Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition

[Lsajna]

Hello, I received a used iPad 1 as a gift and know nothing about them. Is an iPad considered a Mac product? It runs Safari. I tried to download the free virus protection software from the Sophos site but got a message that "Safari can't download this product." Any advice would be appreciated, but please explain like you are talking to a tird grader. This is my first Apple product after 30 years using PC stuff!

[QC]

Hello Lsajna, short answer: an iPad isn't a Mac. iPad is running iOS, same OS as on iPhones. Programs written for OS X won't run on iOS and therefore Safari (which is BTW different from Safari for other platforms) refuses the download. Right now you don't need to worry about malware but scams and phishing work regardless of the platform. On the more technical side, iOS pretty much isolates apps and doesn't provide an interface for scanners - OTOH Apps are vetted by Apple, so chances for malicious apps are small (but not nil). Christian

[AMC3]

Another way to look at it, an iPad is an Apple device, but like an iPod, it is not a "computer". If you want to load software and do what is considered normal kinds of "work" (creating documents, graphics, spreadsheets, presentations, etc. then you should use a computer. An iPad is more commonly used as a device for entertainment (games, movies, photos, etc.) and quick, easy access to email and the Web.

There are hundreds of thousands of apps (Applications) of all kinds available to be downloaded via iTunes (on your computer or directly through the iPad) onto your iPad. These apps, including Apple's own iWork and iLife apps, allow people to do almost anything now on an iPad. And, it is not the same as working on a computer. Try it. You'll most likely like it.