Apple was trying to “quietly” recommend antivirus software were false: Our quick fact check showed it was all an update to an old tech note. Now, Apple has removed the articles entirely.

In a statement to these media outlets, Apple stated:

The Mac is designed with built-in technologies that provide protection against malicious software and security threats right out of the box.

It seems that Apple has thought twice about the whole antivirus situation and declared the article entirely obsolete, putting it in line with their Mac and PC “Virus” TV commercial.

Their rationale is that the Unix user architecture and security policies in Mac OS X make it inherently much more secure than its Windows counterparts (though not bulletproof) therefore not needing the antivirus protection necessary in PC boxes. [CNET and BBC]

[It's funny how Cnet quietly edited their previous article to make it sound milder than it was and now avoids calling it a mistake, while the BBC tries to fuzz the whole situation without clearly recognising their error--which is sadly becoming the norm in what once was the most accurate and serious news outlet in the world. -- J.D.]