Test Conditions

• Started with completely dead iPhone.
• Wall outlet charged on standard US 120 Volt / 60 Hz using Apple include plug adapter and USB cable
• USB charged on late 2008 13″ aluminum MacBook.
• iPhone was checked quickly (1-2 seconds of screen time) every 5 minutes for it’s current charge. This was done for both test so even if it had a minimal impact on charge time, the comparison would still be equal.
• iPhone screen was kept at very dim level to lessen the impact of checking charge.
• WI-FI was kept off.
• iPhone 4 was active on AT&T  3G during charge. I had some activity on the phone while charging, but it was very minimal and should not impact the results.
  • During outlet test I received 2 text, a phone call (canceled call), and 1 voice-mail from the canceled call.
  • During USB test I received 1 text.

Click to enlarge

Conclusions

Stating the obvious, the iPhone 4 takes longer to get a full charge on USB than an outlet. What you may not have realized is how big the difference was, an extra 30 minutes! That’s 23% longer to get a full charge on the USB. If you’ve ever had a completely drained iPhone, you know it takes a bit of time before it turns back on. Plugged into an outlet, it took 3 minutes 11 seconds to come back to life. On USB it took almost 2 minutes longer, 4 minutes 49 seconds.

Obviously the convenience of USB charging is great, but if you’re in a rush to get charged and get out of the house, always go for the outlet.

Compared to the 3G

The 3G took 90 minutes for a full charge on outlet, about 31% faster than a full charge for the iPhone 4’s 130 minutes. On USB the 3G took 140 minutes, about 13% faster than the iPhone 4’s 160 minutes. Keep in mind that the iPhone 4 has about a 20% larger battery, so it makes complete sense that it takes longer to charge.

The short answer…it does, you just don’t see it in “the bars”.

I first thought this could be the answer way back on the June 24th during my bumper testing:

I then tested in another room with less electronics. In this room I started with a strong signal of 5 bars. This time around, with or without the bumper, the signal held pretty much at 5 bars. This may explain why some people don’t seem to notice this issue. If you have really great AT&T service where you live, the in hand signal drop may not be as noticeable.

After reading John Gruber’s post backing up my idea, I did a more specific follow up post on the issue:

I think the problem is “the bars”. They serve their purpose for the most part, but when trying to do a test involving signal strength we need more detail. I would argue that 5 bars in one area is not necessarily equal to 5 bars in another. Start with a “weak 5 bars” and you can see the signal loss represented by the bars dropping.  Start with a “strong 5 bars” and the signal may be getting weaker, but never below the 5 bar threshold. In this case it appears to the user that they still have the same signal strength and it goes unnoticed.

Turns out the “not all 5 bars are created equal” was dead on. It was hard to prove this before because the old field test app that showed these numbers was removed from iOS 4. That didn’t stop Anandtech though, with a neat hack job they were able to get the numeric signal number back on iOS 4 instead of the bars:

However, you can see just how little dynamic range iOS 4 has for reporting signal; over 40% of the range of possible signal levels (from -99 dB to -51 dB) is reported as 5 bars.

They go on to test the drop in signal by how it’s held:

Tight grip in hand: 24.6 dB
Holding naturally in hand: 19.8 dB
Holding naturally with case: 7.2 dB
Open palm: 9.2 dB

Now let’s revisit my bars and bumper test with the dB numbers provided by Anandtech:

Strong 5 bars (Naturally held)

You start with the strong 5 bars at -60 dB (-51 dB would be strongest 5 bars), then you hold it in your left hand, lowering the signal to -79.8 dB (-51 dB – 19.8 dB). Even though you have a significant drop in signal, it’s still above the -99 dB threshold for 5 bars, so it goes unnoticed in the bars. If you did a speed test before and after, you would be able to see the difference…try it.

Weak 5 bars (Naturally held)

You start with the weak 5 bars at -90 dB (-99 dB would be weakest 5 bars), then you hold it in your left hand, lowering the signal to -109.8 dB (-90 dB – 19.8 dB). This now takes you past the 1 bar threshold of -107 dB. With 1 bar you can still make calls, but have a better chance of a drop. The bigger issue, at least for me, is the 3G data speeds drop dramatically.

