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What's in the iPhone 4.0?

by Mike Schramm Apr 5th 2010 at 8:00PM

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Well, we didn't really expect this to come so soon after the iPad release, but sure enough, Apple is going to show us the iPhone 4.0 operating system this Thursday. That doesn't give us a lot of time for speculation, but I'm sure we'll squeeze it in. As per our reader expectations, various rumors and leaks, and other random news and scuttlebutt, what can we expect to see in a new iPhone OS?
  • Multitasking. Yup. If Apple's going to answer the naysayers, this is when it will happen. Of course, it will be done Apple's way (as we've heard, the new OS will probably still rely on notifications for most apps, and incorporate more of an "app-switching" idea rather than full multitasking), but the iPhone 4.0 will likely be able to run more than one third-party app at a time.
  • A new home screen. This one's probably a little more of a guess, since Apple didn't mix up the home screen, even for its historic iPad. Though, since the iPhone is a smartphone, and since this is one of the most vocal complaints we've heard from actual users of the iPhone, a new screen of information would be very welcome.
  • Better app management. With iPad and iPhone apps now out there, we've all got a lot of apps to deal with. From the longtime idea of "stacks" for apps, to the ability to remove official apps, to app gestures and navigation, the iPhone needs a better way to browse through apps, and it's likely that we'll see it this week.
  • Landscape mode/switch. This one's a shot in the dark from me, but when you play with the iPad, one of the first things you notice is that it's able to adapt to any kind of usage situation; even when you turn it on the home screen, the icons adjust to the way that you want to use it, rather than the other way around.
What else can we tell you? With just a few days to speculate, that's probably a good start. We've waited a lot longer than three days to hear about a new Apple product before, but three days has never seemed so long.

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Willkommen, Besucher von spiegel.de. Möchten Sie ein Übersetzung? Hier drucken. Well, we didn't really expect this to come so...
 

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DevSpots

If you want to test 4.0 early, I'm offering $5 UUID registration, send $5 to PayPal email: devspots@me.com with your UUID and you'll be activated. :)

You get all the betas Apple releases for the year.

April 11 2010 at 1:56 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Ben Duncan

This is great news with the 4.0 update.

The feature that interests me the most, is CardDAV support. This is a major leap forward embracing open-protocols for contacts, and the iPhone is shaping up to be a major competitor for Activesync/Windows mobile devices for business ( With push contacts, calendars, mail, using OPEN protocols! )

As an email server vendor for http://atmail.com/ we welcome the new iPhone update with CardDAV support. Thanks Apple!

April 08 2010 at 7:27 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Sean

Hey if anyone wants the beta 4.0 I'm selling spots on my dev account for 5$ via pay pal, email me at s
Seanqu7@aol.com with your UDID and the pay pal can be sent to the same email. Let me know late

April 08 2010 at 3:27 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Tom

Hmm.. Seems promising, but if the 3G doesn't support the multi-tasking or most of the features, I'm just gonna skip this one and keep my jailbreak.

I would make the change if Apple implemented a QuickReply type feature for SMS. QuickReply makes texting MUCH more easier for me. If that were to come out sometime during this release, I'd be all over it.

April 08 2010 at 2:59 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
estado_alvin

Woot! It's April 7 today! It's going to be unveiled tomorrow! :D

An orientation lock option would be nice (just like in the iPad) and for the camera and video camera (3GS) to be able to zoom in (So I won't have to download another third party app).

April 07 2010 at 5:09 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Yaz

How ironic, the cropped image shows a cross, right where it says:

The Future of iPhone OS!

April 07 2010 at 1:22 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
stephen

this is in response to the very first comment... SERIOUSLY DUDE??? The iPad can not replace a computer, you dumb @ss. The iPad is for toddlers. It can't run flash. if you can't feel the keyboard, i guarantee your typing is going to suck.. also, what is the iPad? A movie watching device? You can't do the internet, you can't do word processing... all you can do is email and games... $500 to play games that suck and watch a movie?

I can do anything the stupid iPad can do on a cheap $250 netbook... and even more, i have flash on a net book, i have the full internet, i can install ANY APPLICATION IN THE WORLD... and mostly for free... if i want, i can DUAL BOOT MY NET BOOK.... need i go on or is that enough? Seriously there is nothing the iPad has to offer except a touch screen. lame.....

April 06 2010 at 5:01 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Bill

How many times have you accidently turned on the phone with the power or home buttons? Hasn't happened to me once in 2+ years. I'm not the only one complaining about this, Google it.

April 06 2010 at 12:27 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Bill

How about fixing the most annoying feature of all time - the swipe to unlock eye candy. All I want to do is push the home button to light up the display so I can check my phone status - SMS, missed calls, email, etc. If Passcode Lock is off it shouldn't require a swipe to unlock.

April 06 2010 at 11:32 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Bill's comment
digitalsedition

It's not eye candy. It's there to prevent the phone from activating, dialing, etc. When you haven't put the phone in a read state. The slide isn't really eye candy anymore than a doorknob

April 06 2010 at 11:39 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Andrew

JAVA PROGRAMMING! A JVM! This lack totally kills me about iPhone!

April 06 2010 at 11:25 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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