As has been widely reported, the virus that shipped with some video iPods was a Windows virus. Apple was not backward in coming forward to remind everyone of that fact on its website and in the process set the blogosphere alight.

Indignant Windows users (and vendors) chided Apple for not taking full responsibility for the incident as the iPod was the virus vector.

However, for every pro-Windows blog poster there was at least as many Mac fanatics ready to hit back in true Jobsian fashion to remind everyone that there have been no major virus outbreaks on the Mac platform.

Anyone who dared to suggest that the Mac was itself capable of being infected with malware risked incurring the unspeakable wrath of the Jobs Jedi. Here at iTWire, Alex Zaharov-Reutt received a monstrous tongue lashing and I as editor copped almost as much abuse for daring to run his article. I don't think I remember being called a moron so many times - not even by the Nintendo fanboy club.

Leaving aside the emotive rants of Mac fans, the facts are that Mac OS X has been virus free for years, while the score count on Windows just keeps piling up. The suggestion that this is because virus writers are not targeting Macs is ludicrous.