Bumper (Naturally held with case)

I know I was starting with a signal that was on the lower end of 5 bars because every once in a while it would drop down to 4 bars. For this example let’s assume it was -95 dB. Holding naturally with the bumper it would drop down to -102.2 dB (-95 dB – 7.2 dB) putting it in the 3 bar range, exactly what I got during my test.

Another way to think about it in terms of bars would be to add 5 more bars on top of the 5 that already exist. Not as an average, but just adding more detail to the high end. The user that claim they don’t have an issue are really starting out with 9-10 bars in this 10 bar and dropping to 5-6, but those that start with 5 are dropping to 1.

So those of you that were counting yourself lucky are just starting off better, but when you aren’t holding your phone you still have a stronger signal.

UPDATE The final answer on why some see the drop and some don’t, spoiler alert: What I said below was dead on.

I know I touched on this already in my bumpers help prevent iPhone 4 signal drop post, but I thought it warranted highlighting this in it’s own post.

From my bumpers post:

I then tested in another room with less electronics. In this room I started with a strong signal of 5 bars. This time around, with or without the bumper, the signal held pretty much at 5 bars. This may explain why some people don’t seem to notice this issue. If you have really great AT&T service where you live, the in hand signal drop may not be as noticeable.

In addition to this sweet spot, last night I tweeted:

Out for a late snack, first time out of my house since getting the phone and nothing I do lowers the 5 bars. Very strange.

And then tweeted when I got home:

Back home and back to touching bottom left corner and losing signal.

John Gruber also believe the signal strength could be the cause:

My best guess at this point is that the issue pops up in areas with spotty 3G coverage. With nothing covering the antenna, the improved reception of the iPhone 4 gives you more bars, maybe even up to 5. But when you cover the antenna in these areas with poor coverage, the phone is unable to get a strong signal. I’ve seen several reports from people who can reproduce the problem, but only from certain locations.

I think the problem is “the bars”. They serve their purpose for the most part, but when trying to do a test involving signal strength we need more detail. I would argue that 5 bars in one area is not necessarily equal to 5 bars in another. Start with a “weak 5 bars” and you can see the signal loss represented by the bars dropping.  Start with a “strong 5 bars” and the signal may be getting weaker, but never below the 5 bar threshold. In this case it appears to the user that they still have the same signal strength and it goes unnoticed.

I looked into how the bumper case affected the signal loss problem earlier. It helped lessen the signal loss, but still lost a couple bars. I’ve been thinking about this issue all day and decided to dig a bit deeper to see what I could find.

UPDATE For those of you that don’t have this issue, my best guess…I wrote earlier today in my bumper case post:

I then tested in another room with less electronics. In this room I started with a strong signal of 5 bars. This time around, with or without the bumper, the signal held pretty much at 5 bars. This may explain why some people don’t seem to notice this issue. If you have really great AT&T service where you live, the in hand signal drop may not be as noticeable.

Watch the video of this phenomena.

Gruber agrees with this and here is my post explaining it in more detail.

I definitely have the signal loss issue and more specifically, the left hand covering the bottom left corner problem. Engadget points out that this is where the Bluetooth / WI-FI / GPS antenna meets the UMTS / GSM antenna. This is true, but there is also another meeting point at the top of the phone as seen in the antenna diagram.  Holding the top of the phone doesn’t produce the same effect as the bottom left.

I decided to take it a step further to see if the 2 antennas were “electrically separate”. I pulled out my handy multimeter and got to measuring. I started as an electrical engineer in college, but later switched to computer engineering, so if anything I’m saying sounds off, let me know @justin_horn.

UPDATE @armadsen tweeted the following:

DC resistance measurements are not valid for antennas, it’s RF impedance that matters. Much more difficult to measure.

Guess that pokes a whole in this theory?

No resistance between the two antennas

Control showing no resistance when shorted

Control showing 100% resistance when open circuit

As you can see from the pictures above, there is basically zero resistance between the two antennas. This means we aren’t bridging “the gap” and shorting the two antennas because they are already connected. Ruling out this bridging effect explains why the top gap doesn’t suffer the same issue.

UPDATE Continuing to test this, it’s hard to argue with the bridge theory. I just place one finger (you know which one Apple) right on the separator and the signal starts to drop. What I don’t get is how this doesn’t effect the upper gap, theoretically it should be the same right?  Check out Marco Arment’s solution, spoiler alert: masking tape.

