Multitasking on Mobile Devices is Overrated

Last night I saw a commercial for the iPhone that showed the user on his phone call while launching the maps application. I believe that this ad is a direct response to competitor devices that call the iPhone out for not supporting multitasking.

In truth, I was not entirely surprised by this new iPhone ad simply because a (perceived) lack of multi-tasking is a major sticking point from iPhone competitors and some customers. The new Droid phone boasts that you can “switch between up to 6 apps at once”. So, I think this is a case of marketing perception that Apple is attempting to fix in their new ads. The iPhone CAN multi-task, with the restriction that only the pre-loaded Apple-approved applications can do this. That's fine with me, and here's why.

Number 1: Stability
There are a multitude of reasons why Apple maintains almost universal control over both the hardware and software they put out. One of the most compelling is that they can better control the quality of the user experience, and fewer permutations of hardware and software make for more stable systems. This is as true for the iPhone as it is for any Mac desktop. Fewer crashes and better security are highly desirable attributes and Apple gets this right better than any competitor.

Number 2: Practicality
With few exceptions (most notably IM messengers) none of my apps require constant state. Whether it's maps, camera, stock quotes, sports scores, a game, etc. each of these can be suspended and re-activated with almost no loss to my experience. Running apps in the background is a drain on system resources anyway, so why would I want to slow my phone down for almost no gain?

This is coupled with a cell phone's innate limitation - the form factor. The minute screen size and awkward controls make navigation (even with a touch screen) somewhat cumbersome. By comparison, a desktop has cavernous space to show multiple windows and my all-time favorite keyboard command is alt-tab to switch between windows.

Would I trade multi-tasking for lower system stability and an overall reduced system speed? Not likely. I think Apple gets it right, and they know that.