The other day I saw what appeared to be an ad for the iPhone, depicting a new app that allowed you to manage your auto insurance policy. But rather than segue to the telltale Apple logo, it turned out that this was actually commercial for GEICO, complete with that lizard-like puppet that serves as the company’s mascot, known as a Gecko.

Now the company that brought you talking lizards and yuppie cavemen would certainly be expected to want to use the iPhone to provide an app to service their customers, but they’re clearly not the only one. The U.S.’s two satellite TV providers, DirecTV and Dish Network, are both eagerly touting their iPhone apps, designed to allow you to schedule the shows you want to record on your DVR remotely.

Now I don’t believe for a moment that these and other companies who tout iPhone apps are doing so without Apple’s permission and, in fact, participation. It may well be that, as with those “Intel Inside” stingers on the typical PC commercial, Apple provides a cash incentive for a company to boast about having an iPhone app.

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The spin about whether or not Mac OS X is susceptible to the malware scourge that has inundated the Windows platform will never stop. Whenever Apple releases a security update for Macs or the iPhone, or when a security researcher breaks into a Mac system, lurid headlines will be written.

Recently, for example, there was a story suggesting that Apple missed out on some serious opportunities to harden Snow Leopard and make it less vulnerable to malware. I won’t go into the specifics. I’m not a security expert and don’t play one on TV. But what Apple has done so far demonstrates they are committed to providing a secure computing environment to Mac users. Indeed, some of the suggestions may require tons of back-end work to deliver, and there’s nothing to say that these additional features can’t be rolled in via maintenance updates before the next major Mac OS X release.

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Let’s take the infamous Apple Tax argument only so far and no farther. Comparably equipped Macs and PCs cost pretty much alike. There’s no sense in discussing configurations Apple doesn’t offer, could offer, should offer or anything else. It’s all about A versus A, not A versus Z or some other combination.

However, once you’ve paid the price of admission, the price of using your Mac is apt to be a lot less than you might expect. You see, personal computers aren’t designed as pieces of artwork that you’re supposed to look at. Well, at least most of the time. The late Apple Cube, for example. It didn’t do so well from a sales standpoint, but it sure looked great.

Yes, some of Apple’s current gear might fit into the category of lookers as well, but that’s not why you buy them. You see, they’re designed to run apps, as we all know. To the surprise of many skeptical media pundits, a lot of iPhone and iPod touch owners bought them to run apps too, numbering some 70,000 varieties at last count.

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You’d think a company that’s been in the public eye since the 1970s would be pretty well known as far as products and strategy are concerned. But that doesn’t stop the myths and the FUD (short for Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) from being spread by people who may have vested interests that prevent fair treatment of Apple Inc.

These days, the few media pundits who believe anything Microsoft says continue to repeat the claims without taking the time for critical thinking. The one that persists is the alleged “Apple Tax,” the supposedly higher price you pay for the privilege of owning a Mac.

Now in the past, Apple really did charge excessive prices to get as much profit as they could for their gear. Certainly perceptions are slow to change. These days, Apple does exist at the higher end of the PC universe, but not because their products are overpriced. They simply provide a full-featured product, and avoid stripped down gear.

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