It’s obvious something is going on here, so next I checked out Daring Fireball. John Gruber doesn’t have the issue (lucky bastard), but linked to an article by Jim Dalrymple of The Loop who adds:

According to people I’ve spoken with, it could be that moisture from your fingers is causing the iPhone 4 to believe that the antenna is receiving interference and losing its wireless signal

So the best I could come up with to test this is the good old rubber glove test!

I’m like a doctor!

Rubber glove, same result. This was only testing the moisture idea, but I’m thinking it has to do more with the fact that the human body is a conductor. Somehow this conductive nature of the human skin is sapping the signal or just disrupting it somehow.

I remember back in olden days, touching rabbit ears for an analog TV broadcast actually improved the signal,  but with the iPhone 4 it’s worse. I’m not really sure why, but I have a few guesses:

1) It doesn’t work the same for digital signals
2) Cell phone frequency range  reacts differently to human conductivity than TV (analog or digital)
3) iPhone is a transmitter and a receiver, not just a receiver like a TV

The rubber glove I used was thin enough that it didn’t stop the flow of electricity, so to test this I needed something thicker. I decided it was time to bring out the big guns…The Ove Glove.

This phone is hawt!

This test produced the best results with zero signal loss, even trumping the results I got with the bumper earlier! Another plus, the Ove Glove is half the price of the bumper [Buy your ove glove on Amazon].

Even though I’m not sure why human conductivity would weaken the signal, after this last test I believe it’s cause. At this point I really don’t think there is anything Apple can do to fix this, so go buy your Ove Gloves!

UPDATE The final answer on how the signal is affected in hand vs in case.

After some tests this morning, it looks like the bumper case helps with the antenna issue we reported on yesterday. Keep in mind that I used the main 5 bar signal indicator as a reference, not sure how to get into field test mode on the iPhone 4. Also, as the signal can change anytime, for any reason, the results were not always the same. I just kept repeating (many times) the test and this was what I got on average.

No Bumper
Hands off: 4-5 bars
In hand: 1 bar

With Bumper
Hands off: 4-5 bars
In hand: 3 bars

So the bumper did keep the signal at 3 bars compared to it plummeting to 1 bar shortly after picking up the naked iPhone.

I then tested in another room with less electronics. In this room I started with a strong signal of 5 bars. This time around, with or without the bumper, the signal held pretty much at 5 bars. This may explain why some people don’t seem to notice this issue. If you have really great AT&T service where you live, the in hand signal drop may not be as noticeable.

Check out this video of this strong signal room.

The fact that the signal still dropped down to 3 bars even with the bumper on and that I saw no drop in the “strong signal room”, leads me to believe that a software update to boost the output power (like we got in the 3.x days) may help resolve the issue. Apple said a software patch was coming, so I guess we won’t have to wait long to find out…when will iOS 4.0.1 be released?

When I first heard of the new antenna system on the iPhone 4, I thought it would increase the signal by getting the antenna out from behind all the other electronics. It later crossed my mind that by actually touching the antenna, with conductive skin, it could cause a weaker signal. I figured Apple wouldn’t have gone with this design if it was a problem, so the thought left my mind.

Things changed today…I’m hearing reports from a few different users that this is actually an issue. Not a big enough sample group to call it a major issue, but we should find out soon enough tomorrow when a ton more iPhone 4s hit the street.

Jeremy Sikora tweeted to let us know that Apple is claiming it’s a software issue. When I asked where he heard that and if there was an official press release he replied:

@justin_horn no but WM talked about same issue in his review. Apple claimed a software patch is coming.

NOTE: Jeremy isn’t just some random guy on Twitter, when he says something Apple related he is usually correct.

In response to our tweet earlier about the issue a little while ago, Loyal Moses tweeted:

Same Problem!

Loyal posted some videos of the problem on his blog.

Joe Wilcox tweeted earlier:

iPhone 4 first impression: Delightful device. Network sucks worse. I had better 3G on iPhone 3GS. “Searching” frequently.

Later, Joe Wilcox confirms this is an issue:

@justin_horn LOL, my mistake. Flat down on my desk, I see full bars. I hold the phone in my palm, bars slowly go down, like video.

Further evidence is one user who posted a video of the issue in action

Gizmodo is all over this, guess they are mad they didn’t get a test unit

(via @tarungangwani)

From Wikipedia:

Economies of scale, in microeconomics, are the cost advantages that a business obtains due to expansion. They are factors that cause a producer’s average cost per unit to fall as scale is increased.

