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Seth Weintraub

Apple versus Google

Apple sneaks MobileMe into Vista

21 comments

TAGS:Apple, Microsoft Vista, mobileme, Safari, updater
IT TOPICS:Macintosh & Apple, Mobile & Wireless, Personal Technology, Windows & Microsoft

Remember when Apple snuck Safari into Windows machines via the iTunes Software updater application? The uproar was significant...but it passed

You think Apple would try that that kind of tactic again? The answer is already upon us....

It appears that the latest iTunes "trojan" has put MobileMe into at least one Vista owner's machine. According to him, he only updated his itunes to the latest version. However, the iTunes update installed a MobileMe control panel.

Notice the new Control Panel at the bottom of the list below?

Has this happened to any other Windows machines out there? I'll bet it has, but no one has seemed to notice...

Let the sparks fly!

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Apparently Apple has heeded the complaints

Submitted by Anonymous on November 26, 2008 - 8:08 P.M.

I have a brand new Acer AspireOne and only installed iTunes - MobileMe and Safari did NOT install. When an iTunes update showed up, it gave me options to install either-or as MY choice,not automatically. Nuf said.

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I found it myself on XP too

Submitted by Mike Cane on July 22, 2008 - 5:23 P.M.

I thought I made a discovery on my own, surprised to see someone else found it on the same day!
http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/did-apple-slip-pc-users-a-mobile-me-mickey/

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actually, it was 5 days

Submitted by Seth Weintraub on July 26, 2008 - 10:56 A.M.

actually, it was 5 days earlier

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Why the hysteria?

Submitted by RobM on July 21, 2008 - 7:25 A.M.

MobileMe is a component of iTunes. It's an updated component to an application you've (presumably) chosen to install and update. It doesn't change the way the operating system works, it's just a component that you'll maybe want if you plug an iPhone or iPod touch in.

I can definitely understand people being annoyed at this being poorly communicated, but I really don't get the "OMG Hax0r!!!11one1one!" hysteria that I see from people.

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I wouldn't call it hysteria.

Submitted by Seth Weintraub on July 21, 2008 - 1:31 P.M.

I wouldn't call it hysteria. It is more of "that is f'ing annoying"

Mobile Me isn't part of itunes. .Mac wasn't part part of iTunes either. Apple wants to market its MobileMe to as many users as possible and is slipping it in with itunes upgrades. Some people don't like this.

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Plus the whole point of

Submitted by Warwick Brown on July 25, 2008 - 6:13 P.M.

Plus the whole point of MobileMe is to make iTunes partly redundant. If you use MobileMe on your iPhone, you don't use iTunes to sync your data.

So it's not really a component of iTunes at all. It's a competitor.

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Here we go again!Fanboz wad their panties!

Submitted by uncle mac on July 20, 2008 - 10:48 P.M.

Duh! What if you had a Winbox and bought an iPhone 3G and heard of MobileMe and decided to try it for free and see if you like it? That means you'd have to update iTunes to another version, and why? Why not include this wether you want MM or and iPhone 3G or not because you'll have a better user experience if you don't spend extra time downloading and installing updates just to get your iPhone to work or what if a friend or relative had a MM account for you to access? Hmm....

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Well if a friend or relative

Submitted by Anonymous on July 21, 2008 - 4:33 A.M.

Well if a friend or relative is using your PC to access their MobileMe data, they can use me.com. That's what it's for. I wouldn't allow someone else to configure their own account with Outlook on my PC. It would take days to undo the effects of that.

If you've got an iPhone and want to use MobileMe on it, it's built in to iPhone OS. There's no need to have an app on your PC. In fact, the whole point of MobileMe is that it takes iTunes out of the data sync equation.

If you then wanted to connect it to Outlook, you can damn well download the plugin. Apple has no right to be putting trojans onto peoples computers like that.

Apple have installed, without the knowledge or permission of any of its users, an application that maintains a connection to a server (and remember Safari beta for an example of how pathetically insecure Apple's software can be), changes the user's Control Panel, and interfaces with Outlook.

Perhaps Microsoft should start adding a prefpane to OS X designed to sync all their accounts with Windows Live. I'm sure that wouldn't be controversial.

And before we get caught up in the fanboyisms keep in mind that I am a Mac+iPhone+iPod user.

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Most of you seem so blind

Submitted by H on July 20, 2008 - 4:55 A.M.

Most of you seem so blind with what I'll assume is fanboyism it hurts. The old "if you don't know, it's OK" trick should never apply. The fact is, according to this article these changes were made without the users consent, they were updating iTunes, not their control panel.

I hardly think you'd have the same opinion if your neighbour set up secret CCTV in your bathroom. Then several months later you discovered it, and his retort was, "oh, but you didn't know, and it didn't affect you when you didn't know so what's the deal?".

Don't get me wrong, I love iTunes and my iPod, but these practices are wrong. They half addressed the issue with safari, but their 'fix' was much of a muchness.

How can people defend moves like this?! Apple is a great company with some really nice products, but seriously...

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mobileme

Submitted by Ryan M on July 19, 2008 - 6:01 A.M.

MobileMe is not a standalone program. It is a subscription service that works WITH iTunes. Instead of creating a whole new program to download they included it in iTunes, as part of it. It's not the same thing as the whole Safari incident, so just settle down. Apple is not in the wrong here.

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