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A joke named "Multitasking" in 4.2.1

donka

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I haven't upgraded yet, waiting to see what the issues might be.

The multitasking convo here has me interested tho, all I want is folders and to be able to listen to Pandora or Tunemark in the background, will it do those things?


For any iPad user, I think 4.2.1 is a must download imho.
 

newfmp3

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what if I'm running a game, I get a MSN message and want to reply to it, I want to pause game, switch over to msn and reply, then return to game

guess I can't do that. It's not multitasking

Each posts has some good points, but it's NOT multitasking. Even my Nokia N800 did multitasking.
 

NumbLock

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what if I'm running a game, I get a MSN message and want to reply to it, I want to pause game, switch over to msn and reply, then return to game.

Actually you can do exactly that. Before I clicked "send" I tried it with two different games.
 

dcamjones

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Why Multi-tasking is so critical

Folks like myself that are looking to implement over 600 ipads in the hands of students next year were really hoping for true multi-tasking. I need it because I need my teachers to be able to manage students iPad usage during class: they need to see screens, push to screens, and even shut down screens. Such management products have been available for quite some time for laptops and desktops.

I currently have one vendor who has an iPad product ready, and who is willing to use my school as a test site, but he can't do a thing until the iPad can truly multi-task: the management system has to be able to run in the background.

One work-around is to code the management system into each App. Because Apps are offered independently, this doesn't seem plausible. We've got over 300 hundred Apps in use right now. I can't imagine trying to negotiate with each App writer individually!

So the advertising strategy that allowed for the term "multi-tasking" was like a great big tease that lead to a great big downer.

Some of the previous posts have me worried, however, in that some people seem to think additional RAM is needed to make true multi-tasking a possibility--that means new hardware, and we've already purchased over 400 units. That scares me!
 

Thphilli

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Heh you have to laugh at some of these comments.

It's a small gadget with a small chip and limited ram but some expectations and demands far out strip it's capabilities.

Enjoy it for what it can do now as it will be superceded next year by something better........but then we'll no doubt moan about it's limitations in turn.
For some the glass is always empty.

Im just asking for it to do what every phone I have had in the last 4 years could do. Since it's a tablet and not a phone, and is more powerful than every phone i have owned except for my current one, I don't think that is too much to ask.
 

donka

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Personally I find the iPad under IOS 4.2.1 does all the multitasking I reasonably require. If you need it to do more - quite simply get another solution.
 

newfmp3

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what if I'm running a game, I get a MSN message and want to reply to it, I want to pause game, switch over to msn and reply, then return to game.

Actually you can do exactly that. Before I clicked "send" I tried it with two different games.

interesting, the games I tried it did not work. When I went back to the game, it just reloaded it and I lost all progress

Program specific I guess.
 

Superbike81

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Folks like myself that are looking to implement over 600 ipads in the hands of students next year were really hoping for true multi-tasking. I need it because I need my teachers to be able to manage students iPad usage during class: they need to see screens, push to screens, and even shut down screens. Such management products have been available for quite some time for laptops and desktops.

I currently have one vendor who has an iPad product ready, and who is willing to use my school as a test site, but he can't do a thing until the iPad can truly multi-task: the management system has to be able to run in the background.

One work-around is to code the management system into each App. Because Apps are offered independently, this doesn't seem plausible. We've got over 300 hundred Apps in use right now. I can't imagine trying to negotiate with each App writer individually!

So the advertising strategy that allowed for the term "multi-tasking" was like a great big tease that lead to a great big downer.

Some of the previous posts have me worried, however, in that some people seem to think additional RAM is needed to make true multi-tasking a possibility--that means new hardware, and we've already purchased over 400 units. That scares me!

You need laptops, not iPads.

You are in the VAST MINORITY when it comes to what you want to do. I'll bet not even 1/1000 iPad users need to do anything like that, so Apple isn't going to design it to do something that only 0.01% of users are going to utilize.