These three words sum up why we will not see a Verizon iPhone until 4G LTE is a reality.

Before we get into economies of scale, just think about how many hours of R&D go into the development of the iPhone every year. To make a custom iPhone for one carrier, in one country, seems like a wasted expense. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure they have looked at or even done some limited R&D on what it would take to get a CDMA iPhone out the door, but it’s not a main focus.

Take the R&D expense out of the equation and the Verizon iPhone still doesn’t make sense. As Apple’s manufacturing partners ramp up production of the iPhone, the cost per unit is going to drop and Apple’s profit will go up.Why would they want to have a production line just for Verizon? Verizon is a huge company, but compared to AT&T and the rest of the world, they aren’t. They would have to make far fewer CDMA iPhones raising the average cost and cutting into their profits.

Continued from Wikipedia on Economies of scale:

Economies of scale may be utilized by any size firm expanding its scale of operation. The common ones are purchasing (bulk buying of materials through long-term contracts), managerial (increasing the specialization of managers), financial (obtaining lower-interest charges when borrowing from banks and having access to a greater range of financial instruments), and marketing (spreading the cost of advertising over a greater range of output in media markets).

I highlighted purchasing and marketing as these are the main factors that would influence Apple. They’ve put strains on world supplies of flash chips due to the huge production of their latest iDevices, so we know they can get some bulk buying discounts. To build the Verizon iPhone they would need to purchase CDMA chips on  a much smaller scale increasing their cost. The marketing might overlap a bit, but they would need to tweak ads to make sure they didn’t advertise a feature, like talk and surf,  as Verizon’s CDMA network can’t support this.

Go beyond the cost of the manufacturing and think about supporting the phone. This is one reason why Apple only makes one iPhone per year, compared to Motorola’s and Nokia’s hundreds.

What about that special Chinese iPhone? In this case all Apple had to do was disable WI-FI. I’m not an Apple engineer, but common sense tells me disabling a feature is monumentally easier than swapping out the main radio chip that makes up the phone part of iPhone. I’m betting the WI-FI chips are  still in there and disabled via the hardware. As for support, it’s the same phone with one featured disabled, so one less thing to break.

What about AT&T’s generous early upgrade policy this year? You’ll remember last year they did almost the same thing, but only extened the upgrade elgible window through September. This year they only exteneded it an additional 3 months. The other difference this year is AT&T raised the ETF from $175 to $350 on all their smartphones, matching Verizon’s somewhat recent ETF rate hike. I know some make a case that these two events mean they are trying to get more people hooked on AT&T with a bigger penalty for leaving. It’s very logical argument, but I just think they raised the ETF to match Verizon and are offering the early upgrade to iPhone owners for the same reasons as last year.

We will see an iPhone on Verizon when Verizon is on the same wireless network technology as the rest of the world. This will happen when everyone goes to the 4G LTE networks. When the 4G network will be deployed on a large scale is another question. I’ve heard rumors of 2011, but something tells me we are still a 2-3 years away.

One year ago today, I created a post to help those getting ready to buy the iPhone 3GS decide if going 32GB was worth the extra $100. Today I’m going to ask the same question of the upcoming iPhone 4 using the same template as last year.

Pictures
The iPhone 3GS at 3MP has an average files size of about 1.3MB. The move to 5MP should make the average size about 2.7MB. So assuming you have 500 pictures on your iPhone the difference between the 3GS and 4 would be about 700 MB, not that big of a deal for that amount of photos. So just like the 3G to 3GS, the improved camera isn’t a reason to grab the 32GB model.

Video
Video recording on the iPhone 3GS is VGA quality, 640 x 480 at 30 frames per second. This is the same as the new front facing camera on the iPhone 4. The calculations are assuming the same 24 bit depth as the previous models.

Using the same formulas as last year to calculate the size in kilobytes (KB) of one frame of uncompressed video:

Frame size K = ( [Pixel Width x Pixel Height x Bit Depth] / 8 ) / 1024

Where 8 represents an 8-bit byte, and 1024 equals the number of bytes per kilobytes.

To determine the file size of one second of uncompressed video, multiply the image size by the number of frames per second (fps).

To determine how compression affects file size, divide the file size by the compression ratio.

