IPhone OS 4.0 unveiled, adds multitasking, shipping this summer

I think this is the right way to go about it... rather than giving apps whole-hog access where they can burn up cpu and memory at will, in a black box, Apple can do a "don't call us, we'll call you" type of API.<p>Apple can monitor exactly what resources are being used, have timeouts for api calls, etc. to maintain perf. If you do regular multitasking (just split up cpu time between the top N apps) you have no idea how efficient apps are being, or why they are using cpu. You can't easily prioritize certain activities over others (i.e notifications vs. voip vs location). You can't optimize everyone's calls with core library functions (each app would re-implement their background tasks, perhaps poorly).<p>When people say they need multitasking they really mean "streaming music/skype/background notifications", like when they say they want flash they really mean they want video. We have to be careful not to just give people the faster horse.

iAd is the ultimate FU to Google.<p>The cheap way to pay them back for Android would have been to banish Google from the iPhone. Instead, they're attempting to transform mobile advertising into something where Google's technical strengths are worthless, while their weaknesses - user interfaces, platform fragmentation, and apps - are a serious liability.<p>Worse, Apple is right - mobile ads <i>do</i> suck. Nobody clicks on them, because launching a web browser from an app is incredibly disruptive on a handheld. This is an 'aha' moment akin to when Google launched adwords. If iAd is easy to develop for and deployed across millions of devices, Google's ambitions for mobile are in serious trouble.

I must admit I really like the way they do it: they do not rush, don't push half baked solutions. It either works or it is not there. Look at the copy and paste: it was the laughing point, it took some time and now it is the best implementation there. Even more so with iPhone OS 4: multitasking, folders, unified inbox — looks like they just focused on what's important. Anyway, naysayers will always have Flash to cry about.

Maybe I'm biased (I work at Microsoft on gaming), but I'm <i>shocked</i> that this thread is all about multitasking and not about the social gaming network!<p>Apple has sold 50M iPhones. Microsoft has sold roughly 30M Xbox 360s. This summer, before the launch of Windows Phone 7, Apple will have the world's largest gaming network.....overnight.<p>How is that not a bigger deal than multi-tasking?

Wow, "iAd" - Apple's new mobile advertising offering - is Apple's first foray into advertising, isn't it?<p>Being able to keep the user in the app while showing them high-quality ads is a huge advantage. And most likely the source of the recent, supposed kerfuffles between Apple and Google executives.

I think Apple has been on a streak of releasing some great products, but I'm growing weary of Apple condescendingly telling people what they don't need (such as multitasking and copy/paste) and then turning around and touting those features as innovations later. (I don't mean to imply that the new multitasking services approach is not a good solution - I think that it is).<p>Now, we shouldn't need a stylus or task manager: <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/08/jobs-if-you-see-a-stylus-or-a-task-manager-they-blew-it/" rel="nofollow">http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/08/jobs-if-you-see-a-stylus-...</a> The problem is, I want a stylus on something like the iPad - for some operations, writing is a more familiar metaphor than finger-painting. Likewise, their app-switcher is 90% of a task manager - all they'd need to do is add closing background apps (a feature we don't need?).<p>I know Apple is the master of opinionated design / "not listening to the customer" in order to provide something better than what the customer thinks they want. However, as a technical user, sometimes they outsmart me and sometimes they fail. In the next year, I'll purchase a tablet device (most likely Android-based, maybe the Notion Ink Adam... if it lives up to its hype). I don't expect for it to be as elegant as an Apple product, but it will do more of the things I want (and not insult me).

One of the interesting features is background audio seems to use the iPod application for its playback controls. Presumably this means third party apps will be compatible with iPod integration systems in cars, home audio systems, etc. That's a big deal if true.

Google's purchase of AdMob now looks like a great exit by AdMob and horrible purchase by Google

The multitasking is nice for people like me who complained, though I wonder how everyone who was defending the lack of multitasking as a good thing will take it that the iPhone/iPad is now losing this 'feature.'

