ALMOST CONFIRMED: AppleInsider has reported that "People with a proven track record in predicting Apple's technological advances tell AppleInsider that the Cupertino-based company has developed a 'full-on solution' to multitasking on the iPhone OS."

Apparently, on the next version of the iPhone OS, dubbed iPhone OS 4.0, Apple will unveil some sort of "task manager" to enable multitasking on the iPhone. Multitasking has been probably the number one requested feature on the iPhone since it came out, and it was ranked #1 on Bitts' list of Top 10 Wanted iPhone OS 4.0 Features. This is Apple's last chance to shine, as all its other major smartphone competitors have already implemented mulitasking ability.

With multitasking, the question arises as to how Apple will be able to maintain battery life. Last year at the iPhone OS 3.0 conference, Apple announced push notifications, which was a step toward multitasking, but far from it. The reason they gave for no multitasking is that it would consume (correct me if I'm wrong) 83% of battery life, while push only dropped it 27%.

With those facts, it seems like the only way multitasking would come to be is if it was only available on the next-generation iPhone device, which would hopefully include more battery life to withstand multitasking. Since the big man himself, Steve Jobs, has not yet confirmed iPhone 4.0 to get this coveted feature, we'll have to label this as a rumor for now, but one of the stronger ones recently for sure.