Me on the compression ratio last year:

Based on my research I found the compression ratio of standard MPEG-4 is about 30-40:1 and the newer H.264 (or MPEG-4 AVC) which the iPhone uses is about 1.5 – 2x better. For my cacluations below I will use a H.264 compression ratio of 60:1, just about in the middle of what I found.

This 60:1 ratio I calculated last year turns out to be a bit too high when looking at actual videos from the 3GS. Part of this might due to the fact that I’m not calculating the audio portion of the recording, but in practice a compression ratio of 40:1 is very close for the average recording.

NOTE This ratio might be off if the compression algorithm has been stepped up on the iPhone 4 with it’s speedier CPU, but this should be a pretty close estimate.

So let’s recalculate the 3GS size and compare that to the 4. This year let’s take a more moderate 250 mins of video usage vs the 500 I used last year. This would be about 50, 5 minute videos.

UPDATE A lot of comments I’m getting that 250 minutes is a crazy amount for a phone. This is just an example and assumes keeping videos on your camera roll and building them up over time. I know after 6 months or so my camera roll gets filled with hundreds of pictures and lots of videos. So yes, you can download them off the phone at any time, but I like to have videos and pics on my phone to show people. To make it easier to calculate how much you think you will use, I’ve added storage needed for 1 minute. So, for example, if you think you only need 30 mins of video on your iPhone 4 you are looking at: 89 MB * 30 mins…only 2.6 GBs.

iPhone 3GS video size for 250 mins:

( [640 x 480 x 24] / 8 ) / 1024 = 900 KB / frame

900KB/frame x 30 frames/sec = 27000 KB/sec

27000 KB/sec  / 40 compression ratio = 675 KB/sec compressed

675 KB/sec * 250 min * 60 s / min * 1 MB / 1024 KB  * 1GB / 1024 MB = 9.66 GB (39 MB / min)

This seems to be the wrong resolution, see updated version below

iPhone 4 video size for 250 mins:

( [960 x 720 x 24] / 8 ) / 1024 = 2025 KB / frame

2025 KB/frame x 30 frames/sec = 60750 KB/sec

60750 KB/sec  /  40 compression ratio = 1518.75 KB/s compressed

1,518.75 KB/sec compressed * 250 min * 60 s / min * 1 MB / 1024 KB  * 1GB / 1024 MB = 21.73 GB (89 MB / min)

UPDATE In the comments below and elsewhere people have been questioning my use 960 x 720 for the iPhone 4 HD resolution because the standard 720p is 1280×720. I was assuming Apple would stick with the same aspect ratio of the iPhone 3GS for video, 4:3. 720 in 4:3 ratio is 960. The new digital camera still shoots in this 4:3 aspect ratio as seen in the sample pictures on Apple’s website.  So really I think this could go either way, but below I present the amount of storage that would be used if the iPhone 4 were using true 720p HD quality.

UPDATE 2 Watching the demo in the keynote, it looks like the video is in 16:9 aspect ratio.  Guess all my naysayers were correct, but I’m happy to be wrong on this one…I’ll take letterboxed playback on the 1.5 aspect iPhone vs the weird 960 x 720 resolution I was thinking.

iPhone 4 video size for 250 mins if true 720p (1280 x 720):

( [1280 x 720 x 24] / 8 ) / 1024 = 2700 KB / frame

2700 KB/frame x 30 frames/sec = 81000 KB/sec

81000 KB/sec  /  40 compression ratio = 2025 KB/s compressed

2025 KB/sec compressed * 250 min * 60 s / min * 1 MB / 1024 KB  * 1GB / 1024 MB = 28.97 GB (118 MB / min)

If a higher 60:1 compression ratio is used by the more powerfull iPhone 4: 79 MB / min

So as expected more than doubling the resolution more than doubles the size of the video. So with the HD video recording even 64 GB could be a limiting factor. Hey Apple, were is our 64 GB version of the iPhone 4?

Conclusion
So like last year, the jump in the still camera mega pixels won’t affect your space enough for you to warrant an upgrade to 32GB if you are currently happy with your 16GB iPhone, but if you are planning on shooting a decent amount of video…that’s a different story. When you factor in all storage you’re already using for apps, music, and pictures you aren’t left with much. Even with a 32GB model most people won’t be able to hold anything near my calculated 250 mins which would take up about 60% (more like 90% with true 720p) of the total storage. So with this in mind I can’t recommend saving the $100, just go for the 32GB!

