Some security analysts are concerned about the bundling of ten security patches for the iPhone and firmware upgrades that provided new functionality in the iPhone September Update. The worry is that stories of bricked phones will cause customers to defer needed security updates, according to PC World on Monday.

"With the iPhone update, Apple is now producing a fear of taking their patches," said Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle Network Security Inc. "If they release a functionality update and security fixes at the same time in the future, some users will think twice about applying it. They’ll ask themselves ’What will it break this time?’ and ’Will it backfire on me?’"

Mr. Storms felt that the publicity around disabled phones may have been more important, and maybe more confusing, than the security updates themselves.

Garter, Inc.’s John Pescatore agreed. "There should definitely be a separation between security and functionality," he said. "Users shouldn’t be forced to accept new functionality to get security fixes." He pointed out that, at least in the PC World, the bundling of security and features, which is good for the vendor, forces the users to choose between testing all the new features or passing on the security fixes.

iPO notes, however, that the situation is different with a consumer product. The iPhone is not an enterprise product, and there are no massive IT teams required to test the new features for enterprise integration. The user just buys new music with new features. Second, the vast majority of iPhone customers aren’t inclined to spend a lot of time reading the opinions of PC security analysts. They just want to update their phone, get new features, get better security and get on with life. Finally, if they do hear about bricked phones, they know that a tiny fraction of customers have hacked their phones and are paying the price.

As a result, it’s not likely that typical iPhone users worry about this kind of bundling, one that’s a concern in the PC and Windows community. Apple is, in fact, doing what it believes to be in the best interests of their customers and their own corporate obligation to AT&T.