Another Apple Mistake

I think Steve Jobs would die he wasn't already dead and if he knew what his successors were doing to his company. I used to be a big fan of Apple and their products. That is changing at an alarming rate. This last week was the crowning moment that has me avoiding everything and anything to do with Apple. I even had a pear for breakfast this morning instead of the usual red fruit.

Last week I was in a meeting when a coworker walked in and asked me to try and log into our company's virtual private network or VPN. While other coworkers could accomplish the task on their Window's-based laptops, I couldn't on my Mac. I logged a support ticket with our IT's help desk. They got back to me and said that Apple turned off Java. Our IT department had a workaround that solved the problem but it left me with a few questions.

I did a quick search on the Internet and discovered that the Department of Homeland Security sent out a warning that running Java in your browser could open you up to potential security threats. Apple then decided to turn off Java running in browsers on every Mac computer connected to the Internet. My first question is: How did they do that? A good second question is: If Apple could screw up my computer, doesn't that mean someone else could? If I was an unscrupulous hacker and found out about Apple's little trick, I would be looking for a way to exploit it.

Frankly it scares me knowing that a company can reach into my computer and make modifications without my consent. While I have been happy with Apple in the past, I'm not any more. It is time to start looking for another laptop, tablet, and phone supplier. At least it gives me something to write about.