One of the biggest features that non-Apple tablet sellers have used in their advertisements to stand out is the ability to go split screen. This means having two applications open and running on the screen at the same time. Currently, the iPad can run multiple apps simultaneously, but can only display one at a time.
The latest rumors, however, show that multi-app display may be a part of iOS 8. According to a report from 9to5mac, citing "sources with knowledge of the enhancement in development," this will be unveiled at the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference.
Aside from just being able to run two apps on the screen at the same time, the belief is that it will also be designed to allow better interactivity between them. This could mean the ability to drag content like text, video or images from one app to another. This will not be just between Apple created apps. The company is also said to be developing capabilities which will allow developers to better design their apps to interact with each other.
This is something that iPad users have been waiting for for some time. The belief if that it will only be available for the 9.7-inch iPad display and it is unknown if the iPad mini will also have this ability.
An article from Computerworld talked about the rumor and featured an interview with Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research. She said that this is a move that is as logic as you can get. Not only will this feature benefit regular consumers, but it will elevate the iPad when it comes to the education and enterprise landscapes.
"It's sort of a no-brainer," said Gottheil. "Two apps [on the screen at the same time] do not really complicate the simplicity of the iPad, and people have grown up with the idea of multiple windows. And this is a direction Apple has been going for a while. First they didn't have multi-tasking, then they had a limited form of multi-tasking."
This year's WWDC keynote is scheduled for June 2 and iOS 8 should be a major part of it. Split screen is just another feature rumored to be a part of the operating system which could also include the Healthbook application, improvements to iCloud and public transit routing feature for the Maps app.
With the help of an IT consultant that handles Apple support, any company will be able to successfully adopt iOS 8 when it finally hits the market.
