14 DAY TRIAL // macOS users have unintentionally embarked on a security rollercoaster lately, after Apple struggled, failed, and finally managed to address a critical security flaw in its operating system.
But Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller says the company only “had a bad week,” as the focus on user security continues to be as high as it was in the past.
macOS was recently affected by a massive security vulnerability that allowed anyone with physical access to a Mac to gain root privileges with just a few clicks. Apple shipped an emergency patch less than 24 hours after the security flaw made the rounds, as well as a macOS update one day later to include the original fix.
The operating system update, however, brought back the security vulnerability, while the emergency patch itself also broke down a system feature, so Apple needed to release another update to fix the whole thing.
iPhone X is an aggressive departure from original iPhone
Despite this security fiasco, Schiller says there’s no need to panic, as Apple still puts macOS security at the top of its priorities.
“We just had a bad week. A couple of things happened, that’s all. The team is going to audit the systems and look carefully at the process and do some soul-searching, and do everything that they can to keep this from happening again,” he said in an interview with Telegraph.
Schiller also discussed the iPhone X, responding to criticism targeted at some of the changes it made on the device, such as the notch at the top of the screen. The Apple exec says the company was aiming to build an iPhone that embraced a completely new approach as compared to its predecessors, and this is why the device gave up on some features, but introduced others.
“We wanted to create something that was even more aggressive, even more of a departure from where iPhone had been going, and that’s iPhone X. It’s something we haven’t offered that way before but it’s worked really well,” he said.
The iPhone X is also Apple’s most expensive iPhone, with pricing starting at $999 for the base model, and this appears to have an impact on sales, with the eagerly-awaited supercycle not yet happening.