iPhone and iPad Update to OS 4.0 - Ughh

I could really care less about the iPhone itself. It was cool back in 2007 when it debuted but Android has since left it in the dust. Not only software-wise, but also with the *innovation* of new and superior hardware by Motorola and HTC. However, I'm still tied down to Apple's iPhone OS by way of my iPad. Yeah, I know... "Get an Android tablet." Until one is available boasting the same (or better) hardware specs as the iPad in as sleek and slim of a package, I, like 450,000 others, are stuck. And it's not entirely a bad "stuck." I'm happy with what the iPad can do for now, keeping in mind it'll evolve in the near future.

Enter iPhone OS 4.

Apple removed the wool from the sheeps' eyes this morning (pun intended?) with the unveiling of iPhone OS 4.0. It's being made available to developers today and will be released to current iPhone 3G and 3Gs owners "this summer." No specific date was provided. Chief among the 100+ improvements is the ability to multitask, something Apple has been behind on since, oh, I don't know... the beginning? This means I can now stream Pandora WHILE browsing the web. I can actually get Twitter updates from TweetDeck in REAL time while browsing the web or working in another application. It's a big deal, I know. Something Android has done from the beginning, Apple manages to produce 3 years later. Oh well, better late than never I suppose. Right?

iPhone 3G and iPod Touch third-gen devices will get the update this summer sometime. Based on Apple's history, I'm guessing in June. We iPad owners though will be waiting until an undisclosed time "this fall." I suppose the other appropriate adage to use here is "Good things come to those who wait." Well, I'm tired of waiting for Apple to get their head on straight, but that's what I get for buying into the closed-minded heavily guarded and protected ecosystem of Apple.

More features of OS 4.0 after the jump.



Other notable features for iPhone OS 4.0 include

• Global mailbox (multiple accounts sync in one inbox)
• Multiple MS Exchange accounts can be synced
• Location background service with pinpoint-precision application specific permissions (wow, try saying that five times in a row)
• 5x digital zoom in Camera along with geo-tagging of all photos 
• The ability to actually create playlists in the iPod app of the device, not just on iTunes desktop
• Springboard folders (unlimited number) that are also dockable
• VoIP support (can also run in the background)
• iBook reader - a smaller version of the iPad and iBook Store
• Game Center - the Apple version of XBox Live - social gaming online. 
• iAd - "emotion plus interactivity" in ads within apps. Developers get 60% of revenues.
• Bluetooth keyboard sync

A lot of these updates are, well, overdue to say the least. But welcome, nonetheless. I find it amusing that Apple considers most of these things "innovation" and "new tech" when in reality they're nearly the last OEM to implement this stuff. Just because it's "new to you" doesn't mean its brand new. I wouldn't go back to the iPhone if you gave me one, but I'm excited to see what of these changes will benefit the iPad. Mainly, I'm looking forward to the background processing (multitasking), the springboard folders, VoIP support (thru Google Voice?), and the global mailbox with threaded conversations, much like how Gmail has operated since the beginning.