iPhone OS 4.0 Multitasking Highlights

Apple announced today that with the release of iPhone OS 4.0 this summer, third-party applications will have the ability to multitask in a way similar to the way the iPod app and Mail app already do.

Here are the seven types of multitasking services that will be available for developers:

  • Background audio (For apps like Pandora)
  • Voice-Over IP (For apps like Skype)
  • Background location (For GPS apps)
  • Push notifications (For apps like Meebo)
  • Local notifications (For events that take place on your device)
  • Task completion (Lets you navigate away while something is happening
  • Fast app switching (Lets apps “Sleep” when you change to a different app)

I had a feeling that something like this would be implemented. Instead of having a whole application running in the background, only the important parts are left open. This will make the performance and battery life much better than the Blackberry model.

Thoughts on their take on multitasking? Comment on this post or hit me up on Twitter.

Photo Credit: notsogoodphotography

Grant is a writer from Delaware. In his spare time, Grant maintains a personal blog, hosts The Weekly Roar, hosts Quadcast, and writes for video games.