iPhone OS 4.0 Key Features Include Multitasking - Report

A report by AppleInsider citing people with a proven track record in predicting Apple’s technological advancements reveals that the company’s next major revision to the iPhone OS will include multitasking support.

Although the current iPhone OS (version 3.2) does sport a reduced form of multitasking (mainly for security reasons), it won’t be until OS 4.0 that Apple’s iPhone, iPod touch and iPad will be able to run third-party apps in the background, these people allegedly tell the site.

AppleInsider states, “Apple this summer will go a long way towards silencing critics and catering to one of the most prevalent demands of its iPhone user base, when it introduces a multitasking solution through the handset's 4.0 software update that will finally allow several third party apps to run concurrently and in the background.”

Citing the aforementioned reliable sources, it adds that, “The Cupertino-based company has developed a ‘full-on solution’ to multitasking on the iPhone OS but offered no specifics on how the technology would optimize resource conservation and battery life -- two of the most critical issues surrounding the matter, alongside security.”

It continues to weigh in on the matter from a user-facing perspective, saying, “Apple plans to deliver a multi-tasking manager that leverages interface technology already bundled with its Mac OS X operating system,” citing the same people. “It was requested that specifics be withheld at this time, as the iPhone Software 4.0 remains under development and reportedly has a quite 'way to go' before it's ready for prime time,” those with a proven track record in predicting Apple's technological advances tell the site.

The media and fanboys alike have criticized Apple for not implementing full-multitasking support in the iPhone OS, although there’s a good explanation behind this move – security, the same report points out. “While often reported as being a technical flaw, the iPhone OS really has no problem with multitasking,” it continues to reveal, pointing out to jailbroken devices that can enable this functionality, but with compromises on the CPU front, and in battery life.