Windows Phone 7 Won't Support Multitasking

Microsoft please stick to developing regular Operating Systems - this is just ridiculous

Microsoft won't initially support multitasking.

But it is very likely to change at WP7 launch due to Apple's iPhone 4.0 OS supporting multitasking.

Yep, still glad i went with the android device

Looks like good news for Android I guess. I'm shocked they won't include this.

I can already hear the Appleboys changing their ammo from "multi-tasking isn't needed!" to "M$ FAILs they don't even have the super amazing multi-tasking that Steve Jobs invented in 2010!" for when the iPhone gets it.

Just sell the phone without an OS and let the owner decide what to run. By the way what is the start up time of Windows Phone 7? I am just asking because I had the misfortune to own one of the original Windows Phones a Samsung c500 and it took ages to boot up.

Whether or not this sucks depends on how Microsoft implements their version of fake multitasking. From what I have heard, it sounds like when you switch from an application, that app's current state will be saved into memory and re-loaded next time you start it up. Basically, every time you leave an app, it pauses. Supposedly the App can still receive notifications using the Push Notification API service. So if this is implemented really well, it could actually be better than multitasking. Consider your playing a game and you get a call, it would be nice if when you leave the game its essentially paused and does not use up any energy while you are on your phone call or checking your email or whatever. But yeah, on the other hand I can see a lot of scenarios where you would want the application to be able to keep running in the background.

I'm very dissapointed at the mobile win 7. I have an lg incite wich is windows mobile 6.1, and my only complaint is slow hardware and no multitouch, other than that I love it. I'm disapointed with the new windows. I understand they are trying to copy apple because it's so succesfull, but there is a big following of full fledged operating systems.

sorry, but you make no sense at all. What does 6.1 have to do with 7?

WTF, not the great Microbloat who is convicted monopolist and makes it's OS's with the help of the FEDS to ensure their built in back doors work properly and stay secret through encryption.

@dreamphantom_1977

Why is it that when a new product comes out, someone has to be "copying" apple? So would you appreciate it if only apple came out with new designs and new products, and everyone else just stay back? Opinions like yours makes no sense to me. This interface is actually better than apple's interface in my opinion!!

Eat this, Apple haters

This interface looks great for insomniacs, no more sleepless nights, just stare at this monochromatic 80's style interface for a few seconds and a good nights sleep is guaranteed.

Gotta love all the hate us iPhone people got over no multitasking, and how MS's is echoing the same reasons why we said the iPhone doesn't have it. Sure, thumb me down, doesn't change the facts, nor wipe the grin off of my face

Whats with all the negativity? Who needs to multi-task on a phone??
If it has a substantially negative effect on battery wouldn't it be better not to have true multi-tasking? The OS looks great as far as I can tell, looks alot like the zune hd one, which is great. Finally not just an unoriginal iphone copy. Anyway, the multi-taskingless I-phone has done pretty well this far...

Lol MS fanboys braze for impact So much trash talk about how iPhone does not have multitasking and now MS just slapped them in the face with a wet and dirty towel.
Now let hear all the justifications of how actually multi processing is bad for the battery life, something that Apple said a year ago. Ironic...

I would like to know what of Apples iPhone are they copying. There is nothing about the look and feel of the UI that is remotely as bad as the iPhone.

epic fail for microsoft

Its called choice. People like to be able to choose to do something and realize just how bad the battery drain is on the phone.

If you read, you'll notice that almost no one is saying that. I'm an MS Fanboy in some regard and I think it's stupid. I also think Apple is stupid.




I use Skype, MSN, Opera (w/multi tabs), PuTTY, phone calls, texts and sometimes video calling, every day without fail on a _Nokia_ device. Such devices are well known for their **** battery life. I still manage to get from A->B in my life without charging once in the day (but must do every single night. I usually have at least two of those apps running. I consider my mobile phone my laptop-replacement device now. Unless I'm developing programs, my phone does my laptops entire work, anywhere.

If I didn't have multitasking I'd not have a phone. It's simply just a brick to me if it can't multitask.

Your opinion is foolish and damaging to the needs of those who you disagree with. Very selfish indeed. I for one would have checked out Microsoft branded phones if they had multitasking.

Anyway, back to my lovely Symbian device.

