http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/ Engadget Comments for Apple now accepting iOS 4 apps, multitasking ahoy http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Jun 11th 2010 3:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Jun 11th 2010 3:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Jun 11th 2010 3:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
What is "True" multitasking on a phone? Does Android have "true" multitasking"? Won't you be able to run apps in the background on iOS4?]]>Jun 11th 2010 3:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Jun 11th 2010 3:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Jun 11th 2010 3:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
'True' multitasking to me is being able to have two unrelated applications on screen and have both running fully. No one suggests this on a phone because it's not practical on a small screen.

What 'a dumb cat' is talking about is having multiple applications running fully at the same time. Android does this, the iPhone won't. Whether that is good or bad is subjective.

The iOS 4 isn't actually going to run multiple apps concurrently. Instead, it's going to take only the parts that users are interested in having run in the background, and keep just those parts going when an app is closed. This gives the same effect for most uses, but uses fewer resources.]]>Jun 11th 2010 3:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
Yeah, just saw that. Well, I guess you could say it's "better than nothing", but when iPhone users have long-considered the iPhone to be the pinnacle of the "smart" phone market, why should they have to settle for this? Or maybe they've just been settling all along, but just didn't realize it / didn't care?

*shrug*

I guess it's a good thing Apple is making headway, but unfortunately it's in baby steps.]]>Jun 11th 2010 3:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
Thank you for the clarification, Zweben.]]>Jun 11th 2010 3:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Jun 11th 2010 3:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
Pandora would work behind the scenes. I bet a lot of people would be happy about that. ]]>Jun 11th 2010 3:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/I've had this same function for about a year now.. Backgrounder on Cydia already did this.]]>Jun 11th 2010 3:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
I agree that it will accommodate the majority of users (maybe not 90%, but at least 51% ;) but I was referring to how the Palm Pre multitasks. Yes the hardware is funky, but webOS on the Pre got it right. It's too bad we cannot get this concept onto more mobile OS platforms for "true" multi-tasking.

Seriously, why was I down-ranked when I simply stated a fact?? Apple fanboys need to take a chill pill and face reality. I own a Palm Pre but am more than willing to face and admit to the shortcomings of that phone (mostly the hardware and some incomplete aspects of the OS), I just wish everyone would have a more objective opinion. Oh well...]]>Jun 11th 2010 3:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
No one cares if it's not "True multitasking". I wish you Apple Haters would define what "true" multitasking is and why anyone cares....

Apple's solution to multitasking will satisfy everyone but you Apple Haters. ]]>Jun 11th 2010 3:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
Yeah, I think that most iPhone users couldn't care less, so long as they can do such things as use Pandora while checking their e-mail or surfing the web.

That's really all my friend is waiting for, and he's a huge Apple proponent.]]>Jun 11th 2010 3:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
there are too many apple fanboyz here]]>Jun 11th 2010 3:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Jun 11th 2010 3:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/]]>Jun 11th 2010 3:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
'True' Multitasking would be not having to loose the functionality of one app/process in order to take advantage of another app/process.

On my Pre, for example, I can run Pandora, shoot of an email, keep my memos open, run my mileage tracker and text with people and have the web open. All the cards keep their full functionality even when they are running in the background.

Now granted, since I'm with sprint, I do loose some functions when I make a call, but that is a limit of the CDMA network and not WebOS. If I'm running on WiFi and not 3G, i don't have that problem.]]>Jun 11th 2010 3:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Yeah...I have reservations about it...maybe they can pull it off though, who knows...I have to say though on WinMo, it does get quite annoying sometimes, because programs never close when you exit them...90% of the programs I use don't need to be kept open anyways...the ones that do have background daemons regardless and the client just hooks on to the daemon.

The problem with Apple's implementation though is that the OS itself is running the show, and a dev cannot create their own background daemon..It's a tough line to draw...but I still think Apple does not give developers enough freedom and there are too many restrictions.]]>Jun 11th 2010 3:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Jun 11th 2010 3:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
I still don't get why you would have to 'compromise' on a phone with such great hardware and specs. It is top of the line stuff in the new iphone, so why not get MT right, and let the USER decide how best to manage their battery/workflow? It seems pointless for apple to limit how you use the phone when there is clearly an interest, nay, a need for true MT as we enter a world where mobile computing is done increasingly on our smartphones.]]>Jun 11th 2010 3:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
Well considering the battery already sucks to begin with, you're likely not getting much more performance out of the thing with this "workaround"]]>Jun 11th 2010 3:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
If you want proof of how this might be a better implementation, just look back at Windows Mobile phones way back when. Battery and performance were horrible, among other things.]]>Jun 11th 2010 3:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
Don't see why you got down ranked for speaking the truth. But hey, at least it's something.]]>Jun 11th 2010 3:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Jun 11th 2010 4:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Jun 11th 2010 4:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
"Fast app switching" and "completing tasks in the background" is the way to go for me. Keeps everything snappy and the end effect is the same. Only less battery consumption and more performance.

I really don't get why you all want fully backgrounded apps. Besides what I stated above, it keeps my iPhone 3G running nice, unlike with 'Backgrounder' (full app backgrounding). Oh, before the trolls troll me, I've jailbroken my iPhone 3G, so I've got the multitasking tray.