Ars is doing a good job live blogging it.<p><a href="http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/04/iphone-os-4-special-event-cupertino-liveblog.ars" rel="nofollow">http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/04/iphone-os-4-specia...</a>

Nice to finally have bluetooth keyboard support. I could never bring myself to use my iPhone as an SSH terminal because typing UNIX commands using the onscreen keyboard drove me crazy. I think landscape 80x24 on the iPhone would even look pretty decent.<p>I've always been disappointed in iPhone bluetooth support. When we finally got A2DP they only implemented a half-assed AVRCP profile so we couldn't skip tracks with our A2DP headsets. Frustrating. Hopefully version 4.0 of the iPhone OS finally implements this, but I've yet to see confirmation.

"Apps that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation ... layer or tool are prohibited."<p>in the new license agreement, did they just ban apps generated by flash cs5?

So, does this mean that an IM app could now run in the background instead of using push notifications? It's not really clear that "local notifications" means that an app can keep a connection open.

No multi-tasking on 3G iPhones - 3GS only.

Looks like there's going to be a OmniGraffle for the iPhone (presumably not $49 like the iPad version).<p><a href="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/04/iphone-os-4-0248-rm-eng.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/04/iphone...</a>

Gdgt is also doing an excellent live-blog; no refresh required :)<p><a href="http://live.gdgt.com/2010/04/08/live-iphone-os-4-0-event-coverage/" rel="nofollow">http://live.gdgt.com/2010/04/08/live-iphone-os-4-0-event-cov...</a>

Can anyone explain the implementation of multitasking here, not the user experience of it? I'm hearing a combo of new service APIs and "freezing state." What does "freezing state" mean? That to me implies some sort of serialization out of and back into RAM, otherwise you'll run into out-of-memory problems opening new apps, but that would seem to indicate swap, which as we know would kill performance (and presumably battery life), both of which Apple claims multitasking won't do.

Will iAd be allowed to use the iPhone's location data for targeting advertisements? I remember they specifically asked third-party ad servers to not do so.

Those of you who have iPhones will truly love this. I know after having a Palm Pre for just one week I realized I could never go back to single tasking. You'll find yourself walking around, listening to Pandora, mapping what's around you, checking out reviews of it on Yelp, etc. Or sitting in a coffee shop, Googling something else, answering a call, emailing, etc.<p>It will be rare that you're not running two things.

What's up with the disconnect between news like this and Wall Street? iAd is announced, AAPL goes <i>down</i> and GOOG goes <i>up</i>?

I read it will supports 'SSL VPN's' does anyone know if this will include openvpn support

My startup is about online games... the more Apple delves into this (GameKit), the more I feel pulled toward developing for the iPad vs the web. Any thoughts? Is the iPad filled with more potential than the web for casual card/board games?

The thing thats funny about this is that all the apologists who've been explaining why multitasking is pointless and unnecessary will now instantly switch positions and say this makes Apple the greatest company ever.

Wait! I thought the lack of multitasking on the iPhone was a feature? <a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1240171" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1240171</a>

This will be the third time I will be downloading the 2.2 GB SDK on my slow-*ss network in just the last seven days. First the 3.2 GM, then the 3.2 official version, and now 4 beta. Phew.

will the 1G iphones get this? I don't see it mentioned.

No new iPhone hardware this year? I thought they were gonna announce a 4th generation handset.

I can smell a new iPad OS (or at least a new variant of iPhone OS) coming this fall.

Alright good job Apple. Now when can I have Google Voice without jailbreaking?

Looks like Apple is finally catching up to Android.

Any mention of pricing for the iPod Touch update?

what about uploading from the browser?

Argh, make the Apple fanmactics stop!

Well that's better.<p>Wait, multitasking? I thought we've just been having the discussion about how Apple is awesome for <i>not</i> having multitasking followed by a long bulleted list of apologists talking points?