If Apple’s “Stuffed” commercial did not get the point across, perhaps this story will. Looks like Dell and Google have partnered up to install malware on your computer that will second-guess what you type into your browser’s address bar, preferably showing you ads instead. It’s installed without your consent, and uninstalling it isn’t just a nuisance; it also doesn’t always clean up properly, so you may have to manually remove a registry key – which, of course, you won’t know about without doing some research. That makes it virtually impossible for the average user to do, so they will put up with it.

Now obviously, Apple is biased in their commercial. But the message of their ads is, as this incident shows, not only valid, but increasingly so. Sure, Apple bundles a bunch of stuff (including from a few third parties), and by default installs them. But none of it interferes with your normal work, none of it attempts to hide itself from you, and all of it can be uninstalled easily (most of it as easy as dragging the bundle or folder in question to the Trash). If you don’t want to play whatever game shipped with your Mac, don’t want to give Microsoft Office a try and don’t care about FileMaker either, you simply leave them alone, or drag them to the Trash. They won’t bug you any more.

Shame on Google. Their “don’t be evil” motto is on the verge of becoming self-ironic.