Sound interesting? You betcha. Developers have been clamoring about what is often referred to as background applications, primarily because the iPhone is prevented from running multiple applications simultaneously. For example, if you are involved in an instant message conversation using AOL’s iPhone app and you receive a call, the IM conversation would shut down for the duration of the call and will not receive any new messages until relaunched.

Apple has encouraged that it has been in the best interest of the user to be free of background applications, as they are often flawed and lead users to believe that they have quit, when they are still running and effectively draining battery life, which as we know, is rather sub-par on the power hungry 3G.

“To solve this problem, Forstall said Apple was developing an alternative to background applications known as a “Push Notification Service” that developers could tap through a series of APIs, or easy to use programming functions, beginning in September. Instead of allowing potentially dozens of third party services to simultaneously access an iPhone directly, the push service would funnel all transmissions from developers’ servers through a central Apple server, which would then relay the data to iPhones through a single persistent and well-managed background connection.” via AI.

Utilizing this technique, developers can push badges to icons, such as the email count on the mail icon, sound notifications, or pop-up text alerts. This system was developed to easily scale to larger applications.

A second beta of the iPhone 2.1 software was released last night to a select few and includes rough implementation of the push services API. “This is the second beta of the iPhone SDK targeting iPhone OS 2.1, including bug fixes to iPhone OS as well as an early implementation of the Apple Push Notification Service API,” Apple said. “This API is not yet integrated with a live push server.”

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Every Apple event has a certain energetic buzz surrounding it. Extra special events have included a revolutionary, world-changing product, concept or business model introduction. The SDK event was truly a landmark occasion in which Apple unveiled the iPhone software roadmap, released the iPhone Software Development Kit, and introduced the iPhone Enterprise Beta Program, not to mention iFund. It was during this event that I realized Scott Forstall would be the perfect successor to Steve Jobs as Apple’s CEO. I mean let’s face it, Steve needs to retire soon, one or two more years and he should deservingly step down.

As nature intended, a successor to Jobs should be introduced sooner rather than later. For one, the stock price will need to re-adjust after major news like this gets announced. Nobody wants to see a frantic sell-off based on rumors about Jobs leaving, and I for one found myself asking today, “Well, what’s is going to be?” Apple isn’t known for being a transparent company, but they’ve gotten better and better at listening to their customers. At this point, we need some information.

Steve Jobs has made his beliefs about mobile computing very clear. It is evident that the iPhone is an inevitable way to stay on top of [what he thinks is] the most important market in the world… The mobile market. At this past Monday’s WWDC, Jobs described Apple’s core-business model as three-pronged: 1) Mac, 2) iPod-iTunes, 3) iPhone.

The iPod and iTunes prong is very well established. Every once in a while we get a brand new iPod model or refresh, and every so often we see iTunes offer to sell/rent us something new. The Mac prong is also very established, product lines are refreshed and updated like clockwork with the occasional overhaul and brand new model. The iPhone and mobile market prong however, is brand spanking new. And to Steve’s credit, the most important, making it the most fragile. Let’s take a look at Scott Forstall’s current title as described on Apple’s website: “Scott Forstall is senior vice president of iPhone Software at Apple. Reporting directly to the CEO, Forstall leads the team responsible for delivering the software at the heart of Apple’s revolutionary iPhone including the user interface, applications, frameworks and the operating system.”

It would make perfect sense to me if Forstall ends up succeeding Jobs as Apple’s CEO. Whoever attempts to fill this “un-fillable” position, will need boat loads of passion, charisma, keen instincts, chootspa, and evangelistic-response tendencies. He must be able to answer extremely technical questions with philosophical rants. He must literally scoff at competition, and believe a person is truly nuts for not using his products. Only time will tell if Scott Forstall is all of these things. Being senior vice president of iPhone Software at Apple Inc., while reporting directly to Steve Jobs puts him in prime position to pick up these essential traits.

Related posts:

1. How Much Longer Will Steve Jobs Be Apple’s CEO?
2. Apple Holding iPhone 3.0 Special Event on March 17
3. Apple Awards Executives $122 Million Worth of Stock Grants