Apple Announces Multitasking in iPhone OS 4.0

[2992]

[...] Think about when your PC or Mac last had 512 MB of RAM? [...]

My 4-years-old-1.5GHz-single-core-64MB-videoRAM-on-boad-video-card-Acer-laptop is "only" having 512MB of RAM, and it can "multitasking". Heck, it even runs the latest Ubuntu version...
OnTopic now: I'll be missing official multitasking on my 2 years old piece of technology called iPhone 3G, but I'll be actually using it undercover (ProSwitcher ).

 

[tobimax]

Typical Apple W*nkers

Typical Apple W*nkers make everyones hardware obsolite.......

 

[Meduolis]

What's to prevent me from voting this article negative? Why does it matter?

Reason, logic, sanity?

 

[diamond.g]

The folders show a notification if an app within requires attention.

Ah, that helps. What about the modal notifications have they fixed those? By fixed I mean allowing you to get more than one push notification at a time (stackable). Maybe with the ability to cancel the notification and not have the badge go away?

 

[Max(IT)]

You keep saying this, but in reality you can't. The 3g is often out of RAM without multitasking (hence the slowdowns people experience all the time). In the best-case situation you can jailbreak and run 1 3rd party app in the background, but it will still quit unexpectedly when the phone runs out of RAM. It's not BS, no matter how much you keep saying it.

I absolutely agree with you: if you keep saying BS, it won't became true.
Multitasking with 128 mb of RAM is a joke, jb or not ...

 

[John.B]

I have a 3G, not 3GS, that is, no "multitasking"... that is, when (by mistake) I'll tap on that add, the app will actually close and will start downloading more data than is doing it now.

So how is that any different than how your iPhone worked on the day you bought it?

My phone is ~1 year old and I'm getting no multitasking? That sux and makes me unhappy. That has made me to use ProSwitcher. I don't need tens of apps running in the background, but ~3 will be enough for me and for the average Joe like me.
At the end of the day, it's a d@mn multimedia (smart?)phone, not a full blown computer or a game box... so I'm not really searching for productivity, but gotta be kidding me saying that I cannot run an IM and browse the web in the same time on a ~1 year old product.

Well it may be a one-year old device, but it has a two year old design.

Which is why there is always a rush in the June-ish timeframe to get the new version. I'll admit, when a friend "saved" $100 on a "new" 3G I knew it was going to be a mistake (if only for the slower processor, not even thinking about the smaller memory footprint).

 

[840quadra]

I'm sure someone else must have said this already but there's one part of the story you're not telling. If you do have a jailbroken iPhone 3G and you're running something like Multiflow or ProSwitcher to multitask there's no way you can tell me with a straight face that your phone isn't lagging all over the place.
<snip>

I am not telling that story because it has not been my experience. I simply multitask only applications that offer chat services. This way I stay online with them, and can switch back to respond to messages.

If that has been your experience I am sorry, but I am not you, nor am I using the applications for multitasking that you are listing. As in all cases, some applications work better than others.

 

[Max(IT)]

Steve really let me down on this one. After hyping the iPad for months and then selling hundreds of thousands of them, I suspected that multitasking would come right along with the iPhone. Naturally, I should known something smelt rotten in Cupertino.

Happy about my iPhone finally becoming more versatile but I am extremely disappointed about the iPad's continued neutering until the fall. And we don't even know when the date is? It could be late Sept or early Dec?

That's the thing about Apple. Their products are fantastic and work well. But occasionally, they do stuff like this. For a loyal Apple owner, it does, frankly, piss me off. Maybe if we kick and scream, it'll come faster. But I bet that'll make Steve and Co. move slower.

your iPad will have the same exact functionalities it had when you bought it, with firmware 3.2 , until the new firmware will brings NEW functionalities to you. Nothing to complain.

I have the Nexus One - I got multitasking, folders, widgets, home screen shortcuts, proper notification system, live wallpapers, and much more. And I am not jailbroke.

and who exactly cares about the Nexus One you have ?
There are a lot of Android forum where you can discuss about it ....

I just noted that quite a lot of Apple bashers, in this thread, have a Nexus One

 

[arosania]

What you FAIL to realize is all the whining from MOST of us that have used real smartphones in the past and currently have contributed proper feedback and positive criticism (not blatant whining) to what you NOW are going to GET in iPhone OS 4.0. This so called pointless and time wasting posts having broadened YOUR horizons about what is possible and enjoyable & that improves your productivity (I sincerely doubt 80% of Fortune 500 companies use iPhone vs users in 80% of Fortune 500 companies own & use iPhones). This should properly rebuttal against what you feel are happy with OS X (Desktop vs mobile is NOT fully the same) and why your "time wasting" at looking what is possible is anything but.

