Apple iPhone OS 4.0 to introduce Multitasking, 100 other features

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Due this summer, iPhone OS 4 will deliver multitasking as a way to run background apps that the user can quickly switch between.



The new feature was highlighted by Apple's chief executive Steve Jobs as one of the top 7 "tent pole" features of the new release, along with 100 other user features and hundreds of new features for developers to leverage in their apps.



"We weren't the first to this party," Jobs said of the new multitasking feature, "but we're going to be the best. Just like cut and paste."



"iPhone OS 4 provides multitasking to third party apps while preserving battery life and foreground app performance, which has until now proved elusive on mobile devices," Apple said in a press release.



The new feature enables users to launch multiple background apps, and then from any running app (or from the Home screen), call up a "multitasking tray" of the currently running apps, which the user can then immediately switch to.



Jobs demonstrated jumping back and forth between the iPhone's Safari browser and Mail, then jumped into a running game to continue from the previous game.



How Multitasking works in iPhone 4.0



Apple's Senior Vice President of iPhone software Scott Forstall appeared on stage to explain how the company had added multitasking without incurring a performance hit. iPhone 4 will add seven different multitasking services APIs for developers, he explained, each tuned to solve different multitasking scenarios.



Background Audio



One, demonstrated by Pandora's Internet radio streaming app, will allow apps like it to play music in the background, with playback controls available even at the lock screen.



Voice over IP



A second example involves VoIP, which enables apps like Skype to continue to receive calls even when the calling app is not the foreground app.



Background Location



A third mechanism is background location, which can be used by direction apps such as TomTom or social media apps like Loopt. Rather than constantly polling GPS (something that kills the battery rapidly) the new system calculates location from cellular sites







Push Notifications and Local Notifications



A fourth and fifth enhancement relates to Apple's existing push notification service and a new "local notifications" service that allows apps to post reminders or other events without using Apple's servers.







Task Completion



A sixth feature, task completion, will enable an app to start a job and continue working on it after the user leaves the app. And example given cited an app posting photos to Flicker, which continued working after the user left that app.



Fast App Switching



The seventh multitasking mechanism is fast app switching, which "allows you to restore the state of an app when you switch out and back," is the easiest to implement, essentially freezing the progress of an app such as a game while the user handles another task in another app.



iPhone and iPod touch model support



The iPhone 4 update will bring multitasking features to the existing 2009 iPhone 3GS and 3G iPod touch models with 32 and 64GB of storage. Earlier models from 2008 (iPhone 3G and the 2G iPod touch, as well as the low end 2009 models based on those designs) will be able to install the iPhone 4 update but will not be able to use multitasking because those devices lack the system RAM and processing power required.



The original iPhone and iPod touch models from 2007 will apparently not be supported by iPhone 4. At its release, they will be four years old.



Apple said "a version of iPhone OS 4 will be coming to iPad this Fall."
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 273
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    Very Cool, and did anyone else happen to notice that the screen on that iPhone they're displaying looks to (finally) be 16:9?
  • Reply 2 of 273
    I noticed the screen to be a bit "long" as well. looks good.
  • Reply 3 of 273
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    Before the sarcasm begins: what Apple has done to make this different from every other phones multitasking, is to provide API's that allow the app to only use the resources that it requires. So that app doesn't hog up more than it needs.
  • Reply 4 of 273
    http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/08/l...ne-os-4-event/



    10:15AM "Now we weren't the first to this party, but we're gonna be the best. Just like cut and paste."



    But Apple innovates, is always original, and never gets features from others!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! /s



    Straight from Jobs' mouth. Double tap to see all running programs in a "dock". Hmm, wonder where we've seen that before? Absolutely 100% from Android.



    Now everyone say it with me: Thanks Google!



    [Edit]: Local Notifications, Task Completion, Fast App Switching, and now Folders -- wow, this is starting to look like a total ripoff of Android, except they don't have cutesy names for them. It's just there.
  • Reply 5 of 273
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    Apple's 'folders' feature looks/functions very much the same as it does on Android 2.x, which is a good thing, because on my DROID it's fantastic.
  • Reply 6 of 273
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    I don't care how the whole 'iAds' thing is spun, they're annoying to the vast majority of users.
  • Reply 7 of 273
    hellacoolhellacool Posts: 759member
    The only thing I am worried about is the iAd thing. If I have to look at ads to make an app free that is cool but I refuse to look at ads on anything I paid for.
  • Reply 8 of 273
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,857member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaHarder View Post


    I don't care how the whole 'iAds' thing is spun, they're annoying to the vast majority of users.