Most of the multitasking talk centers around the fast app switching dock. I’m going to cover that later, but before we get there I want to review the different app states:  closed, suspended, and background.

Closed State Apps

This is how apps work prior to OS 4. When leaving an app by pressing the home button, the app gets about 5 seconds to finish what it’s doing and save any pertinent info. The app is then purged from memory. Currently, all third party apps running on OS 4 beta still operate this way because they haven’t been updated yet. Even though apps returning from the closed state have to load from scratch, they can use the saved info to start right where you left off. The ability to read / write state data to the app’s own disk space is not handled by the system, but the app itself. This is why you already see this save state in current apps like Rolando, with its “iSave” feature, which lets you resume your game right where you left off.

Suspended State Apps

This is a new state introduced as part of OS 4 multitasking and available only on the latest (and future) iPhone and  iPod touch models. When a user leaves an app, it’s put into the suspended state instead of closing it. The apps are held in memory and their process kept alive, but are given no CPU time. You can think of them as cryogenically frozen, they still exist and are alive, but can’t do anything until defrosted. Restricting the CPU usage in this way keeps the iPhone from getting bogged down, and more importantly, keeps battery usage close to zero. When returning to suspended apps, they start exactly how you left them without needing to load again. This gives you the feeling they were running the whole time. As nice as this sounds, it’s not truly a background app. No CPU means it cannot process any data in the background. For example, after leaving a Twitter app, it’s no longer updating your stream. When returning to the app, all the latest tweets will need to be downloaded. As most OS 4 compatible apps will fall into this category, it means push notifications are still going to play an important role in iPhone multitasking.

Background State Apps

This is a special state, applicable only to certain types of apps. These are true background apps given CPU time while working behind the scenes, but are only able to use resources to perform a specific task. I think the easiest way to explain this is to discuss the details of how a few apps work.

UPDATE 6.25.2010 Added TomTom example for background navigation.

Pandora (Background Audio)
You are jamming with Pandora as you always have, but then decide to check out a band’s website. You press the  home button to leave Pandora and fire up Safari. As a background audio app, Pandora is not put into the suspended state, but remains running as long as it’s streaming audio. When running in the background, the app must only use system resources to process the audio stream. For example, when a song changes, Pandora will not update the screen view to show the new artist info, as this would be a waste of CPU resources for something the user can’t see. A task like this can easily be taken care of when you return to Pandora as it’s moving from the background to the foreground. So after an hour of rocking out with Pandora you notice your battery is getting low, how do you stop it from running in the background? Easy, the same way you do now with the iPod app, just go into the app and hit pause. The only way Pandora is allowed in the background is if there is music streaming, so this time when you leave the app it’s sent to the suspended state.

The multitasking update is currently available [iTunes]

Skype (Background Voip + Background Audio)
There are two different scenarios when dealing with voip: waiting for a call and on a call. Apple’s solution when waiting for a call is perfect for keeping battery usage to a minimum. After logging into Skype and returning to the home screen, the app is not kept in the background like Pandora. Instead Skype enters the suspended state and lets the system monitor its connection to the voip server. When a call comes in, the system moves Skype from the suspended state to the background state. Skype does not automatically open, it’s still only in the background, so what you are currently doing is not interrupted. The call data is then processed and a local notification (another one of the 7 background APIs) is created to alert you a phone call is coming in. If you ignore the call, the connection is handed back to the system and the app returns to the suspended state. If you pick up the call, the app opens in the foreground and the call is connected. If you decide your buddy is boring and you want to check some email while pretending to listen, it’s no longer an issue. When you open up mail, Skype continues to work in the background, very similar to the audio apps. When the call ends, Skype hands the connection back to the system and goes to sleep. To close Skype, just open the app and log out.  When leaving Skype with the voip server connection closed, it goes into the suspended state until you login again.

The multitasking update is currently “coming soon”. Watch this page to see how long it takes: http://whenwillskypereleaseios4app.com

Facebook (Task completion)
This is a hypothetical example of how Facebook could work if programmed to do so. You are finished playing around on Facebook and just waiting for a bunch of pictures to upload. You leave the app and return to the home screen. Instead of immediately suspending the app, cancelling all your uploads, it requests extra time to finish in the background. When the upload is complete, the app is then put into the suspended state.

