iPhone OS 4.0

Apple previewed its iPhone OS 4 software and released a beta version of the software to iPhone Developer Program members. The iPhone OS 4 beta release includes an updated Software Development Kit (SDK) with over 1,500 new Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and over 100 new features that will be available to iPhone and iPod touch users this summer.

New features include multitasking, folders to better organize and access apps, improved mail with a unified inbox, fast inbox switching and threaded messages, Apple’s new iAd mobile advertising platform and iBooks, new ebook reader and online bookstore recently debuted on the iPad. iPhone OS 4’s new multitasking offers users a new way to quickly move between apps, and provides developers seven new multitasking services to easily add multitasking features to their apps.

iPhone OS 4 delivers the best mail experience on a mobile phone with its new Unified Inbox, allowing users to see messages from all their email accounts displayed together in a single inbox. With just a few taps, users can quickly switch between inboxes to see messages from any single account.

iAd, Apple’s new mobile advertising platform, combines the emotion of TV ads with the interactivity of web ads. iAd displays full-screen video and interactive ad content without ever leaving the app, and letting users return to their app anytime they choose. iPhone OS 4 lets developers easily embed iAd opportunities within their apps, and the ads are dynamically and wirelessly delivered to the device.

The iPhone OS 4 beta release includes a developer preview of Game Center, which contains a set of APIs that allows developers to create apps with the ability to invite friends to play a game, start a multiplayer game through matchmaking and track achievements and compare high scores on a leader board. Apps created with GameKit APIs will work with Game Center, Apple’s new social gaming network available to iPhone and iPod touch users later this year.

Other additional features incorporated in iPhone OS 4 include improvements in security, scalability and compatibility. The new Mobile Device Management service can be integrated with third party servers to wirelessly configure, query and even wipe or lock managed iPhones, and iPhone OS 4 enables enterprises to securely host and wirelessly distribute their own in-house developed apps to employees. The new Data Protection feature uses a user’s passcode as an encryption key to protect mail messages and attachments stored on the iPhone.

The iPhone OS 4 beta software and SDK are available immediately for iPhone Developer Program members at developer.apple.com. Some features may not be available on all products like Multitasking, which requires iPhone 3GS or third generation iPod touch (late 2009 models with 32GB or 64GB).

Check out these stories also:

1. Apple launches iPhone 4 thinnest smartphone in the world
2. Apple App Store downloads crosses 3 billion
3. Apple launches iPhone 4S, iOS 5 and iCloud
4. Apple launches new iPod touch
5. Apple launches iPad in India

Custom Search