Author
Cody Sharp
PCWorld.com reports that Apple will be showing a sneak peak of the fabled OS 4.0 on Thursday, April 8th. The new OS is said to contain all kinds of new features for Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch devices including the ability to multitask and an upgraded user interface. Since word has officially been given by Apple, we no longer will need to rely on rumors, the OS is obviously ready for primetime and we will be able to see it in all of its (hopeful) glory in just a couple of days.
In Apple’s last major release, OS 3.0, we saw no less than a 100 new features including some very popular ones like cut and paste. In this release it is widely suspected (hope and prayed) that there is some sort of basic multitasking ability. It is widely believed that the next iteration of Apple’s iPhone lineup will be coming out at the end of June, the iPhone HD. It goes without saying then it will use OS 4.0 (or an upgraded version). It also stands to reason that people will be using the upgraded OS on their iPad’s in the very near future. After all, all 3 of Apple’s devices basically use the same underlying software.
One thing that is left to wonder about is the time frame from when the initial press impressions will be given to when the OS’s actual release to the App Store. In the past, Apple has had a fairly quick turnaround, using the press sneak peak to build up enthusiasm for the new features, and delivering it to the public in as little as a week. Also unknown is whether or not the upgrade will cost anything. While most of Apple’s competitors do not charge for an operating system upgrade, Apple has never let what competitors do change how they do things in the past.
The new OS was first rumored to be arriving as early as January 2010. It never came. Then, it was widely expected to arrive before the release of the iPad. Again, no word from Apple. Finally it was expected that the iPad may ship with it. None of those things turned out to be true but on April 8th we will finally get to see what is behind Apple’s curtain.