Email inboxes worldwide have just gone ping to the sound of an invitation from Apple to come and see a preview of iPhone 4.0. This will be the newest installation of the touch interface used by the iPod touch, iPhone and the iPad.
Previews of the new iPhone OS are usually scheduled for this time of year and we’ll probably see new hardware around June/July, but what’s interesting is that this OS will be previewed just days after the iPad went on sale in the US.
The invitation every blogger wants. I didn't get one. Sad face
As Apple tells us, the iPad uses the same operating system as the iPhone – although there are a few notable changes, like the appearance of apps and some features – but the general way in which the system works and is coded is the same on both devices. So I guess it’s a given that we’ll see the personalised home screen wallpaper and possibly iBooks appear on the iPhone, but what about any major changes to the iPad?
Multi-tasking is the big one here. We – and when I say ‘we’, I mean geeks – have wanted multi-tasking since the iPhone was first launched back in 2007, but it has never been included, even in the powerful iPad. It should worth by noting here that the iPhone and iPad *do* multitask; in that they play music while browsing and the iPhone is connected to the mobile network while doing anything, but it’s not possible to have, say, Tweetie and Safari open together.
The Palm Pre can multitask, so surely the iPhone can too?
The iPad’s would be perfect for multitasking. I’m not talking about having multiple apps on the screen at the same time – that would just get messy – but to have a tabbed system like how open webpages are arranged in mobile Safari. One tap or gesture shows thumbnails of all apps open, then you can tap on what you want, while everything else remains open in the background.
Yes, this will reduce battery life and yes, it could make the device slow and/or unstable. But surely a couple of open apps at a time can’t be too much hassle for the 1Ghz processor in the iPad.
The iPad has a 1Ghz processor; surely that can multitask too?
What multitasking on the iPhone might look like. Note; it probably won't
So what else might we see in 4.0?
Well, how about some information on the lock screen. I have jailbroken my iPhone and use an app called Lockinfo. It can be configured to display the weather, unread email, Twitter feeds, notifications, missed calls and text messages on the lock screen. This is all viewable – and you can read and delete emails – right there, without needing to unlock and enter the relevant app. I’d love to see something similar in 4.0.
Lockinfo on a jailbroken iPhone
Any new hardware?
No, not on Thursday. Sure, we’ll see a shiny new iPhone – tipped to be called the HD – in June or July, but we almost certainly won’t see this at the OS preview. This event is simply to show us what software is coming and to give developers a few months to build apps for it.
Will it be free?
This update – available in June or July – will almost certainly be free to iPhone and iPad 3G users, and will probably cost $10 for iPod touch and iPad Wifi customers. This is because those with iPhones and 3G iPads already pay a monthly contract, so this entitles them to free software updates.
Of course, this is all speculation but I predict some very grumpy geeks if Steve Jobs doesn’t give them multitasking on Thursday.
All will be revealed at 10am PST – 7pm in the UK - this Thursday, April 8th and you should expect text commentaries of the event from the usual suspects.
Alistair
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