Apple didn't say "Macs don't get OS X viruses". The very next sentence was "a Mac isn’t susceptible to the thousands of viruses plaguing Windows-based computer

Apple didn't say "Macs don't get OS X viruses". The very next sentence was "a Mac isn’t susceptible to the thousands of viruses plaguing Windows-based computers". Which it wasn't. As for custom viruses targeting OS X, none had been seen in the wild for a decade (only some trojans did exist). So the general public's assumptions "Macs are safe" was grounded in pragmatic reality. That something is theoretically possible (e.g a meteor hitting my house) doesn't make it a real threat. Now, one could argue that an OS X virus is not only theoretically possible but, unlike the meteor example, also easily achievable. But still, something being both theoretically possible and easily achievable doesn't make it a real threat. E.g a neighbour setting my house on fire. I'd rather start worrying about it when it starts happening frequently (instead of never).