The marketing message now says merely that the Mac is “built to be safe” and that it built-in defence can prevent certain of computer viruses from taking control.
Security experts welcomed the changes, which were quietly made earlier this month.
“Clearly they’ve decided that pointing out the size of the Windows malware problem isn’t going to look terribly convincing unless they are also open about that Mac malware also exists,” said Graham Cluley of the British security firm Sophos.
“In short, people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
Security software vendors said they saw a spike in sales of Mac anti-virus products in the wake of the Flashback outbreak. Some experts had criticised Apple’s response to the threat; it did not patch the vulnerability exploited by the cyber criminals until three months after it was discovered.
Apple was also recently forced to drop claims on its British website that the new iPad was “WiFi + 4G”, as 4G networks have are not yet commercially available here, and will anyway not be compatible with the new iPad once they are.