Desktop Points:
remote desktop
vpn
fast user switching
(all debuted on Windows first, if horribly implemented. Apple implemented in a sweet way that I'm SURE you're enjoying)

Mobile Points:
VPN
Multitasking
security
mobile device management & OTA app delivery & IT Policy's
etc etc
(All featured on various other platforms!)
Soon data management WILL impact your network hogging iPhones that do NOT care for data bandwidth consumption on a network that you SHARE with other users ... THIS my friends is the true KEY to batter consumption that thus far ONLY the iPhone is plagued with and concerns so much development time/concern by Apple iPhone OS development team. This is horrible with a smartphone that today has more than 1000mAh battery: Standby, Continuous talk-time, and browsing over WiFi (regardless of joy of what is displayed) pales in comparison to the competition). This NEEDS to be fixed but I think Apple will ONLY do so with continued hardware roll out. This is the DIFFERENCE between a Mobile OS built for Mobile from the ground up vs tweaked and stripped about to suit a mobile platform from a desktop/laptop platform. Laptops/Tablets, even the iPad, are NOT the same as a phone/smartphone when power management is concerned.

The grass is either always greener or present on the other side but its how you enjoy the sun that gives you flowers.

This is what I call a very big frog in a very small pond...

 

[godknows]

Apple designers must be asleep, or busy working on revamped Mac OS X interface. Recent additions in iPhone and iPad are ugly. The multitasking tray, the folder, iBooks, iPad controls (and the wallpaper in Steve's presentation).
Yea... I hate the design of the multitasking tray. Wake up Ive.

By the way, so many Apple haters are picking on the fact that 3G won't get multitasking, or 2G won't get 4.0 at all (just see PCWorld.com). But I can't think of any other companies pushing updates to their phones that is useful. My Nokia phone isn't going to get Symbian^3, HTC HD2 users aren't getting WP7, even Android users are not getting official updates (I figured out that Android is getting more and more like Linux, everything community based). Only thing I see is N900 getting MeeGo, which is a name change only to be honest.

Who has a 3 year old phone still getting updates from it's manufacturer?

 

[Max(IT)]

What do you mean more ads? do you even understand what iAd does?

jeebus!

the problem is that a lot of people really don't understand what Apple presented, but keep whining about it

I'm not understanding the rush of Droid, Pre and Nexus One (or whatever they are) users rushing in to tell us how awful the iPhone OS 4.0 is.

It would be similar to me, someone who had given up using Windows and moved to OS X, going over to a Windows forum when they release a new OS to comment on how OS X runs better. Pointless and time wasting. If I'm happy with OS X, why would I waste my time looking up what other operating systems are doing and then whinging and whining that they aren't doing what the operating system I am using does?

that seems to be very popular in this forum
The urge to save us poor people from "Evil Jobs" is well beyond my understanding

 

[Max(IT)]

I thought Apple was all about cutting edge technology but 4.0 doesn't look cutting edge at all...

Indeed ... It doesn't make coffee

 

[Max(IT)]

Honestly, this is more like OS 3.5 then 4.0. And....um....sorry, but what is being considered multitasking on the iPhone is not really multitasking.

But it's definitely a good compromise and a step forward. I have an iPod Touch 2gen so I couldn't install it anyway.

So I guess my next question is: when do the 4th gen ipod Touches come out?

And Who decided that? You ?
Multitasking means capability of perform more than a task simultaneusly. Os4 definitely allows that.

Os4 is a revolutionary approach to a smartphone operative system, and you keep whining about BS ...

 

[John.B]

the problem is that a lot of people really don't understand what Apple presented, but keep whining about it

Exactly. Most ad-supported apps bounce you out to Mobile Safari when you click on the ad, then you have to navigate your way back to the app (and in some cases back to where you were inside the app).

The only app I have that brings you back to exactly where you were is the ESPN ScoreCenter app, and what they've done was essentially build their own iAd-type framework for viewing and dismissing ads.

The other thing that iAd does is to give developers another option than Google/AdMob in their mobile app, one with much better integration.

