Several years ago, John Gruber suggested one reason for the virus gap. Namely, that PC users are used to their computers loaded with adware, the sorts of things pre-installed on consumer-level Dells, HPs, and Sonys when they buy them. And so when malware arrives, it takes strong root, and isn't hunted down.
This is a very important difference, one thing that needs to be addressed before Windows becomes truely secure. But for better or worse, it won't. Simply clean installs won't solve the issue. A Mac user, or at least a large portion of them, expect their Mac to perform, to perform right, to 'just work.' For the PC, however, I've come to a theory, a theory which is great flame-bait, but an interesting theory nonetheless.
I think most PC users expect their computers to fail, and hold them to no standards of working. Not only that, but they view the PC as a machine, one that's supposed to break down.
We all have had one friend or acquaintance mention that they need to buy a new computer because their current one has become too slow. Not "is," but "has become." On a car we sometimes expect this. Gears wear down, oil becomes dirty, parts wear. And indeed, the moving parts of a hard drive do break down in due time. But a computer to slow down? When it comes to electronics, parts either fail or they don't. I suppose a memory stick goes bad, and the computer compensates by running on less RAM, it would slow down.
But that's not what's happening. It's not a sudden odd fan noise, nor a worrying alert that all of a sudden appears, or even a sudden one time change in speed and hard drive thrashing. This is a slow, gradual degradation.The type that happens when spyware and malware take up system resources. This warning sign has become accepted as the norm. I lay the blame at the feet of the OEMs, because they cultivate this expectation.
Most of us are already familiar with Moore's Law, and the extension that computing processing power grows exponentially. However, there is a fallacy implied, that the treatment of Moore's Law as if it were manifest destiny and somehow, magically, older computers become slower. This falsehood is encouraged, mind you, by those chasing after market share. "Your computer is two years old! It's time for a new one!"
If your machine already has broken or malfunctioning parts, right out of the box, then why wouldn't you believe other hardware will break? And what better way to hide malware than a firm belief not that it doesn't exist, but that it's due to something else and "Just happens"?
Simply put, by lowering expectations on the standard of hardware, OEMs are lowering the expectations on the standard of software, lowering the guard of the average user. Even if the user eventually realizes that they're infected, the extra time given to the malware is a crucial factor to consider and eliminate.
The solution, like in PEBKAC, is not simply smarter algorithms and fancier tricks. It requires the user to expect high quality software and hardware. This comes not only in the form of rejecting adware and other software that makes the user accustomed to such intrusions, but also in a vigilance in the performance of the machine.
