I’m sure everyone has heard the news about how Apple is pushing Safari 3.1 to Windows iTunes customers through the Apple Software Update utility. If you don’t have Safari installed, it still offers you Safari 3.1 and it’s checked, by default, to be installed. How is new software an update?

I thought it was just common sense about how sleazy this is. I thought everyone would agree that Apple should do this differently. But no! The Mac message boards are loaded with the Mac faithful defending Apple’s right. I find it amazing.

The arguments submitted by the Mac zealots are typically the following:

1. You aren’t forced to do anything and it’s your own fault if you install it accidentally.
2. Microsoft has been doing it for years.
3. Apple told us they were going to do this.

In response to #1, I tell them to remember this argument the next time they accidentally install some malware on Windows. This argument is just really weak. Yes, you can uncheck Safari and not install it, however I agree with John Lily of Mozilla that people should trust their software updater to just update their existing software and not use it to push software onto people who didn’t ask for it.

In response to #2, I don’t think it is true that Microsoft has done this for years. I have a fresh install of Vista Home Premium and the default behavior is to only offer me updates for Windows. There is a link that will take me to a Web page to install software that will allow it to offer me other software. This is an option that can be turned on from an off default. Also, Microsoft labels their software updates as either Important or Optional. Optional is not checked for installation by default like Safari 3.1 is with Apple Software Update.

I also inform them that they are arguing that Apple is as bad as Microsoft, which is amusing since most Mac zealots like to go around believing Apple is more noble than Microsoft. I personally think Windows is crap, but I don’t believe Apple is good and Microsoft is evil.

The other point I’d like to make about this notion that Apple is just doing what Microsoft does is point out that Microsoft AutoUpdater for OS X, which comes with Microsoft Office, does not push me Silverlight for OS X or Windows Messenger for OS X. It only pushes me updates for Microsoft Office. That’s it.

In response to #3, I say that telling us that they are going to do something sleazy doesn’t excuse the sleazy act. I mean, crap, The Borg warns everyone that they will be assimilated. I thought Microsoft was The Borg and Apple was Jean-Luc Picard?

If Apple wants to push unrelated software through Apple Software Update, they should rename it Apple Software Downloader. They should have two tabs or categories - one for updates and one for offers. The offers should be unchecked. You should have the option of not receiving the offers. That would be the classy way of doing things. That’s what John Lennon and Ghandi would do.

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