Last month, rumors were circulating that Apple would be adding split-screen capabilities to the iPad, which would allow users to run two apps at the same time on the same screen. This has been a selling point for Apple's competition and a feature that would be of immediate use in the enterprise. However, as the Worldwide Development Conference came and went last week, there was no talk of this feature.
That doesn't mean it doesn't exist. As we covered last week, once developers get their hands on the source code, they are going to find reference to features that have not yet been disclosed, like scalability for larger iPhones and iPads.
According to an article from Computerworld, there are claims that the code for iOS 8 SpringBoard contains the ability to run two apps side-by-side. SpringBoard is the name of the internal application that manages the iOS home screen and has the task of launching apps and jump starting WindowServer.
"The SpringBoard code indicated two apps could display simultaneously on a screen, with the panes either one-third, one-half or two-thirds of the width of an iPad display when held in landscape mode," the article reads.
As of right now, it is unknown how this will affect developers because it could cause problems, as they may be required to revamp their apps' user interfaces to account for multiple resolutions.
It is almost guaranteed that Apple will announce new hardware in the fall that will include bigger screens. Split screen will be a nice compliment to this and help push an iPad deployment within the enterprise.