One point: it's really lame that Apple is keeping the official multitasking system away from older (unjailbroken) users. Wallpaper I can understand (makes it really slow, believe me), but multitasking? No.]]>Jun 11th 2010 4:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
Simply an idoitic trollish statement. The Apple solution is good. It does what multi-tasking should do. It allows audio to play in the background. Also, it allows for task completion in a background application. After task completion the background app is suspended. So, basically there is no reason for task manager. I like the solution. It is great. ]]>Jun 11th 2010 4:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Do you still loose your game if the phone rings when playing? That's one thing that annoys my friend with iPhones. ]]>Jun 11th 2010 4:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/@a dumb cat

Most iPhones are used by people who don't like dicking around with task managers, or otherwise enjoy managing what processes are allowed to run in the background on their phone. If you allow full-on multitasking, developers *will* make use of it, and the average user will have no idea what is going on when their battery life somehow sucks all of a sudden. ]]>Jun 11th 2010 4:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
Oh, I'm not a hater (at least I hope I'm not) I have looked at the iPhone many times and in fact still pick up the phones of my friends who have them. It just not for me.

You are partially right about only being able to focus on one thing at a time... listening to music and firing off a text are technically two different tasks that can be done simultaneously and I'm sure this is something you will be able to do on the iPhone.

The benefit of the 'multiple card' approach from Palm is the time it takes to switch from task to task. Things that I regularly use I leave open, things I don't use often I close. But it is unbelievably nice to not have to wait and just go do whatever it is I need to do. If you've never played with WebOS, I recommend going and playing with it before the HP takeover and they screw it all up.

Honestly, at this point with iOS 4 we just have to wait and see what apps are approved and how the developers use what apple has given them.]]>Jun 11th 2010 4:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Jun 11th 2010 4:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
There also is a distinct design philosophy that multi-tasking is a bad thing inside Apple's core group of designers and engineers. You have one small screen, you don't NEED to do more than one thing at once. As a personal discipline, multitasking, and jumping around between applications is the bane of computer usage right now. Sure some process might need to keep alive or finish a task. As soon as you let free-run of multi-tasking happen every developer under the sun will start "needing" their own "background task" to connect to their services because it's SO IMPORTANT.. just like on Windows where an out-of-the-box system can have 50 extra background tasks running... sucking the new, fast cpu right up.]]>Jun 11th 2010 5:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
I'm not sure I have enough working knowledge of iOS 4 to properly answer your question.

From my knowledge, it only supports background audio, VOIP and GPS. But does it allow for multiple apps to be using the GPS location simultaneously? That I don't know. If it doesnt, than one situation would be automatic mileage tracking (for reimbursement from my corp for using my own vehicle) and standard GPS navigation.

That's me hypothesizing based on limited personal knowledge of iOS 4 and is definitely a situation that many people won't find themselves in, but it does matter to some people.

Another thing that I particularly love from WebOS is the notifications from Facebook that appear just like a text or email. Again, I dont know if the iPhone give notifications when the ap is closed or not, but on WebOS, even if the ap is closed, i still get notifications (not the email or text ones from Facebook, either)

Honestly, the whole iPhone >>>>>>> Android, or Android RULEZZZZZ fanboyizm is annoying as hell to me. I definitely believe that there is space for each phone/OS to be successful in the market.

As long as each OS keeps 'one upping' the next, and forcing the other to keep developing and innovating, we all win.]]>Jun 11th 2010 5:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Jun 11th 2010 5:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Jun 12th 2010 4:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Jun 12th 2010 8:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Jun 12th 2010 10:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Are you saying a 3GS running iOS 4?I'm actually looking forward to iOS 4 for my iPhone 3GS. Even though there still isn't much for the 3GS with this update, I'm really excited about the folders you can create with it as I feel it will save so much room and time for my iPhone. Bring on summer!!!
Apple iPhone iOS 4 New Features to Expect:http://www.aneesoft.com/tutorials/iphone/iphone-os-4-new-features.html]]>Jun 13th 2010 2:49AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
Virtually all the new features of iOS4, including multitasking, work with the 3GS.]]>Jun 13th 2010 11:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Jun 11th 2010 3:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
I see it more as a workaround rather than true multitasking. If you read the post Nilay clearly states that this is not conventional multitasking and has multiple limitations. Hence, it is not 'true' multitasking, but a workaround to implement a limited form of multitasking. A step in the right direction, but a baby step (as someone stated above).]]>Jun 11th 2010 3:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
But what the jailbreak community will learn from the new implimentations and how they did it, will bring to the table even more battery efficient and true multitasking.]]>Jun 11th 2010 3:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
As great as homebrew is (webOS's webosinternals community is awesome btw. shout-out to those guys :), it is still not going to be installed on the vast majority of iphones. It will only reach the tech savvy community, for which apples limited implementation of MT'ing will not suffice. This goes back to the argument that apple's idea of MT will 'get by' for the average user, who will not root/use homebrew. I guess it works out in the end, but I would think as powerful as the new hardware is supposed to be why true multitasking was not envisioned and realized.]]>Jun 11th 2010 3:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Jun 11th 2010 3:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
"App switching" ≠ true multitasking

I just wish apple would admit they do not know to efficiently implement MT and own up to the facts. True gadget geeks know I speak the truth. But app switching is at least a (baby) step in the right direction.]]>Jun 11th 2010 4:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/
Apple has by far the most sophisticated multitasking implementation around. It is based on Grand Central Dispatch:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Central_Dispatch

And it allocates all background "threads" to the system wide GCD pool. This allows the OS to manage and run these "threads" in a way that does not compromise the overall speed of the system.

This is why you won't ever need a task manager on the iPhone. Because in theory you should never know that background tasks are being run. ]]>Jun 11th 2010 10:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/And my moped is based on the same technoloy as ferrari.

Its made in china, only seats one and goes 40km/h but I say its like a ferrari, better than a harley, bmw or rolls.

Don't you feel silly now?]]>Jun 12th 2010 12:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/apple-now-accepting-ios-4-apps-multitasking-ahoy/Jun 13th 2010 3:32AM