Buy laptops. It's unfortunate that you already bought 400 without really doing research first. A simple Google search of "iPad multitasking" shows articles and forum posts MONTHS old that say the iPad multi-tasking will not work that way at all. It's unfortunate that you wasted $20,000 of your school's money on a product that you didn't properly research. See if you can return them, and chalk this one up to "always research first!"
 
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NumbLock

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[muhl-tee-tas-king, -tah-sking, muhl-tahy-] Show IPA
–noun Computers .
the concurrent or interleaved execution of two or more Jobs by a single CPU.
Multitasking | Define Multitasking at Dictionary.com

Frankly, I'm not sure that definition is valid in battery-sensitive applications.
Or maybe it is time for a different word.

what if I'm running a game, I get a MSN message and want to reply to it, I want to pause game, switch over to msn and reply, then return to game.

Actually you can do exactly that. Before I clicked "send" I tried it with two different games.

interesting, the games I tried it did not work. When I went back to the game, it just reloaded it and I lost all progress

Program specific I guess.

Yes, it does have to be supported by the app - and you have to have enough memory. See my Video FAQ link in my sig and I show an example.
 

Hasty

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@Superbike81 Not certain he wants laptops unless he wants to open a permanent support service.
If people can buggerup a computer by fiddling some are bound too. Look how much computer support we're expected to do with our own families.
 

Superbike81

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Well, since it's for students, the computers can be pretty easily locked down to where they don't have access to anything except what they absolutely need.
 

SouthernAppleGuy

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I am another of the very frustrated iPad owners. You mention return or refund. How can one proceed in that regard? I have had so many issues that I have learned to hate this device. That from a guy using apple products a long time, and loved my iPod touch, but from the day I took it out of the box it has been a challange. I don't believe there is anything wrong with the hardware, but not sure after trying the update. But apple has prided itself on being "plug and play" as it were for us NON geeks. I find myself on forum after forum and google to make it work, now its not willing to even open again to the apps it contains.
If this is bashing, I don't know what else to do when its so difficult to get apple assistance if you don't live near a store.
George in Florida
 

Superbike81

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I live in Japan, am far from a geek (I need help with lots of basic computer stuff) and I have had zero problems getting the iPad to function as advertised and I am nowhere near an Apple store. Not sure what issues exactly you are having, but if you are having so much difficulty with a product as glaringly simple as the iPad, you should contact the customer service phone number to see about returning it.
 
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Superbike81,
There's a reason why you don't see classrooms across America filled with laptops, and it's not just financial. A computer is too much machine for the Middle School, and High School environment. Sure, there are some select cases across the US where computers have been successfully integrated (Cincinnati Day School comes to mind), but for the most part, it's a matter of a few machines at the back of the room. I've seen labs outfitted with lap tops, and that has some success, but what I'm talking about is a 1:1 solution. A few schools were able to go 1:1 with iPod touches, but that was before the iPad came out. The iPad just happens to be the right amount of machine for the High School environment.

Businesses are also starting to realize that the iPad is the right amount of machine for many of their mobile employees--a high school student is very much like a mobile business person: moving from class to class in short blocks of time. In such an environment, the ratio of access to creation that the iPad provides is ideal.

We know that Apple didn't intend for the device to be used in this way, and we know that Apple is wisely trying to stay away from the networking market. However this device fills a need that has not been previously filled by the laptop.

We're already successfully using the iPads in over 20 classrooms, so I don't think your "waste of money" comment applies. I'm just a bit overzealous about words like "multiple-tasking" because my needs are so specific: as you said "1/10000". However, if the visitor traffic on my campus is any indication of the future, not to mention the constant attention from Apple corporate, then you might see the iPad being used in many more classrooms than anyone expected.

Because we're first (or one of very few) that are implementing iPads in the classroom, it's tough trying to get things working the way we want. Nonetheless, we believe the iPad is the way to go for the future, and we think that in the future, tablets like the iPad are going to be the only thing in the hands of students. Regardless, it's a lot of fun trying to do something for the first time!
 

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