Apple Ships iPods with Windows Virus (original article by Paul Thurrott) This week, Apple reported that a relatively small number of its iPod portable MP3 players shipped with a Windows virus. The virus--which affects the full-sized iPod with video--can infect Windows computers that the devices are connected to. Apple, naturally, took the opportunity to partially blame the problem on Microsoft. "We are upset at Windows for not being more hardy against such viruses, and even more upset with ourselves for not catching it," Apple said in a statement (which was apparently not vetted through Microsoft Word's grammar checker) on its Web site. Apple said the virus originated on a "Windows terminal" at a factory owned by an unnamed iPod "contract manufacturer." "The iPod nano, iPod shuffle, and Mac OS X are not affected, and all video iPods now shipping are virus free," Apple's statement reads. "This known virus affects only Windows computers." You can use free tools from security companies such as McAfee and Symantec to eradicate the virus, called RavMonE.exe, but Apple recommends that any Windows users who recently purchased an iPod check their entire system--including any external storage devices--for the virus. According to Apple, the virus doesn't pose a direct threat to data files on an infected PC, but it does lower security settings. Apple says less than 1 percent of the shipped iPod with video units include the virus, and it has received fewer than 25 reports concerning this problem so far. For more information and links to tools that can remove the virus, visit the Apple Web site. Link to Apple's website concerning the above story... http://www.apple.com/support/windowsvirus/ - Is it just me or is this really poor of Apple to blame of all people Microsoft? I mean let's get serious here - Microsoft didn't create this virus and they sure didn't put it on the iPods in question. Apple blames Microsoft for this because Microsoft created an operating system that virus & malware authors like to create problems for. The Windows OS in all of it's flavors may have a lot of security issues but let's face it, Microsoft doesn't go out of it's way to write virus's & malware against their own products. Until we start blaming those specific individuals responsible for writing malware/spyware/viruses/rootkits, etc and setting up legislation that acts as a deterrent against this type of criminal behavior you will never get rid of this problem. Who does Apple blame for viruses, malware & security exploits against it's own operating system? Do they blame Microsoft for Mac OSX's security issues? Apple should only blame itself for this problem which is technically a quality (or lack of) issue. Microsoft doesn't ship out iPods, Apple does and apparently they don't have stringent quality control processes in place to prevent this type of problem from happening. Another question we should ask is why does Apple do business with "an unnamed Apple contract manufacturer" that creates iPods or installs software on iPods using a "windows terminal". I didn't know that part of the iPod manufacturing process required using "windows terminals" - I'm assuming this is for testing out the windows version of iTunes but still can't this be done on an Intel based Mac running the new boot agent that allows dual booting of OSX & Windows XP/Vista? Bottom line... Apple should not blame Microsoft at all for this problem, Apple is 100% responsible for this problem and no one else. Blaming Microsoft only made this problem even more lame than it already was! Poor form Apple!