Just seen this This is a throw-back to the days of Psion handhelds and Palm PDAs - these devices would save the current state of the app and then close it when the user "switched" to something else. This was understandable when memory was small and CPUs were slow (e.g. 64Mb ram and 250mhz CPU). Apple and Microsoft seem to be determined to reverse the progress made other computer companies. Then again these kind of restrictions means that components are cheaper but charge a premium price anyway. A win-win for the company (cheap components and higher profits). A lose-lose for the consumer (less than premium product but charged premium price).