According to an Apple patent application, the company is considering adding an “At a Glance” screen to the iPhone. Apple is working on ways to add notification data, such as missed calls or recent e-mails to an iPhone’s display just after it is unlocked. That way, you wouldn’t have to unlock the screen, pull up the home page, and see who sent you a text message.
The iPhone currently shows you that kind of information such as a recent text or missed call on the display while the iPhone is locked, but you have to unlock the screen, bring up the home page, and then open that particular application in order to retrieve the text message or listen to the voicemail.
Under the new system, you could slide the bar to unlock the iPhone but keep the notification screen front and center, allowing you to pick the notification that demands the most attention right away with a direct link to the application.