[adamjernst]

Hardware acceleration is a huge boost, but the main remaining problem with Android is stutter. This is where run loops really help.

As you say, I/O in the main thread and GC are central causes. Both are problems that Apple doesn't have, because of run loops and manual memory management respectively.

Also, the focus on multithreading the heck out of everything is not the way to go. There is real, substantial overhead to having multiple threads. Run loops are such a powerful tool precisely because they let you keep everything on the main thread (avoiding context switch overhead) while giving you an easy way to prioritize UI when needed (event tracking mode).