Systems and methods of pre-launching applications in a computer system, said applications being likely to be activated by a user from a terminated and/or suspended process state, are disclosed. The pre-launching of an application may be based on the assessed probability of the application being activated—as well as the level of availability of system resources to affect such pre-launching. Applications may be pre-launched based on these and other conditions/considerations, designed to improve the user's experience of a quick launch of applications in the background. Several prediction models are presented to provide a good estimate of the likelihood of an application being activated by a user. Such prediction models may comprise an adaptive predictor (based on past application usage situations) and/or a switch rate predictor (based on historic data of an application being switched and, possibly, having a decay rate applied to such switch rate measure).