TomTom (Background Navigation)
Receiving a phone call while navigating is no longer a problem on iOS 4. Now when you take a call, the app will popup request your permission to continue navigating in the background. If granted you will still receive turn by turn direction while on the call. This also works if you leave the app to do something else, like check email (hopefully you aren’t the driver). The app continues to track your current location, but to save battery it’s not updating the map. When you return to TomTom it will take a few seconds to reposition you on the map. What happens when you’ve arrived and want to shut it off so it doesn’t drain the battery? No, you don’t need to manually task manage and force close. When you reach your destination and are no longer navigating, it will automatically stop using the background navigation and go into regular suspend mode when you leave the app. If you leave the app while still in navigation mode and disconnect from power, you’ll soon get a local notification popup asking if you would still like to navigate in the background. Tap no and send TomTom into suspend mode. You can always confirm that it is no longer running in the background by looking for the new GPS arrow icon (see picture below)…if it’s gone, it’s not navigating.

The multitasking update is currently available (Read More) [iTunes]

What is the fast app switcher dock?

The fast app switcher, or hidden dock, is a new task bar that slides up from the bottom of the screen when you double tap the home button. The new dock doesn’t just list your background state apps that are actually running, but contains ALL the apps you’ve opened no matter which state: closed, suspended, or background. To the end user it doesn’t really matter if the apps are technically running or not; I guess that’s why in the OS 4 keynote Steve Jobs said “I can just double click the home button…and the window raises up and it shows me all the apps that are running.”  The apps are ordered left to right by most recently used, so you have quick access to the apps you use most.

Wait, wasn’t double tap home button a shortcut for my phone favorites, iPod, or Camera?

Yes, it was. To perform the home shortcuts on OS 4, you just need to double tap and hold. Might be confusing at first, but should catch on pretty quick.

UPDATE This double tap and hold was removed from the final iOS 4 release. There is a new feature for controlling the active audio device. To access this you bring up the fast app dock and move left (see picture). Unfortunately the favorites we all know and love are no longer available.

New active audio widget

Is the fast app switcher dock a task manager?

You’ll remember this question for the OS 4 keynote Q&A session:

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.

(via Engadget)

You can manage your apps manually in the hidden dock by removing them, which sends them to the closed state, but what Steve said still holds true…the users don’t have to think about it. A regular user on OS 4 can get along just fine without closing apps manually or even looking at the hidden dock at all for that matter. All the operations of managing the apps for memory and CPU concerns are taken care of automatically by system, so there is no advantage to closing them yourself. Another important factor is the ability to close apps (stop background processing) through the app’s user interface, like the Pandora and Skype examples earlier. I assume this will be a requirement for every background capable app¹. If not, then what Jobs said is no longer vaild.

UPDATE 6.25.2010 ¹Some apps, like Pandora, close in a very intuitive way…stop the music, stop the multitasking. Other apps need a bit more thought, but properly designed, they won’t need specific close buttons in the user interface.  A perfect example of this is the TomTom app I recently added to the background state apps above.

How does OS 4 decide when to close apps?

When a new app is opened that requires more memory than is currently available, OS 4 automatically closes suspended apps in least recently used order. The next time you open an app that was closed by the system, it will need to load again just like it does on OS 3.x. You will lose the quick start up, but if the system closed it you probably hadn’t used the app in some time anyway. If even more memory is required, the system starts closing background apps (like Pandora) in the least recently used order.

Apple’s first step into multitasking looks great to me! Their strategy will automatically grow with the hardware. For example, when the 4th gen iPhone is released with 512MB of memory (I love speculating [no longer speculation, I was right]), it will be able to keep more simultaneous apps suspended / backgrounded. Also, as the hardware improves, additional APIs could be added to allow a wider variety of apps to work in the background.

The line was pretty short, but makes sense considering you could order it and have it delivered this afternoon without having to get up at, quoting Modern Family, “6 AM or forget it”. They were playing some tunes for the line, starting with “It’s a beautiful day”, followed by a lot of Beatles’s songs. It was nice to see so many adults excited about their new “toy”. I use the quotes because we know it isn’t a toy…right!

Apple Store, The Falls

It’s a nice day out here. Oh, and I convinced that dude on the bottom left of the photo to get an iPad. He got in line after taking pictures.

Meet iPad…hi iPad with palm tree reflection

Employees return to the store after greeting customers in line

And the first customer out the door with her brand new iPad