Apple Tests Push Notification Service With App Developers

It's finally here and currently being tested by Apple App Store developers, Apple's Push Notification Service. The notifications features will allow application developers for the iPhone to program apps so that they offer updates to the home-screen icons and display status messages and alerts without having the actual application running in the background, which is something Apple has never and implies will never let happen - at least with the current generation of iPhone's.

The test requires iPhone OS 3.0 Beta 5 and will be running over the next week and then the service will be deactivated again. During the trial period, a lot of volume will be sent through the system in order for Apple to monitor and optimize the process. All push notifications must go through Apple's servers and you can imagine how much of a load this could bring to Apple's server and this is why a trial run is required. During the trial run the Associated Press will be sending a high-volume of real news alerts through the system to help Apple test the service even further.

Hopefully the Push Notification test will be one of the last tests ran before the release of the iPhone OS X 3.0 and will put us one step closer to its release and inevitable the release of the third generation iPhone, especially with the Palm Pre hot on its heels.