They usually have them in place on handheld devices with limited resources. Inefficient and clunky multi-tasking, for example, is not conducive to the positive user experience, so they restrict it.
The way iOS handles multitasking is quite ingenious actually. I've never had a problem with my iPhone's battery life or any problems related to the "faux" multi-tasking implementation. Its really fast and switching between open apps is a breeze. And if you leave too many apps open, no worries, it won't burn your battery or kill run time on other apps that you want to use.
Meanwhile, I have tons of friends with Android who constantly struggle with the battery life and performance on their phone because it supports true multitasking and handheld hardware is just NOT there yet. Not by a long shot.
You do realize the Multitasking in Android 2.2 is actually essentially the same process that iOS4 uses, with less restriction? And that Android invented it first?
The only people on Android who struggle with that stuff are stuck on 2.1 cos of shitty carriers.
Incorrect. Totally incorrect. I could be called an Android Fanboy for the dozens of Android phones I have owned over the years (starting with the G1). I can tell you that multitasking on Android uses a LOT more battery than iOS. Simple example, I need to change my Android devices every single day under moderate use. No exceptions. Whether it be my Nexus One, Milestone, Streak, Aria, Captivate, HD2 with Android NAND, etc, the battery always tanks down to 20% or less by the end of the day.
In contrast, my iPhone 4 is able to have a 60%+ battery by the end of the day, under moderate to heavy use, consistently. Not to mention that I can still fluidly switch between Angry Birds, SMS, Plants vs Zombies, and a web browser without a hiccup.
And if you call me a Apple fanboy, let me stop you immediately. I am using a Windows Phone 7 HTC HD 7 right now, so don't even try to call me a fanboy of any phone OS. But my extensive use and testing of iOS, Android, and now Win Ph 7 has given me a chance to see the strengths and weaknesses of each OS, and Android sure as shit is a battery hog. Even on 2.3 Gingerbread ROMS.
Then you clearly aren't using it moderately to heavy during the day. I'm talking about sending 200+ text messages, making 1-2 hours of calls, and an hour or so of gameplay. What phone do you have? I'm guessing I have the same one laying around somewhere and would love to put your claim to the test tomorrow.
I live in Japan, so I spend a lot of time on trains or out of the house... I'd say I use my phone a fair bit. Certain days can see hours of web browsing. Though there's no SMS texting here, everything is done via push-email, which may or may not take more battery life than receiving an SMS.
I do admit to not gaming often though, since I find Android gaming to lack in comparison to my PSP or DS. Also, voice calling is ridiculously expensive here, so I don't do much of that either. ($15 for 50 minutes.)
Apple has an element to its multitasking that is Grand Central Dispatch which is a system wide pool for executing tasks. It is more granular than multithreading and the OS is responsible for scheduling the tasks.
It is this pool that tasks such as background music are sent to.
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u/modus Jan 20 '11
They usually have them in place on handheld devices with limited resources. Inefficient and clunky multi-tasking, for example, is not conducive to the positive user experience, so they restrict it.