How multitasking should work (Mockup)

[hitekalex]

I believe that the design that Apple does finally implement will need to be as obvious and clear as possible to the user of what they're doing, without having to teach them a complicated UI.

There is already a simple and elegant multi-tasking interface, that's been available on JB'ed iPhones for some time. It's called ProSwitcher:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gwbkczJH6M

It doesn't require any odd interface modes or impose any artificial limitations on a number of concurrent apps. The interface is immediately familiar to anyone who has switched between tabs in mobile Safari.

I use this all the time on my 3GS, so I KNOW it works as you would expect. If Apple could natively implement something like ProSwitcher on iPhone/iTab, I (and I suspect many others) would be happy campers.

 

[EssentialParado]

There is already a simple and elegant multi-tasking interface, that's been available on JB'ed iPhones for some time. It's called ProSwitcher:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gwbkczJH6M

It doesn't require any odd interface modes or impose any artificial limitations on a number of concurrent apps. The interface is immediately familiar to anyone who has switched between tabs in mobile Safari.

I use this all the time on my 3GS, so I KNOW it works as you would expect. If Apple could natively implement something like ProSwitcher on iPhone/iTab, I (and I suspect many others) would be happy campers.

Thanks for posting the video.

To be frank with you, I'm having a hard time understanding why you feel that's an "obvious" interface to the user? Watching that video I have no idea how it's expressed to the user in a clear way that they have apps running and sucking their battery. Similarly, I have no idea how the user is supposed to invoke the screen for showing all the open apps. I think something a lot of people forget is that Apple wants everyone, from toddlers to grandparents, to be able to use the device and understand the control they have over it, without the possibility of unknowingly having four apps running at once and being left with "a crappy device where the battery only lasts an hour." That's a very tough task; likely why we haven't seen any form of multitasking from Apple thus far.

 

[tdavis]

I know how miltitasking will work in Jobs eyes. You buy one of everything at an outrageous price and do what each one does best with it. iPad to watch media, iPod to listen to media, and iPhone to talk to tech support when you buy a 27" Mac and get the cool new yellow screen effect. I heard thats all the rage down under.

 

[DaveSW]

I know how miltitasking will work in Jobs eyes. You buy one of everything at an outrageous price and do what each one does best with it. iPad to watch media, iPod to listen to media, and iPhone to talk to tech support when you buy a 27" Mac and get the cool new yellow screen effect. I heard thats all the rage down under.

 

[MattInOz]

I know how miltitasking will work in Jobs eyes. You buy one of everything at an outrageous price and do what each one does best with it. iPad to watch media, iPod to listen to media, and iPhone to talk to tech support when you buy a 27" Mac and get the cool new yellow screen effect. I heard thats all the rage down under.

Yep the suns so bright down here we didn't notice the yellow.

 

[greygray]

Looks nice. Thanks for sharing!

I hope to see at least basic multitasking in OS 4.0.