It really annoys me when a software vendor tries to bundle other applications with the one you downloaded and installed. It’s even worse when they try to do it through their crapware auto update mechanism. Adobe is guilty of this and so now is Apple.
The problem here is that I only want QuickTime on my Windows PC. I have never installed iTunes on it nor have I installed Safari. Given recent security news about Safari, I’m glad I haven’t installed it. The nice Apple Software Update app not only checks off all three applications by default but it also doesn’t give you a way to only update QuickTime. For those wondering, you can do it but you have to ignore the Apple updater and go to the QuickTime site to download the patched installer again.
I wonder how many of the non-technical iPod users on Windows have been duped into installing Safari.
No software is bug free or perfectly secure but trustworthiness is a combination of security by design, being up front with your users when installing and updating and responding to exploits proactively, not just after a bunch of them have made the news. On this measure, Microsoft clearly beats Apple, despite the lack of cool advertising we do.
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