The end result keeps Apple firmly in control over whats going on in apps running on its devices, a fact that enterprises may find beneficial or not.

Apples DeAtley said the iOS architecture fosters the concept of a unique group of encryption-based controls for every device, and entitlement, which defines a crypto-determined way to decide what applications are allowed to access on each device, based on dynamic code-signing.

It all adds up to mean software running on devices is all known to come from a particular location, he said.

For erasing data, Apple devices dont actually erase it but instead render it unobtainable because the necessary encryption key is erased. With whats called Effaceable Storage, when the user triggers the function remotely, the keys are erased with the storage.

 All this crypto processing can make performance and battery demands on a device, which is why Apple makes use of what it calls a suspended state for applications. Applications are suspended by default, until the user hits another button, De Atley said. It helps performance and battery life.