Andie's Log: Some thoughts on the iPhone single-task magic
J3F
· 6 months ago
Kind of thought I was doing something wrong - when the i-touch wouldn't multi-task. I just assumed that a devise (this complicated) was capable of it.
I understand the clarity of a single app design philosophy - but kind of prefer the illusion of incompetency disguising the inability to multi-task (but it will play music while I play with non-audio apps...)
Rimantas
· 5 months ago
iPhone OS is just a version of UNIX. Of course it can multitask, and it does. Only that it does it with native apps and not the third party application.
Andie Nordgren
· 5 months ago
Of course the iPhone OS can multitask on a technical level, and also does it for several core system apps (of which the music player is one), that's not what the text is about. It's about how apple is restricting multitasking in the OS for product design reasons rather than technical or performance reasons.
/Andie
Al
· 5 months ago
I think you're wrong. I can think of several ways to streamline the multitasking UI with the one button that is there. Mind you - it would not be the first time Apple designed more functionality into fewer buttons than previously thought possible, while still making it more or less intuitive to the user.
Andie Nordgren
· 5 months ago
True, good point. Let's see what happens! I'm certainly not against multitasking as such. And with more people being used to how the iPhone OS works in general, it becomes easier to add more complexity. But I still think it has been crucial to the success of the OS so far that it is so simple in this aspect.
All Comments
I understand the clarity of a single app design philosophy - but kind of prefer the illusion of incompetency disguising the inability to multi-task (but it will play music while I play with non-audio apps...)
Only that it does it with native apps and not the third party application.
does it for several core system apps (of which the music player is
one), that's not what the text is about. It's about how apple is
restricting multitasking in the OS for product design reasons rather
than technical or performance reasons.
/Andie
multitasking as such. And with more people being used to how the iPhone OS
works in general, it becomes easier to add more complexity. But I still
think it has been crucial to the success of the OS so far that it is so
simple in this aspect.