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http://www.macnn.com/articles/10/04/14/apple.officially.restricts.functionality.to.3gs/

Video shows iPhone 3G running v4.0 multitasking

updated 07:45 pm EDT, Wed April 14, 2010

 

Apple officially restricts functionality to 3GS


A YouTube video appears to show a jailbroken iPhone 3G running the v4.0 firmware, with the full set of features including multitasking. Apple officially restricts multitasking functionality to the latest-generation iPod touch and iPhone 3GS, which has lead to criticism from owners of earlier devices with slower processors and limited RAM.

The limitation has been blamed on hardware specs, although the YouTube video indicates that Apple's decision may have been based on a quality-of-experience rationale rather than technical aspects. The host of the video does not show heavy multitasking, although the host claims that the feature works well on the iPhone 3G.

The official iPhone 4.0 firmware is expected to launch sometime this summer, while the iPad update will wait until the fall.


by MacNN Staff

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 iPhone, iPod touch, iPhone 3G, Apple, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4.0

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Comments

  1. I WAS the One

    Grizzled Veteran

    Joined: Mar 2003

    +2
    04/14, 09:12pm | report spam | Reply |

    HAH!

    Jailbreak the iPad PLEASEEEEE!!!!

  1. BDLatimer

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2005

    +7
    04/14, 09:54pm | report spam | Reply |

    Making assertions which are simply not true

    I hate hearing things like "It _is_ powerful enough; it runs fine" and "Apple's just trying to get more of our money by forcing us to buy new hardware!". Oh, you are 100% confident in that, are you? You've tested hundreds - if not thousands - of other apps to see how they behave when in the multitasking environment? You've performed a _detailed_ analysis of how a 3G (slower processor; limited RAM) works, compared to a 3GS (faster processor; DOUBLE the RAM), when under load?

    No, you haven't. You've merely jailbroken a 3G unit, verified some superficial user-level behaviors, and prematurely - with hardly any supporting details - declared "See - it works PERFECTLY!".

    Apple, fortunately does just a _bit_ more testing in this regard, in order to ensure the customer experience. People buy Apple products because of the attention to detail shown in their development, and the _detailed_ testing which Apple does, in order to ensure this experience.

    Hey, I could theoretically decode a full-res 1080p H.264 video stream on my old Power Mac G4 Cube; this would "work". But, the experience wouldn't be acceptable for any actual users, and that's why the minimum system requirements for such playback are set higher than this.

    "Do us a favor and enable multitasking". They most certainly have - when you're running on a platform which can ensure a best-of-breed experience for users. To claim you know better than the development team of the product, shows an incredible lack of understanding.

  1. juraiprince

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Feb 2006

    +11
    04/14, 10:16pm | report spam | Reply |

    That video is lame!!

    Oh wow! So I can actually use my calculator while I have my settings open. Wonderful. It's time to move on. Time to retire my 3G and move on, not jailbreak it just to multitask with a couple of weak apps that I don't really care to multitask with anyway. And notice, he wasn't even using the apps! They were just open. A complete waste of time.

  1. bdmarsh

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Feb 2006

    +8
    04/14, 10:36pm | report spam | Reply |

    iPhone OS 3.1's limited is bad enough

    when an e-mail downloads in the background (through push for example), it causes a noticeable pause in whatever I'm doing on my iPhone 3G, and most functions feel sluggish when music is playing in the background while doing other stuff.

    it isn't noticed on the 3GS that I could see when using one of my friends phones. more ram, faster CPU sure helps.

  1. Marook

    Forum Regular

    Joined: May 1999

    +3
    04/15, 02:47am | report spam | Reply |

    That's not Mulittasking!!!!

    That list of Apps has NOTHING to do with MultiTasking!!!
    That list is called Recent Items, and none of those Apps shown do run in the background when they are closed by the Home button...


    NEEEEEXT!!

  1. testudo

    Forum Regular

    Joined: Aug 2001

    -6
    04/15, 01:11pm | report spam | Reply |

    re: assertations

    You've tested hundreds - if not thousands - of other apps to see how they behave when in the multitasking environment?

    Technically, no one has, since there are no multi-tasking apps out there (as one would need to use the new API before any testing could be done) except the built-in ones from apple.

    Second, there is no true multi-tasking in the iPhone OS*. The 'multi-tasking' is more just an expansion of concepts from the 'push' technology they use. So Calculator is NOT still running in the background, even though you said 'leave it running' for one would have to ask "Why in the h*** would I need to multitask an f'ing calculator? Or System Preferences? Or the clock app?".

    So, the guy in the video is seeing Apple's "feature" of showing you 'open' apps but not realizing they really are closed. Because, if you note, it ain't easy to quit an app on the iPhone (did they "fix" that in v4 along with the 'multi-tasking'?).

    And while you may eat up Jobs' remarks that the 1st and 2nd gen phones just aren't powerful enough, let's be realistic here. Apple likes to limit upgrades to older products to (a) save money and manpower, and, more importantly, (b) give a reason for people to upgrade.

    *BTW, there is multitasking on the OS now, just not for third-party apps. Safari for one is a notorious battery hog that you can't change to not be multi-tasking. Make the mistake of leaving it on certain web pages, and your battery life will just croak in no time. But it gets to do that because Apple gives itself the special features (yeah, I know, they built it, they can make the rules).

  1. eric9610

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Apr 2010

    +2
    04/15, 01:12pm | report spam | Reply |

    3gs runs very slow

    I am currently running the beta on my 3gs and under high multi tasking the phone is very slow and sluggish, also keep in mind this is a beta. The other thing I noticed in the beta is that only apple Iphone supplied applications (settings, phone, email, calculator) are capable of truly multitasking at this point, with that being said the 3gs will be even slower once all applications are capable of using the multi tasking features. I would not want to be running this on a 3g it will cripple the phones performance once full multitasking is available.

  1. facebook_Arthur

    Via Facebook

    Joined: Apr 2010

    -2
    04/20, 05:56am | report spam | Reply |

    Who cares about the official limitations?

    If you jailbreak it you can just increase the clockspeed and add some VR, so it really doesn't matter. Jailbroken iPhones have been multitasking for ages.

  1. facebook_Arthur

    Via Facebook

    Joined: Apr 2010

    -2
    04/20, 06:34am | report spam | Reply |

    Who cares about the official limitations?

    If you jailbreak it you can just increase the clockspeed and add some VR, so it really doesn't matter. Jailbroken iPhones have been multitasking for ages.

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