Apple Debuts Multitasking, Ads in iPhone OS 4

Most Apple-related news the past month has been about the release of the new iPad. But the company has also been busy on an update to the iPhone operating system that it previewed Thursday at Apple headquarters.

EnterpriseMobileToday has the details of Apple's upcoming iPhone OS 4.0 release, which includes new features -- like the addition of multitasking, about the lack of which Apple's critics have long complained -- and the introduction of a hosted advertising system for applications called iAd.

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CUPERTINO, Calif -- The wait is almost over. Apple CEO Steve Jobs previewed a new version of the iPhone operating system, iPhone OS 4, that also will run on the iPod Touch and iPad. Availability for the iPhone and iPod Touch is slated for this summer, while the OS update for the Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) new iPad is scheduled for this fall.

One key enhancement for IT is the ability to upload and update apps directly from corporate systems rather than having to through iTunes.

"This is a big deal because it means IT doesn't have to side-load devices through a PC," analyst Jack Gold said in an e-mail.

The biggest new feature news is that the iPhone will soon support multitasking, something that competing phone operating systems -- including Google's Android OS -- already offer.

Read the full story at HardwareCentral:
Apple Unveils Key iPhone Upgrade