Apple has been criticized plenty for the iPhone's lack of multitasking for third party applications. (Some Apple apps like phone calls, iTunes player and email do work while another app is active.) Other smart phone operating systems, including Google Android and Palm webOS do allow a less restrictive form of multitasking. Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 restricts multitasking to a few MS-developed apps, like today's iPhone does.
The next version of the iPhone operating system may change this picture. There are lots of rumors floating around that the 4.0 version of iPhone OS will have at least limited multi-tasking, perhaps with just one application visible on the phone at a time.
iPhone 4.0 is expected around the end of Summer. It's likely that the new software will get new hardware to run on, too.
The current iPhone uses a 600 Mhz microprocessor that's at least a generation behind the 1 GHz processors in new Android phones. It's likely that iPhone 4.0 will get a version of the fast, power efficient processor that's found in the iPad. Tests reported at Anandtech.com show that Apple's new iPad processor is a little faster than the 1 GHz smart phone processors.
I'll go one better: I predict that the iPhone 4.0 will be released with a 5 (or maybe 6) inch screen, with 480 x 800 resolution. The iPhone 3.0 display is 240 x 320. The iPad is 1024 x 768. So the 5 inch screen would be right in the middle between the two. You could run two current iPhone apps side by side in the larger display. The 5 inch format would allow space for a larger battery, too.
Apple would not be the only company offering a larger screen. the Dell Streak and Archos 5 Internet Tablet have 5 inch screens. The HTC Evo
and Google Nexus One have 4.3 inch screens.
And many GPS navi systems for use in cars have a 5 inch screen. Maybe the iPhone 4.0 would be more legible while driving!
The next version of the iPhone operating system may change this picture. There are lots of rumors floating around that the 4.0 version of iPhone OS will have at least limited multi-tasking, perhaps with just one application visible on the phone at a time.
iPhone 4.0 is expected around the end of Summer. It's likely that the new software will get new hardware to run on, too.
The current iPhone uses a 600 Mhz microprocessor that's at least a generation behind the 1 GHz processors in new Android phones. It's likely that iPhone 4.0 will get a version of the fast, power efficient processor that's found in the iPad. Tests reported at Anandtech.com show that Apple's new iPad processor is a little faster than the 1 GHz smart phone processors.
I'll go one better: I predict that the iPhone 4.0 will be released with a 5 (or maybe 6) inch screen, with 480 x 800 resolution. The iPhone 3.0 display is 240 x 320. The iPad is 1024 x 768. So the 5 inch screen would be right in the middle between the two. You could run two current iPhone apps side by side in the larger display. The 5 inch format would allow space for a larger battery, too.
Apple would not be the only company offering a larger screen. the Dell Streak and Archos 5 Internet Tablet have 5 inch screens. The HTC Evo
and Google Nexus One have 4.3 inch screens.
And many GPS navi systems for use in cars have a 5 inch screen. Maybe the iPhone 4.0 would be more legible while driving!
Still not convinced it's all that great, but I can't back Apple unless I have one 