Apple has just unveiled the much awaited iPhone OS 4.0 for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. It will start shipping this Summer for iPhone and iPod Touch, and for iPad it will start shipping in the Fall. The developer preview will be released today.
This new iPhone OS bring lots of new features and enhancements for both users and developers, but some features won’t be available for original iPhone, iPhone 3G,and older generation of iPod Touch. One of the best feature added in this release is support for multitasking.
You can do multitasking by double tapping the home button, which pulls up a dock of currently running apps. Apple claims that the multitasking feature will not effect battery life or device performance. But this feature require iPhone 3GS or third generation of iPod Touch (late 2009 model with 32GB or 64GB).
iPhone 4.0 OS – Features
Below are some of the new features of this latest iPhone OS for users:
- Multitasking.
- Spell check (like on the iPad).
- Bluetooth keyboard support (like on the iPad).
- User-defined wallpaper (a jailbreak favorite).
- Tap to focus when recording video, just like with photos, and a 5x digital zoom for the camera.
- Playlist creation and nested playlists.
- App folders for sorting apps. You can even put an app folder in the dock.
- Enhanced Mail! You can have a merged inbox view, switch between inboxes quickly, and sync to more than one Exchange account. There’s also threaded messaging and in-app attachment viewing.
- iBooks – Just like on iPad, only smaller. You can wirelessly sync books between platforms, a la Kindle.
- Enterprise – It includes remote device management and wireless app distribution.
- Game Center – It’s like Xbox Live, but for iPhone games. Includes achievements, leaderboards, and match making. It will be available as a “developer preview,” and out for consumers later this year
iPhone 4.0 OS – Features for Developers
Below are some of the new features added specially for developers:
- 1,500 new APIs
- Full access to the camera
- Date and address “data detectors”
- Background audio
- Background Voice over IP (VoIP)
- Background location data, both with live GPS for backgrounded turn-by-turn, and cell tower-based for lower power draw
- Local notifications
- Fast app switching
- iAd Mobile Advertising
- In-app SMS
- Map overlays
- Quick look for previewing documents
- Photo Library access
- Calendar access
- Full access to the camera
- Video playback and capture
- Automated testing and performance / power analysis (the same tools Apple uses)