Apple is expected to introduce the latest version of its iPhone OS during a media event on April 8. The big question that is looming: Will the new OS support multitasking?

Details on what Apple plans to announce are hazy but Apple indicates attendees will "get a sneak peek into the future of the iPhone OS" at the event taking place at Apple's Cupertino, Calif., campus. Conventional wisdom suggests iPhone OS 4.0 will introduce a multitasking solution enabling multiple applications to run concurrently and in the background. In March, AppleInsider reported Apple has developed a "full-on solution" for iPhone multitasking that leverages interface technology already bundled with Mac OS X, but sources did not supply details on how the solution would optimize resource conservation and battery life, two of the largest hurdles facing multitasking support.

The current version of the iPhone enables pre-emptive multitasking but the OS prevents the full capability because of security and virus concerns. Research In Motion has touted the importance of background processing and maintains strong battery life. Multitasking allows mobile workers to do more than one thing at the same time and allows a device to run more than one application at the same time, or run applications in the background.

For more:
- read this AppleInsider article

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