iPhone OS 4.0

It has now become a tradition that Apple announces a new version of the iPhone every year, and they do so in June. However, as part of the announcement schedule, they also announce the new version of the iPhone OS, a couple of months earlier, in April. This year has been no different, as Apple have now announced the latest version of their mobile operating system, iPhone OS 4.0.

As in previous years, the new version of the operating system brings with a range of extra benefits and new features.

The first new feature of iPhone OS 4.0 is, as many commentators had predicted, multitasking. However, it seems that Apple have taken a fundamentally different approach to multitasking than has been seen in previous mobile phone operating systems. In fact, some commentators have said that it is not really true multitasking at all, although a lot more apps are now capable of running in the background, such as more music services in addition to iTunes, GPS location based services, and Voice over IP, which can now receive calls in the background, while other apps are running. The new system also includes fast app switching, which enables apps to 'pause' when closed, and resume exactly where they left off when re-opened. One thing that is notably missing, however, is support for instant messaging apps, such as Yahoo, to run in the background, a fact that some commentators have criticised Apple for. It should also be noted that multitasking will not work on the iPhone 3G, if a user installs the updated operating system to that version of the iPhone.

The new iPhone OS 4.0 also supports app folders, which allow the user to organise their app list on the iPhone's homescreen into folders, allowing them to organise apps into folders, to both tidy up the homescreen and be able to add even more apps than was previously possible. Enhanced mail features are a new addition to iPhone OS 4.0, as well, giving the user a unified inbox and threaded messaging. With iPhone OS 4.0, the iPhone will also get the iBooks app,

currently found on the iPad, allowing them to buy and read e-books on their iPhone.

Perhaps the most exciting addition, however, is the Games Center. This is an online games community very much in a similar vein to Xbox Live, but through the iPhone instead of through an Xbox. It will support in-game achievements,

leaderboards and match-making opportunities (user-generated online multiplayer), and as such, will bring some of the key strengths of Xbox Live to the iPhone. It will certainly be interesting to see what effect this has on the phone market, as it is already well known that Windows Phone 7 will include direct Xbox Live integration, and thus, the two operating systems will be fierce rivals in the mobile gaming sector. While the iPhone has 'cool factor', there is little doubt that Xbox Live is widely hailed as one of the most important additions to Windows Phone 7, because it already comes with a user base of millions.