Apple Set To Launch iPhone OS 4.0 In 48 Hours

Apple will offer a sneak peek at its next generation iPhone OS, version 4.0, which will be rolled out ahead of the impending launch of the iPhone 4G (or whatever moniker it carries).

It sent an email to selected members of the press - all of them in the US - inviting them to get a preview at the future of iPhone OS. It is likely that Apple will release a new SDK for the OS, something it has been doing for the past few years.

Engadget is already saying that there will be three distinctive forks, which aim at the iPhone, the iPod Touch and the iPad, with slightly different features and capabilities.

We've heard a number of rumours and speculation about the operating system, ranging from the fact that it will come with full on multi tasking, a feature that would be reluctantly introduced by Apple in order to catch up with the competition.

The iPhone's hardware has always been able to run applications in the background but Apple has deliberately kept this feature out in order to optimise battery life and reduce security risks.

There's also a report that says Apple will adopt the "Exposé" user interface, the same it uses on its desktop computers, for the iPhone.

As for the new iPhone, we are still expecting one to be unveiled towards the end of June at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco.