Some (techy) audiences have been clamouring for the iPad to support multitasking: more than one app running at the same time.

Despite the naysayers, it’s hard to argue with the ability to listen to your favourite internet radio (Pandora) when using iWork, or continuously chatting with your friend (Beejive) whilst web browsing.

Here’s how Apple could implement it.

A ready-made, mostly-permanent ‘dock’ for indicating and accessing background apps is already available: the status bar.

Background apps would need to have:

• Resolution support for less than the whole iPad screen (to visually separate them from the foreground app, as in the mockup below);
• An in-app button with Apple-dictated OS-wide terminology (background / minimize / whatever), to background it.

When the user is in a background-supported app and clicks the in-app button (say ‘minimize’), the app could minimize itself into an icon in the status bar, returning the user to the springboard. The app continues to run, but can be recalled at any point by touching its icon in the status bar or in the springboard.

As in the screenshot below, the focus on the recalled app could be enhanced by dimming the foreground app. Some form of front panel would be ideal.

(Used Beejive as an example app)

I have used red/yellow buttons for closing/re-minimising the app; however this is an OS X Desktop concept, used by me only to show ’something’ is feasible here. iPhone OS-style named buttons could equally be used (with agreed terminology).

So with this approach to background apps:

• A user maintains full control over which apps are backgrounded;
• A user can clearly see at all times which apps are backgrounded, and access them / close them easily if necessary;
• Multiple apps can be supported;
• No dramatically different app/task manager concept is needed.

I don’t think Apple will be doing free-for-all multitasking any time soon. However, it won’t be because it’s hard to implement.