Apple iPhone OS 4.0 Will Offer Multitasking
The big debate on whether or not the iPhone, which debuted back in 2007, needs multitasking has been one that’s gone on since day one. It’s one of those features that many take for granted, and don’t even notice they’re using the feature until, rather quietly, the feature is taken away from them. Or, for many iPhone adopters, they willingly give it away. But it looks like this all may be finally coming to an end, as sources close to AppleInsider are beginning to whisper of some very interesting things.
First and foremost, is that the iPhone OS 4.0 (which is rumored to be launched in just a few months) is finally going to offer up some kind of multitasking support. Of course, the big question is how Apple has managed to do this, considering the iPhone doesn’t have a traditional “window”-like Operating System. According to these unnamed people, Apple has found a “full-on solution” to the multitasking conundrum, by delivering a multitasking manager that leverages the interface already bundled with its other Operating System, Mac OS X. While these kinds of shady communiques are naturally kept without names and many details, it seems that this time a lot of the details are being kept under wraps simply because iPhone OS 4.0 is still a long way off, before it’s ready to be unveiled to the world.
While many believe the iPhone doesn’t multitask at all, this is simply not the case. Apple has, from the start (or at least from 2008, when the App Store launched), taken into consideration the user’s experience with their device. When you allow a full-blown multitasking experience, things like security, battery life, and resource conservation come into play. Apple did not want to sacrifice the battery life just so you could have Monkey Ball running on pause in the background. Instead, they left the multitasking up to their first-party applications, like the iPod, because they could leverage that battery life directly. But, if Apple has indeed figured out a way to make multitasking not only work on the iPhone, we look forward to seeing it in action.
[via AppleInsider]