Comments on: iOS4 – Multitasking done wrong

By: Yaniv Eidelstein

Yaniv Eidelstein — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:18:48 +0000

You don't really have a gazillion open apps. The menu actually mostly lists recent apps, not open ones.
I like the implementation, and I think you're just not used to it yet.
Also… Are you sure you double-clicked the home button and got to the search screen? That never happened to me.

By: Omer Aloni

Omer Aloni — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:19:05 +0000

After a week or so with iOS4, the question “How can all these apps run, but I still get the same battery life as before?” should arose, and the obvious answer lies in the new iOS APIs.
If you haven't asked yourself that question, than you have written this post too soon.

As for the Home button new assignment, we're sailing on the same boat, but for different reasons – I just think it's not mechanically strong enough, after having to replace one in a 1st gen device. Pretty sure we will see a dedicated button for app switching in the next generation of iDevices, call it Exposé button.

By: Kfir Pravda

Kfir Pravda — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:38:58 +0000

That's my point exactly. If you need to explain to me in two paragraphs why it is done the right way, and I, a power user, don't get it from using the device, something is wrong.

By: Kfir Pravda

Kfir Pravda — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:37:43 +0000

True but still annoying

By: Omer Aloni

Omer Aloni — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 22:46:56 +0000

Should also mention that an app sitting in the 'active apps' dock is only active (that is, taking up resources) only if it supports iOS multitasking and if and only if it's doing an essential task. Else, it is just frozen, taking up no processor resources at all (memory aside)
Non-supporting apps just sit there, but they are not really active (not even frozen).

By: Omer Aloni

Omer Aloni — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 22:34:17 +0000

I think you got it all wrong, the new iOS is not only a rebranded iPhoneOS upgrade. It is, in fact, the first major update of Apple's mobile OS. And as such, you can't expect every app to support the new APIs one week after release (think of it like Apple's transition form PPC to Intel, or from OS 9 to OS X – it took months for developers to fully adapt).

That said, multitasking in iOS is done right, keeping only essential tasks alive (e.g. uploading a file, streaming music) and not blowing up your memory and keeping your processor busy with the unnecessary ones (e.g. user interface), leaving you with more battery power.

By: martyndavies

martyndavies — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 22:21:43 +0000

You can kill apps, although it's clunky. Click and hold on an icon in the “open apps” area, and all of the icons start to tremble with a little minus in the corner (a bit like when you delete apps from the menu). Click on the minus to cancel the app.

By: martyndavies

martyndavies — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 22:21:42 +0000

By: Omer Aloni

Omer Aloni — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 22:15:44 +0000

I think you got it all wrong

By: Services

Services — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 21:11:59 +0000

Well, what's happening is that iOS can now "freeze" apps, which really means that they stay in memory but their threads are not running. Zero risk of wasted battery, but you are wasting memory obviously. As for what's open and what isn't: it's managed automatically.

iOS4-aware apps can be frozen (assuming there is enough free memory), and the ones that aren't remain on the "task list" screen as something akin to a "recently launched" screen... I honestly think this is going to get MUCH better as soon as all or most apps support the freezing. then it'll feel like a normal task list, just like on Windows/Mac OS.

Personally, I think this is all marketing BS. It is absolutely unnecessary on the iPhone. It is, however, MANDATORY on the iPad, which is funny considering that the iPad only has 256MB of RAM, and that it's not getting that update yet. Sometimes Apple can be stupid, too.