iPhone Push Notification Service Waiting on Mac Snow Leopard Server?
Apple Insider is theorizing that Apple’s long delayed, potentially dead iPhone Push Notification Service (PNS) may simply be waiting on the next release of Apple’s server, OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.
We all know the background already: Apple announced a PNS back at WWCD 2008 as a work around for some forms of multi-tasking. It would send status updates (numbered badges like Email, sound alarms and popups like Calendar) for things like IM and Twitter clients, but still wouldn’t do anything for streaming music apps, for example. Never-the-less, it’s September release window came and went, with the service disappearing from early betas, unseen and unheard from since. (Unless you’re one of those who believes the App Store icon is beta testing PNS already — and not too consistently if so).
Interestingly, Apple Insider goes into RIM’s and Microsoft’s push technology, the former using the carrier channel to push updates with SMS-like technology, the latter using specially formatted push emails to update calendars, tasks, etc. Apple, by contrast, is said to be using standards-based Instant Messenger technology (XMPP).
If Apple needs to make the PNS, you know, work before they release it, and Snow Leopard Server is providing the back-end needed for it to work, then a delay is certainly better than a disastrous release like MobileMe’s. We’ll need to see more, however, before we really know if Snow Leopard Server is really connected and, if so, whether or not we’ll really see PNS released with it, or if PNS is truly dead and Apple is investigating true multitasking for the iPhone.
So, we’re left with the age-old questions: Is Apple still planning on releasing PNS? And are we willing to wait for a rock-solid solution? Or do we just want real multi-tasking now?
February 12th, 2009 at 8:51 am
When is Snow Leopard Server supposed to be launched?
February 12th, 2009 at 8:53 am
Guess is WWDC 2009, usually June – August time frame.
February 12th, 2009 at 8:56 am
It’s pointless on the current hardware. The battery will be dead by lunchtime!
February 12th, 2009 at 9:08 am
I think they will probably release it with OS X 10.6 because apple said they were planning on a release. They might release a bunch of big features all in one event. They just can’t forget about the release. Maybe it might even come in 2.3 iPhone OS. I really hope they do not hold out till the next iPhone because by then the new hardware on the new iPhone should be able to pull of multi-tasking and PNS would be obsolete. Although they might add PNS as a feature — an alternate to multi-tasking to save battery. Who knows. I’m just brainstorming.
February 12th, 2009 at 9:22 am
i have to be honest here folks.
I don’t want to see anymore iPhone updates. I’m done. NO MORE iPHONE UPDATES.
instead i want to see a new iPhone itself.
February 12th, 2009 at 9:39 am
@iPhoneMilk I’m happy when I see iPhone updates. Also, since about 7 months have passed since the AppStore launch, Apple could use the feedback from the developers to improve the platform. Also they could add some more APIs for the webapplications to use.
February 12th, 2009 at 10:50 am
No more updates? There is PLENTY Apple could be doing with the iPhone OS without touching the hardware. Copy/paste. Video. Completing PIM functionality. That’s just the surface.
As for PNS, I’m so done waiting for that. I’ve been using jailbroken apps to fill functionality and usability gaps as much as possible. And recently I added Backgrounder to that list. With it, I background the App Store-based IM application Beejive. Works great. Doesn’t eat my battery, as much fear mongering ad there is on that matter.
Rather than fight the user community on the jailbreak, they should be treating it as a cry for help and doubling their efforts to improve and enhance the OS and apps to give us what we clearly so desperately want that we’re willing to forego OS updates and hck to OS to get. Paying attention Apple? I sure hope so!
February 12th, 2009 at 11:10 am
What about Windows users? How does this effect us? Is Apple just going to abandon >80% of the market out there on this?
February 12th, 2009 at 11:41 am
No, I think whatever Apple uses on their own backend won’t effect Mac or PC users any more than iTunes or MobileMe tech does.
They just need to build out their own system and get it rock solid.
February 12th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Well apple said September right they however didn’t specify a year so for all we know it could be coming this September. But by then I will hopefully be multitasking away on my new palm pre.
February 12th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
I don’t get the linkage here, perhaps someone could explain it to me.
If this speculative linkage were true, (Waiting for Snow Leopard) what does it say about push for apps in general?
To me it says Apple is planning to bring it home, and tie the phone even more tightly to their infrastructure and only offer app-push thru their own data centers.
But Apple does not have enough infrastructure to handle 14 million iphone customers, and sopping up all Snow Leopard production to build them would be silly.
There is no reason why any commodity blade servers could not handle this functionality way cheaper than Apples own gear.
So where does this linkage come in?