Apple iPad Likely to Get a Multitasking Update
As Apple iPad preorders go live, sources say the biggest issue -- no multitasking -- will soon be a thing of the past. AppleInsider has heard that Apple's next mobile operating system, iPhone 4.0 O.S. , will support multitasking. The iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad all use the same operating system, so if the report proves corret, a multitasking iPad is definitely in the future. Furthermore, because it is a software issue, and not a hardware one, it can be done through a simple update.
People with a proven track record in predicting Apple's technological advances tell AppleInsider 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.
From a user-facing perspective, Apple plans to deliver a multi-tasking manager that leverages interface technology already bundled with its Mac OS X operating system, according to those 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.
Multitasking, however, is currently available on all Apple portable devices. Apple just isn't letting it go.The system's phone, SMS, email, iPod, voice recorder, Nike+, and certain other bundled apps can continue in the background while the user launches another app. However, third party titles obtained from the App Store (including apps from Apple, such as Remote or iDisk) can not be launched at the same time.
This behavior is prevented by the iPhone OS' security model, which is designed to close the current app whenever the user returns to the Home screen or accepts an incoming call. This design prevents apps from being able to run in the background without the user knowing, and therefore erases any real potential for spyware, adware and viruses.
The concern here isn't about if multitasking will come, but what security issues multitasking will bring. The first set of iPads, coming April 3, will be Wi-Fi only, so the wireless channel will always be open -- making the Wi-Fi tablet more vulnerable to online attacks than the 3G cell phone network-enabled iPad or even the iPhone. This would be the time for a Norton or an AVG to offer nervous iPad owners some protection.Multitasking? Cyberattacks? The iPad is a just a couple degrees away from being a full-fledged laptop, which makes it even more likely that the portable game -- not the home one -- will become Apple's primary focus in years to come, an idea fellow BNet colleague Erik Sherman touched on it earlier this week.
It's pretty clear that the iPad will get multitasking, but the question is if Jobs and company will do a software update or greedily push it into the next generation of iPads, iPhones and iPod Touchs. It could make one, ahem, reluctant to buy a first gen iPad.
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