Apple iPhone OS 4.0 to Enable Multitasking

 

After jailbreaking the system, the iPhone OS security model is compromised via an exploit, allowing the user to launch and run multiple applications. This also breaches the door to both malware and widespread piracy, both of which have been contained by the default security system put in place by Apple. While this has resulted in a secure platform and a commercially viable App Store for both users and developers, many vocal critics have cited a variety of examples of apps or features that can't work within these constrains. Among these apps begging for background execution are: Pandora-style Internet radio; third party instant messaging features that are available at all times just like SMS or email; and Loopt or Google Latitude type apps that report the user's location at regular intervals.
iPhone OS 4.0
There are a number of ways Apple can address these needs. First is by allowing third parties to launch apps that actually run all the time in the background, just like the bundled Mail, SMS, iPod, or Voice Memos.
This isn't a technical problem for the multitasking iPhone OS, but does introduce new issues for users. Because the iPhone OS doesn't present a conventional windowing user interface, launching multiple apps requires the addition of a new interface mechanism that allows users to intuitively switch between apps without introducing too much new complexity. Today's Android users similarly find themselves diddling with resource and memory management to optimize battery life and performance. Existing background-capable apps in iPhone 3.x paint a bar across the top of the screen that allows the user to return to that background app (such as a phone call, voice memo, or Nike+ session) when finished with their secondary foreground app. But that solution isn't going to scale to multiple apps all running at once.
Other multitasking issues to fix
In addition to a new graphical interface for switching (handled by the Dock in Mac OS X), a multitasking third party app model would also require a way for apps to communicate with each other or prioritize resource allocation. One reason why the iPhone and iPod touch are emerging as a successful mobile games platform is due to the fact that the iPhone OS' one-app model means that games can be more complex and sophisticated and yet still perform well on a mobile device.
Gaming has largely failed to take off on other mobile platforms because titles are limited to simplistic experiences, as they must either run in a poorly-performing layer of abstraction (such as the Adobe Flash/Flash Lite, Microsoft Silverlight, or Sun Java/Android Dalvik runtimes), or target a native platform that lacks an installed base big enough to attract significant development.
Installing lots of background processes will inevitably eat up battery life and performance, so adding multitasking features that are valuable without creating a mess for users to deal with requires solving a variety of non-obvious problems that are very apparent on other mobile platforms that claim to deliver functional multitasking. More system RAM and faster processors will also help to improve the experience of users who want to quickly switch between multiple apps.

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