Finally Auto-updating is coming...finally

By this fall, Apple and Microsoft will have followed in the footsteps of Google to automatically update apps on their mobile and desktop platforms, another step in the trend to take security out of users' hands.

"This is one of the best things we've seen in security in the last decade," argued Andrew Storms, senior director of development and operations at San Francisco-based CloudPassage. "Historically, we've always relied on the end user to update, and praying that they do so. Auto-updating means that the moment [a new version] is released, the majority has the most secure code available installed."

Google's Android and Chrome OS -- the latter based on the Chrome browser -- automatically update installed apps, silently and in the background, without bothering the user.

Both Apple and Microsoft will mimic Google later this year, when the former ships OS X Mavericks for the Mac and iOS 7 for the iPhone and iPad. Microsoft, too, has committed to app auto-updates, a feature that will debut in Windows 8.1 this fall.  Finally!