Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Why the iPhone Doesn't Allow "Multitasking"

iPhone dislikers everywhere claim the ability of a RIM or Palm device to "multitask" is a clear advantage. iPhone users know that the platform allows for background processes, but only when explicitly approved by Apple. The iPod, Phone, SMS, and Mail apps have some background ability, and Push Notification-capable apps sidestep the limitation somewhat.

The pitfalls of allowing apps to command system resources without being foregrounded are numerous, but perhaps the best example of why this is a problem can be found at the Blackberry App World. The THIRD most popular PAID application is Aerize Optimizer, a program specifically designed to de-gunk the memory of a Blackberry.

I think it a positive that iPhone users never have to run such a program, or even know what it would do. It is a huge hit with RIM fans though.

1 comment:

Henry Casey said...

Love the blog Abe, unrelated Q:

to test that a backup is bootable and up to date, is that mounting the image and verifying in disk image?

that's something ol' Gruber suggested and I expect he won't answer an @

best,
Henry