Most iPhone users would be rejoicing over yesterday’s 3.0 software update, but some may have missed the fact Apple slipped in 45 new security patches with the upgrade.
The number of upgrades is unusual for a device such as a smartphone, but tech analysts suggest that the patches were released due to the size of the 3.0 upgrade.
“Given the breadth of feature and functionality within the iPhone OS, it is not surprising that Apple would have security patches,” Cross Research analyst Shannon Cross told Reuters.
So far the iPhone has yet to be hit by malware attacks since its first release in the US in 2007, with many tech analysts suggesting that as phones become more sophisticated, manufacturers must keep ahead of hackers.
“They are no longer dumb devices used only to make phone calls. They hold a wealth of personal information and in some cases are being used as electronic wallets,” Joris Evers, a spokesman for McAfee, also told Reuters.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
