Steve Jobs Unveils New Enterprise Features at Apple iPhone 4.0 Event

by PJ Connolly

Members of the press and other invited guests milled around the outside of Building 4 on the Apple campus in Cupertino, Calif., as registration began for this morning’s announcement.

Guests waited for the clock to strike 10, as Apple’s presenters made their final preparations.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs paced the stage as he rattled off the latest figures for iPhone and iPad adoption.

Jobs demonstrated the multitasking features of the upcoming iPhone OS 4.0.

Scott Forstall, Apple’s senior VP for iPhone software, spoke on the advantages and challenges of introducing multitasking features to the iPhone.

Forstall pointed to Skype as an example of an application that was a headache to use on a singletasking device.

Skype Product Manager David Ponsford demonstrated the advantages of being able to use the company’s software on a multitasking device.

Forstall discussed the numerous advantages gained by enabling application multitasking in the iPhone OS.

The new version of iPhone OS will allow users to group applications easily and logically in folders, enabling the screen to display over 2,000 apps, compared with the current limit of 180.

Jobs spoke on the opportunities presented by the forthcoming iAd service for developers and, for that matter, the entire advertising industry.

An example of an iAd; this ad for Nike products expands into a portal to the company’s online presence.

Jobs demonstrated accessing an iAd, the company’s forthcoming advertising service for iPhone OS devices.

Jobs, flanked by Forstall and Senior Vice President for Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller (left), led a question-and-answer session for the media following the presentation.