But Henry also notes that Apple shows definite signs of change in wanting to be more responsive about security in order to have its Apple iOS and tablets adopted in the enterprise and government sectors where strict security and detailed technical understanding may be demanded.

For one thing, Apple quietly in the last week or so released "" that for the first time puts into a simple document an explanation about security in iOS devices, says Henry. He notes it's not as though no one knew anything about them at all before, with the research community probing Apple mobile devices for years, but the new document represents Apple's attempt to finally formally explain to the enterprise what's going on under the covers.

The Apple "iOS Security, May 2012" document is a of how file-data protection, encryption, passcode system, certificate-signing process, secure boot chain, VPN use, network security, Wi-Fi and device access are all intended to function securely. Many are certain to want to hear more.

In addition, Apple in the past few months worked with the Australian government's Department of Defence to issue a for hardening iOS devices, Henry points out. "This all clearly shows that Apple is trying to embrace the enterprise system," he concludes, though many will still question if the and are enterprise-ready at this point. He adds he does like Apple's basic security model, though, which works to prevent unauthorized apps from devices, much like a whitelisting function.

Ellen Messmer is senior editor at Network World, an IDG publication and website, where she covers news and technology trends related to information security.