    The only ones any more annoyed by iAds than the current ads will be Google. Everyone else, less so.
  • Reply 9 of 273
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    From what they are demoing the ads are of much higher quality that what is available now on iPhone apps and they provide information on the product and how to purchase it.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaHarder View Post


    I don't care how the whole 'iAds' thing is spun, they're annoying to the vast majority of users.



  • Reply 10 of 273
    chronsterchronster Posts: 1,894member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by steve jobs


    ?We weren?t the first to this party but we?re going to be the best, just like cut and paste,? said Apple CEO Steve Jobs, alluding to the fact that cut-and-paste hadn?t been available until a year after the first iPhone launched. ?It?s really easy to implement multitasking in a way that drains battery life. If you don?t do it just right your phone?s going to feel sluggish and your battery life is going to go way down. We?ve figured out how to implement multitasking of third-party apps and avoid those things.?



    There is such a load of pretentious bullshit in this statement. Steve Jobs is SUCH a douche.



    Copy and paste in iphone isn't better, it's just different. While playing the ipad I played with the copy and paste feature and I did not like it.



    As far as multitasking goes, I've already shown numerous people on many occasions how my battery life is NOT effected while running up to 10 apps (all doing some kind of function in the background.)



    I know people would rather take every word this guy says as truth than to actually listen to someone like me, but he's honestly selling you bullshit. He's no better than Glenn Beck.
  • Reply 11 of 273
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TenoBell View Post


    From what they are demoing the ads are of much higher quality that what is available now on iPhone apps and they provide information on the product and how to purchase it.



    It's certainly an interesting 'twist', but I certainly don't want any semblance of them in my paid apps, for free apps it's not that much of an issue - IMO
  • Reply 12 of 273
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    As though any one expects you to say anything different.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by chronster View Post


    There is such a load of pretentious bullshit in this statement. Steve Jobs is SUCH a douche.



  • Reply 13 of 273
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    They are intended for free apps, but its up to the developer.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaHarder View Post


    It's certainly an interesting 'twist', but I certainly don't want any semblance of them in my paid apps, for free apps it's not that much of an issue - IMO



  • Reply 14 of 273
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TenoBell View Post


    Before the sarcasm begins: what Apple has done to make this different from every other phones multitasking, is to provide API's that allow the app to only use the resources that it requires. So that app doesn't hog up more than it needs.



    I always believed they were waiting to do it right. The others all rushed it just to be seen to have a better feature than iPhone. Few are lucky enough to own a magic phone like Chronster who can run ten apps on his multi-tasking phone with zero increase in power consumption.
  • Reply 15 of 273
    11:02AM "We are releasing it for end users for iPhone and iPod touch for users this summer. For the 3GS and iPod touch 3rd gen. And, for iPhone 3G and iPod touch 2nd gen, they will run many things... but there are some things they won't run, like multitasking."



    /COUGHFRAGMENTATIONCOUGHCOUGH
  • Reply 16 of 273
    cavallocavallo Posts: 57member
    Ads are ads. There is no such thing as 'more or less' annoying. Anyone with a brain should see them for the intrusion they are. If anything, the idea behind these ads is more evil than usual, since they'll be unavoidable, and better able to lull the user into thinking that something malevolent and coercive is actually personal and helpful.
  • Reply 17 of 273
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaHarder View Post


    It's certainly an interesting 'twist', but I certainly don't want any semblance of them in my paid apps, for free apps it's not that much of an issue - IMO



    They look more fun than many free apps But I agree with you on the paid for apps.
  • Reply 18 of 273
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    One thing I'm hoping is that Apple rethinks the icon spacing on the iPad i.e. something more akin to the iPhone.



    We currently have 2 in the house, and my 64gb/3g is due at the end of the month, and we all find that there's just too much emptiness between icons on the device.



    We'll see if they address this...
  • Reply 19 of 273
    mazda 3smazda 3s Posts: 1,613member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cavallo View Post


    Ads are ads. There is no such thing as 'more or less' annoying. Anyone with a brain should see them for the intrusion they are. If anything, the idea behind these ads is more evil than usual, since they'll be unavoidable, and better able to lull the user into thinking that something malevolent and coercive is actually personal and helpful.



    Exactly. Just because Apple is behind it doesn't make it better. Dog s**t is still dog s**t! I don't want ads on my 3.5" screen no matter who's behind it.
  • Reply 20 of 273
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cavallo View Post


    Ads are ads. There is no such thing as 'more or less' annoying. Anyone with a brain should see them for the intrusion they are. If anything, the idea behind these ads is more evil than usual, since they'll be unavoidable, and better able to lull the user into thinking that something malevolent and coercive is actually personal and helpful.



    If you try a free app or even keep using one why should you be angry that the developer gets to eat?
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