iPhone OS 4.0 brings multitasking to iPad, iPhone 3GS and Touch 3G [Update]

It's June 22'nd, and Apple has delivered the iOS4 update. You need the latest version of iTunes (9.2), connect your iOS device and hit the update button in iTunes, it should take you about an hour to download on a 1 Mbps connection.

App scout has a screenshot of the release note, the update also applies to iPhone 3G phones and the 2G iPod Touch, there's something in it for everyone. Gizmodo is maintaining a list of apps will be updated for iOS4 soon by developers, here's an extensive walkthrough that will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about iOS4. I particularly like the Photos app, which is now more closely integrated with the iPhoto app on the Mac. iBooks is an essential download.

iPhone 3GS and iPod 3G users will get full functionality of the Apple's iPhone OS 4.0 update in June, while iPad users will get the update by September/November. As for older versions, they will get a scaled down upgrade that will not do multitasking, but probably run iAds. More on that later.

What does the 4.0 update bring: Over 1500 new APIs in OS 4. Developers can now access the calendar, gain full access to still and video camera data, photo library, quicklook, and carrier information. There are a hundred new user features, most notable are: digital zoom, the ability to gift apps, support for Bluetooth keyboards, change the homescreen wallpaper, and search SMS messages. The updates, seven “tentpoles” as they were referred to, address three of our points from our wishlist. These tent poles in order of their staggering importance are: 1) multitasking, 2) iAds 3) email enhancements, 4) social gaming features like Xbox Live 5) an e-book reader 6) new enterprise features, and 7) a concept called folders to group a large number of apps together.

Multitasking: This was kind of like a trump card in any Android Vs iPhone discussion or comparison. While the iPhone can multitask in a limited fashion it does not work at present with apps like Skype or Pandora. Only core elements built by Apple themselves, like Music, and Safari can. With the new update, you can receive calls on Skype even when you are not running it on the foreground. When driving, you can get updates from a location service app while music is playing off your iPhone. This feature took a long time to come, Apple has apparently found a way to multitask without draining battery life, or reducing performance of the foreground app. The implementation seems very simple, to see all the open apps, just double click the home button.

Apple iAds: Steve jobs started out the presentation boasting about the iPhone platform's market size and penetration in the US, it underscores the fact that Apple's got a a very compelling mobile advertising platform for advertisers. Advertisers love reaching out to those high income groups. iAds will be inserted in free apps available at the App store, and while the user experience is promised to be kinda like an 'App within an App'. However, these ads will not be subject to the kind of screening process that apps have go through, as the interactivity within these apps will be coded in HTML 5. Apple will sell and host the ads, giving developers a 60% cut out of ad revenue.

Steve Jobs was quite pumped up when endorsing this new platform: 10:51AM "Today when you click on a banner ad, it yanks you out of your app and throws you onto the advertisers web page. So people don't click on the ads." 10:52AM "Because iAd is in the iPhone OS itself, we have figured out how to do interactive and video content without ever taking you out of the app." Q: How do you close applications when multitasking? A: (Scott Forstall) You don't have to. The user just uses things and doesn't ever have to worry about it. A: (Steve Jobs) It's like we said on the iPad, if you see a stylus, they blew it. In multitasking, if you see a task manager... they blew it. Users shouldn't ever have to think about it.

Compliled from live coverage from Engadget, Gizmodo, Macworld, and NYtimes.com

You can watch the keynote at http://www.apple.com/iphone/preview-iphone-os/