Today Apple unveiled plans for the biggest iPhone software update since iPhone 3.0. The OS lots of new features for iPhone and iPod touch owners to enjoy. And for developers, and a new software development kit (SDK). It will ship this summer for iPhone and iPod touch.
Particularly exciting is the new enterprise features, which are summarised below.
- Users will be able to set up multiple Exchange ActiveSync accounts including Exchange 2010 mailboxes. With the new unified inbox feature, you’ll be able to see messages from all of your email accounts displayed in a single inbox, or you can quickly switch between inboxes to see messages from any single account. If you receive an attachment that you want to save or edit, you will be able to open attachments with compatible apps from the App Store.
- Perhaps the most exciting thing for me is the expansion of the VPN support. To be able to connect to my home server with a choice of more VPN solutions is one of the most anticipated new features for me.
- SSL VPN support in iPhone OS 4 gives your users another way to securely access enterprise resources. These new protocols can even be leveraged to connect seamlessly to a corporate network via VPN on Demand. Forthcoming apps from Juniper and Cisco will support SSL VPN on iPhone.
- iPhone OS 4 will work with iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS this summer, and with iPad in the fall. Not all features are compatible with all devices. Most disappointingly multitasking is available only with iPhone 3GS and I think
- Multitasking will allow tasks to be performed in the background while preserving performance and battery life. So you’ll be able to make a Voice over IP call while checking email
Hopefully I will get to test the BETA OS 4.0 in the near future and will post some screenshots and reviews right here.