Its a phone. what do you need multitasking for? the screen is too small to get any REAL multitasking done. do you need to text and talk at the same time while driving?

How bout that the iPhone is a closed software and hardware platform? Windows 7 mobile can go on any phone that the devs design. That means you get choice. Unlike with the iPhone where you are stuck with one phone, no ring tones oh and Apple deciding what content can be sold in the store.

Remember, they don't allow indecent apps unless its from a really large company that can line Apples pockets.....




People have this notion that what Apple did with the iPhone is original and everyone is copying them when in reality, the iPhone just copied a lot of other phone makers out there.

Even if WM7 doesn't have multitasking, if its a good phone OS and stups up the WM game it will compete against the iPhone.

so since it's not initially it's totally ok ??? if an apple fanboy said what you just said, we'd have so many thumbs down so quick, but since the MS boys are so biased you've managed to get some thumbs up - good work

That's because Microsoft said that they are implementing this feature, but it probably won't make the launch date as they are working on making other features like XBOX games compatibility work better. Apple tells people NOBODY NEEDS MULTITASKING from the get-go and sat on it, and now look at what they're doing. The difference is honesty. Not saying Microsoft is an honest company, it's just they are far more honest than Apple. Apple's products are all scams in my book. Why are people paying more money for inferior products? God, I love that Apple marketing team.

I've had WinMo for the longest time. And now to think about it, the only apps I really do run in the background are battery monitor stuff. If I'll have excellent battery life, it'll defeat the purpose of running such apps in the first place. I got no problem with that.

“We do not allow third-party applications running on the phone to execute in the background."

Key word is third-party. Does that mean we can still run MS apps simultaneously? Hope so. Nevertheless, I'm still excited about the new platform.

Multi-tasking on your phone absolutely destroys battery life. Microsoft is making the much smarter decision at the moment. There are certainly some applications that I would to see be allowed to run in the background (Pandora) but overall battery tech is not ready for a phone to be doing so many things at once. I'd much rather have my phone last all day long than half a day multi-tasking with it.

Sorry, it's still a phone. I can live with doing one thing at a time. Even on my iPhone I still don't really care about multi-tasking. The screen is so small. It's not in my top three of things I wish the iPhone did.

I'm not sure I understand fully but here is my understanding:

iphone: If you have an app running and you start another app, the first one terminates. iphone apps have to be written so that sudden termination doesn't lose data, etc.

Windows Mobile 6.1: (I have this on my current phone, I also have several old PocketPC's that use previous versions of this OS.) My understanding of the WM OS is that when you launch a new app, the old app stays in memory it just isn't running anymore, and if you switch back to it then it is still there and picks back up where it left off. Does anybody know if this is true?

I don't know very many reasons why you would need true multitasking, i.e. the background tasks remain running, but if they would stay in memory ready to resume where you left off that might be good enough.

It drains on the battery, so you make it an OPTION for the user. OPTIONS give you the best sales, no argument there.

Why don't they offer a option to turn multitasking on or off, so people can choose when to save battery life or not. Give us the choice, don't decide for us.

no multitasking? no copy-paste?

What next, no SMS?

lack of multitasking is more annoying than poor battery life.

allow multitasking and just put a warning that multitasking may reduce battery life.

also multitasking depends on the app thats running, some apps just sit in the background and pretty much just use memory.

the main problem with mobile devices is if you try to run too many apps, an important app may end up crashing due to lack of memory.

this can happen on the android os, iphone os , and windows mobile

there 2 ways to fix this though. Most of these devices have a very limited amount of RAM but worst, they also do not have virtual memory, so theres no using the internal nv memory as virtual memory, or using a sd card for virtual memory (in which background apps can be pushed to when a active app needs more memory)

if they could remake the PS to allow for virtual memory, it will fix the crashing problem

solution 2 which probably apple is planning, limit the OS to like 2 or 3 apps to run at the same time.

Your understanding is completely wrong. A processes are running even they are in background. For example, you could let CorePlayer playing MP3 at the background and run iGo8 (GPS) in the foreground. That's why it may feel sluggish sometime if too many processes running together.

Some people may not need multitasking for a phone. But many more users need it for many other reasons (e.g. GPS + MP3). I would not consider WP if multi-tasking is not supported.

p.s. WM does support virtual memory.