16 mai 2009

“Apple Is Indeed Talking About Opening iPhone Background Tasks”

techcrunch.com

Basically, my source says that while this is in no way a done deal yet, Apple is definitely trying to come up with a way to offer background support for third-party apps. They went on to note that while Apple may have something to say about it at WWDC, it’s very unlikely that any solution would be ready at that time.

But… once you’ve accepted the premise of allowing background processes, how hard can it be to implement? I never bitched about the lack of copy-and-paste on the iPhone because I acknowledged that finding the right interface for it wasn’t trivial; but I don’t really feel the same way about multitasking.

I think jailbroken iPhone have a perfectly valid interface for it, and there are a few alternatives that are just as valid, but I don’t think it should take a full year to choose one (or several).

And the new iPhone hardware is likely to have a better processor and more RAM, which would alleviate system strain, so it’s also possible these background apps would only be possible with the new hardware.

I wonder if App Store apps will be allowed to target specifically the new hardware; if they’re not, then the new iPhone will indeed be able to run several apps without breaking a sweat, like running several virtual iPhones inside.

But many existing customers would declare war on Apple if background processes were exclusive to the new iPhone. Besides, most background apps won’t be CPU hogs (except those that are poorly programmed); it’s mostly about online presence and that just takes a couple of cycles.

So why is Apple talking about this now? Well one part may be the new hardware that should be coming shortly, but another is undoubtedly the imminent launch of the Palm Pre.

Is he saying that Apple is now in the business of intentional leaks? That’s a slippery slope. Leaking stuff to the Wall Street Journal on Keynote Eve to prepare the more conservative audience was one thing, but promoting rumors about vaporware to counter the launch of a competitor (and one which is already doomed) is definitely Microsoftian.