LOS ANGELES—Scores of pundits who have invested their credibility in the safety of Macs found themselves scrambling today to defend the collapse of IndyMac Bank, potentially endangering the life savings of many Mac users.

John Reich, director of the Office of Thrift Supervision, said of the massive security failure: “The IndyMac situation is unique. It does not signal a direction for the industry as a whole.”

A former Mac user pledges her eternal fealty to Windows.

These comments were echoed by many tech pundits. Rob Enderle of The Enderle Group said, minutes after the announcement was made: “I’ve long said that people were foolish to rely on Mac for their financial needs. IndyMac — and indeed, the entire Mac community — placed their faith in FDIC, SEC, and ISBN compliance for far too long, disregarding the need to instead join forces with larger organizations that have captured the bulk of the financial computing industry.”

Cory Doctorow, contacted by phone at the Codefürhackersnötdweebsgoddammerung 2008 conference in Berlin, said of the collapse: “As I said on Boing Boing in 2005, Mac’s collapse was clearly inevitable after they refused to open-source their ATM network.”

Security consultants and Mac industry observers were flummoxed by the news. Adam Engst, publisher of the TidBITS Mac online newsletter, said, “Wait. What are you talking about? Are you one of Tristan’s friends?” Andy Ihnatko of the Chicago Sun-Times was unavailable for comment, possibly due to temporary hypoxia from the gales of laughter and the distinguishable sound of milk coming out of his nose.

Individuals who have invested in Mac are insured by the federal government up to $100,000, but any Mac user who has purchased the Photoshop Creative Suite has an investment of several times that amount tied up in their Mac. Mac’s failure is expected to have ancillary impact in numerous similar industries, including Granny Smith apples, Pixar, and the use of the Chicago font in movie titles. (See sidebar: “Sprint bracing for massive Impact sales as millions abandon their iPhone 3G”.)