There has been much talk that Apple’s newest OS 4.0 will finally bring true multitasking to the table for iPhone users. I was a longtime blackberry user before switching to the iPhone, and I still relish in the days when I could have more than 2 applications running at the same time. When I made the switch, I was surprised that the iPhone only allowed certain apps to run simultaneously. Now I’m not sure multitasking is worth the security risk for iPhone users.
I read this recent article about why Apple decided not to allow multitasking for any app on the iPhone.
Apple has previously stated that backgrounding apps represents a security risk. The iPhone’s OS kills apps when you accept calls or return to the home screen, rather than sending them to the background. That makes it harder for spyware, adware, or viruses to run on the phone without the user’s knowledge.
You can read the article here.
So at the expense of multitasking, Apple has decided to improve the security of the iPhone. That makes sense to me. Consider how large the app store is, and how many seemingly suspicious apps exist on the market. I do not have any concrete data to back up my suspicion that there are dangerous apps laced with spyware, adware, and viruses on the app store, but considering Apple finds it to be a risk, so do I.
So is it worth to have multitasking at the expense of security on the iPhone? Will Apple make the app developers certify their apps as a non-security risk before letting that app multitask? OS 4.0 may shed light on that conundrum. I just hope that security on the iPhone isn’t compromised to satisfy the calls for better multitasking performance.
Tags: Apple, iPhone, multitasking, os 4.0, security
