Multi-tasking On The iPhone At Last

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There are two Apple headlines this week. One is official, you can pre-order an iPad as of this morning (8:30 am EST, to be exact).

The question is; why would you?

The other Apple headline is, like most Apple headlines, unofficial. According to Apple Insider, Apple will be releasing the latest version of iPhone software this summer (iPhone 4.0) and Glory Bee, it will finally make multi-tasking possible.

I'm not a midwesterner. I don't even play one on TV. However, I am a soul of practicality. Believe me, this second announcement is far more important than the first. Who cares about being the earliest of early adopters to pull the trigger on a bling bling product that no one really needs? (I'm sure someone is going to have something to say about that, so just bring it on.)

On the other hand, there are how many iPhone users out there already? (answer: gazillions!). Now, here is some news that is going to make what they have infinitely more useful.

The question is have the whiz kids at Apple pulled it off?

One of the things that makes Apple so secure is that it runs one open app at a time. It doesn't allow rogue spyware, etc. running in the background that you don't know about it.

So, how is Apple resolving that one?

The other biggie? What does this mean for battery life? The more programs running, the more life getting sucked out the battery.

Will this be a Pyrrhic victory, after all?

Renee Oricchio

Renee Oricchio is a technology writer and former supervising news producer for CNN Financial News. She has been covering the computer industry since 1987.