Apple is bumping up the iPad's potential not just for leisure, but for productivity as well with several new viewing modes included in the release of iOS 9 later this year. This was revealed by Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president for software engineering at the keynote address opening Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco June 9.
The new iOS 9 viewing modes allow iPads to support multitasking, perhaps signaling the company's intention for the iPad to be a work machine as well as a lifestyle one. The first of these features unveiled at the presentation is an viewing mode called Slide Over. This feature allows the user to open a second app without having to switch from the one currently being used. Swipe in from the side of the screen allows the user to send a tweet, take down a note, or check for facts quickly on the Web.
The iPad's Picture-In-Picture viewing mode is similar to that found on modern TVs; that is, a small floating frame sitting at the corner of the iPad's display overlaid on to another app. PiP is accessed by pressing the Home button while using FaceTime or the native video player app baked into iOS 9. It is still unclear, however, if the app will work with a third-party video player such as YouTube.
Finally, the iPad will have a split-screen viewing mode called Split View, dividing the screen between two concurrently running apps. Users can choose to divide the screen into half for each app, or into a 70-30 split of their choosing. Both apps are active and fully usable at the same time, and content can be shared seamlessly between them.
Although all of the new multitasking features will be integrated into iOS 9 and will be available on launch, not all iPad models will support them. The SlideOver and Picture-in-Picture functions will be available on the iPad Air and up, and the iPad Mini 2 and up, while Split-View is only for iPad Air 2.
Some analysts believe that the advent of multitasking for iPads offer a clue as to where the company plans to take their product. Computer World reports that Carolina Milanesi, chief of research and head of U.S. business for Kantar WorldPanel Comtech noted that "Sometimes Apple gives us signs of where they're going next." She goes on to conclude that "The split screen hints at a larger iPad."
Technology Business Research's Ezra Gottheil agrees with Milanesi. "They're enhancing the capabilities of the iPad as a business tool, but [Split View and Slide Over] will work better on a[n] even larger screen."
Join the Conversation