This is something that I think we still need to see. The Push notification service is a good solution for apps that aren't accessing the environment around. But apps such as a tracker for following your position really do need to be on all the time, as do internet radio apps.
The main marketing thrust of the Pre is surely going to be around the multi-tasking. We all know by now, by experience or education that background apps drain the battery in no time at all, but this won't be mentioned in press blurb. If Apple want to close that angle of attack, allowing a limited form of BackApps would seem necessary.
When I first considered the problem, the solution that formulated in my head, was that apps should be written as 2 parts; the main app and a background app process that could be called on a regular interval say 5 seconds. The background process app could be restricted to no UI and a very limited API to throttle how much cpu and power it used. BackApps could be terminated if they took more than n seconds to return control.
The idea that certain locations in the dock or springboard would be for BackApps since a neat one. Trying to juggle apps with WinMobile task manager was always a nightmare on my TyTnII and they really ate the battery.
Perhaps they should make it that apps in the dock can be backgrounded, and that to cancel the process you simply slide your finger as if to pull the app off the dock, to terminate any bg processes.
Whatever their solution I do hope that some form of BG app even in a very limited form is on the cards, it would transform the device and apps.