For the clueless people who complain about the 60/40 developer/Apple revenue split: Are you even aware what the going rate is for other ad hosting options? No? I didn't think so.

 

[RoboCop001]

It's probably been said but... it's worth saying again! lol

For all those people neurotically complaining that the iPad won't get OS 4.0 until the Fall, well they have to redo the interfaces for the new features since it has a bigger screen.

So naturally they focus on one at a time, the iPhone/iPod touch being first.

Stop being neurotic.

 

[NoSmokingBandit]

I have a feeling 4.0 is going to lead to many 3G users to jailbreaking.

 

[AidenShaw]

For all those people neurotically complaining that the iPad won't get OS 4.0 until the Fall, well they have to redo the interfaces for the new features since it has a bigger screen.

So, Apple still hasn't figured out resolution independence?

And Steve calls the Adobe developers "lazy". It's mind-boggling.

 

[Compile 'em all]

So, Apple still hasn't figured out resolution independence?

And Steve calls the Adobe developers "lazy". It's mind-boggling.

The multitasking UI on the iPad won't be just a "bigger" bar.

 

[Maldini]

The problem here is this, Apple approach to UI and features always scores high with regular people but techies tend to hate them, because there isnt enough power or features.

threads like this will continue for ever

 

[bks691]

I'm not understanding the rush of Droid, Pre and Nexus One (or whatever they are) users rushing in to tell us how awful the iPhone OS 4.0 is.

It would be similar to me, someone who had given up using Windows and moved to OS X, going over to a Windows forum when they release a new OS to comment on how OS X runs better. Pointless and time wasting. If I'm happy with OS X, why would I waste my time looking up what other operating systems are doing and then whinging and whining that they aren't doing what the operating system I am using does?

+1

 

[RoboCop001]

So, Apple still hasn't figured out resolution independence?

And Steve calls the Adobe developers "lazy". It's mind-boggling.

The multitasking UI on the iPad won't be just a "bigger" bar.

Indeed.

It's not really about resolution independence as much as just laying out the UI differently.

The layout of pretty much every app on the iPad is totally different because of the larger screen area. So obviously they need to program it differently and create different graphics.

Plus they need to figure out how to best layout the iPad version of the interface as well.

One big example is iPod app. It's completely different. It's not just a bigger iPhone iPod app.


Incidentally, they're probably also working on a better notification system and a way to display info on the lock screen. Though I expect those two features to be "tent pole" features in OS 5.

 

[MacAddict2000]

Two reasons I don't support multitasking.

I saw a friend of mine (a registered Apple Developer) earlier today who has 4.0.

Reason 1, when you open an app and decide to close it, it backgrounds it by default rather than killing it. If I want to background it, I'd rather do the double-click. I really don't want unnecessary stuff running in the background if I'm done with it.

Reason 2, the double-click. I double-click the Home button all the time to get into my phone Favorites; heck, I even use it as a shortcut to get into the Phone app itself. A lot of people use it for an iPod shortcut, etc. Well, multitasking removes that functionality. All the options for the Home button are now removed from Settings.

I really have not supported multitasking from the get-go. While I do like the idea of having Pandora continue to play in the background, that's really the only time I predict I'll use it. Maybe it'll be different when the time comes and I've actually used it for awhile, I sure hope so. And I'm sorry, but I still have a hard time believing that it doesn't take up any extra resources than single-tasking. Performance has to be impacted, even if it's just a little bit. I wish they'd do a Snow Leopard type update to the iPhone OS, it's bloated and slow due to all these features they've been piling on since 2.0. It could use a slimming down. Ever use a first gen iPhone with 1.1.4? Feels like you're practically using a 3GS. New features and eye candy don't really do it for me. I just want it to work and work better than before.

 

[Max(IT)]

I have a feeling 4.0 is going to lead to many 3G users to jailbreaking.

4.0 is going to lead many 3G users to upgrade to the new model

+1

+100000000

 

[NoSmokingBandit]

4.0 is going to lead many 3G users to upgrade to the new model

Why buy a new phone when you can get the new features for free?

Unfortunately, end users really are that stupid and will gladly buy a new phone to get features easily accessible on their current phone.

 

[MorphingDragon]

So, Apple still hasn't figured out resolution independence?

Resolution independence only works when icons and graphics are vecotor based and not rasterized.

You can't magically improve graphics quality when upscaling iPhone apps using resolution independence.

But then its another one of your furryesque internet drama buzzwords.