Gizmodo looks into iPhone (and others) multitasking

scottjl · 04-29-2010, 05:37 PM

Giz Explains: How Multitasking Works on a Phone

While not iPhone/iPad specific, fairly interesting reading for those who want multitasking on their portable device. None of the four major portable device OS's reviewed offer "true" multitasking, in the form that most desktops implement it.

In a nutshell:

Android - Cooperative, system managed, backgrounding. Full access to APIs, CPU cap.

iPhone (iPad) 4.0 - Cooperative, system managed, backgrounding. Limited access to APIs.

WebOS (Palm) - System managed, backgrounding. Limited access to APIs.

Windows Phone 7 (unreleased) - System managed, "fast switching". No access to anything in dormant state.

Money quote from Android: "Remember Android's garbage battery life when it first came out? That's because there really were no restrictions on what kind of resources an app could consume in the background. "

dmaul1114 · 04-29-2010, 05:44 PM

Yeah, I think the real issue is that smart phone OS's just aren't robust enough for tablets for things like multi tasking and real productivity work.

It's going to take someone making a tablet OS to really get around all this. Something that doesn't use as much power and resources as a full PC OS, but has a lot more power and flexibility than a smart phone OS.

The other restrictions like memory, battery life etc. are easier to deal with in a tablet than a phone. More room means they can put larger batteries, more room for memory etc.

Dylrob · 05-01-2010, 02:25 AM

After using Windows Mobile for several years, I can understand why newer mobile operating systems put such restrictions. Still I think Microsoft went a bit too far with Phone 7. Especially in light iPhoneOS 4.0.

04-29-2010, 05:37 PM	#1
scottjl Reader of Books Posts: 1,632 Karma: 2697 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: none	Gizmodo looks into iPhone (and others) multitasking Giz Explains: How Multitasking Works on a Phone While not iPhone/iPad specific, fairly interesting reading for those who want multitasking on their portable device. None of the four major portable device OS's reviewed offer "true" multitasking, in the form that most desktops implement it. In a nutshell: Android - Cooperative, system managed, backgrounding. Full access to APIs, CPU cap. iPhone (iPad) 4.0 - Cooperative, system managed, backgrounding. Limited access to APIs. WebOS (Palm) - System managed, backgrounding. Limited access to APIs. Windows Phone 7 (unreleased) - System managed, "fast switching". No access to anything in dormant state. Money quote from Android: "Remember Android's garbage battery life when it first came out? That's because there really were no restrictions on what kind of resources an app could consume in the background. " Last edited by scottjl; 04-29-2010 at 05:42 PM.

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04-29-2010, 05:44 PM	#2
dmaul1114 Wizard Posts: 2,300 Karma: 1121709 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Amazon Kindle 1	Yeah, I think the real issue is that smart phone OS's just aren't robust enough for tablets for things like multi tasking and real productivity work. It's going to take someone making a tablet OS to really get around all this. Something that doesn't use as much power and resources as a full PC OS, but has a lot more power and flexibility than a smart phone OS. The other restrictions like memory, battery life etc. are easier to deal with in a tablet than a phone. More room means they can put larger batteries, more room for memory etc.

05-01-2010, 02:25 AM	#3
Dylrob Murderous Mustela Posts: 10,234 Karma: 48000000 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: The other land of schnitzel and beer Device: iPad M1 Pro, Kindle Paperwhite	After using Windows Mobile for several years, I can understand why newer mobile operating systems put such restrictions. Still I think Microsoft went a bit too far with Phone 7. Especially in light iPhoneOS 4.0.

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