Re push, I use an IMAP client called K-9 Mail on Android which has support for IMAP IDLE, which is basically the IMAP version of push. It keeps a constant connection open to my IMAP server and is immediately informed of any new mail. I have not noticed any reduction in battery performance since moving from 15 minute polls. I still get 1.5 to 2 days use out of it (HTC Desire Z).
There's nothing inherently wrong with this on mobile devices. If Apple can't do it for iOS, that is a flaw in their design, or their thinking.
> I have not noticed any reduction in battery performance since moving from 15 minute polls.
Push should be less taxing on the battery, since you only really need to fire up the radio when new data is coming your way, save any overhead of ensuring the connection is still alive. Apple does the same for their notifications (and ActiveSync) for the same reasons.
> If Apple can't do it for iOS, that is a flaw in their design, or their thinking.
It's not really a flaw, just a different methodology that is reasonable given the design goals. If you want iOS to be like Android, why not just use Android? That's the beauty of competition – you are free to choose the best.
sure, K-9 Mail works fine and implements everything correctly. But what happens when you have 4 or 5 apps that start polling constantly for updates because they don't want to deal with push notifications? I think Apple opening up this functionality would be a mistake that's open for abuse by other developers.
There's nothing inherently wrong with this on mobile devices. If Apple can't do it for iOS, that is a flaw in their design, or their thinking.