Apple released the third beta version of iPhone OS 4, only to temporarily rescind it due to an apparent problem with the installation process for the accompanying software development kit.
The beta OS versions are available only to registered developers via the official iPhone Development Center. One of the key new elements in the 4.0 release is limited multi-tasking, being able to run several apps or functions at once. Apple last month previewed OS 4.0 and surprised some with the software's business features.
Wired's Charlie Sorrel goes into a more detailed review. He notes the iPad offers a screenlock in the form of a dedicated hardware button. The iPhone lock on-screen button is exposed in the new multi-tasking dock that appears when you tap twice on the home button. This dock lets users switch between open applications.
"The iPod buttons have also moved to this control strip, and we presume that they replace the dialog panel which pops up when you double-tap the home button in the current iPhone OS," Sorrel writes. "You also get a button to access the iPod app."
Sorrel also noted that each app in the multi-tasking strip has a "quit" button associated with it. "This looks a lot like a task manager," he writes. "I'd be constantly worrying that there were too many applications open, sucking my battery. "These new buttons are accessed in the same way as the search screen on the current iPhone: Once you have accessed the dock, you swipe to the right to reveal this new panel. At least this part makes sense, although the once-simple iPhone OS looks to be getting a lot more complicated."
The next version of the iPhone is expected by many to be revealed at Apple's Worldwide Conference in June in San Francisco.
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