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iOS 8 Likely to Bring Split-Screen Multitasking to the iPad
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Without an external keyboard, this would be a complete nightmare IMO.
Imagine having reading and writing with the equivalent of two iPhone screens and you'll see what I mean.
Well past time they added something this obvious back.
Although I dislike the idea of only 2 apps and only in landscape mode.
In portrait, you could easily watch a video on the top, while checking email/text messages on the bottom. Or a video on top and angry birds on the bottom.
Side by side, it's not going to be as useful IMHO.
And it seems obvious to allow 4 iPhone apps to be on screen at a time as well.
Although I dislike the idea of only 2 apps and only in landscape mode.
In portrait, you could easily watch a video on the top, while checking email/text messages on the bottom. Or a video on top and angry birds on the bottom.
Side by side, it's not going to be as useful IMHO.
And it seems obvious to allow 4 iPhone apps to be on screen at a time as well.
Split screen is a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist IMO.
I use a Galaxy Note 3 as my phone which has split screen multi tasking too and it's never used. It's clumsy and fiddly to use and is a theoretical improvement only. In reality you just use it as you would an iPhone.
Copying text from a PDF to a word document? That can be done right now on an iPad - no need to have split screen to accomplish it.
Unless Apple's implementation is a HUGE improvement over Samsung's, it will be little more than a gimmick for the marketing department to latch on to.
Might prove handy for Skyping and looking at emails or websites simultaneously, but to be honest I'd rather that stay a whole screen process (i.e. I switch to safari to look up some data as I do now and then switch back to Skype), rather than have half the screen for Safari and half for Skype.
The success of the iPad has largely been down to how easy it is to use.
I think multitasking is important, but splitting the screen...well...not really and will probably result in making a nice simple to use device a little confusing to new users.
That said, if anyone is going to implement it properly it'll be Apple - so I suppose we should wait and see.
At the moment though, I'd rather they concentrate on making IOS easier to read.
I use a Galaxy Note 3 as my phone which has split screen multi tasking too and it's never used. It's clumsy and fiddly to use and is a theoretical improvement only. In reality you just use it as you would an iPhone.
Copying text from a PDF to a word document? That can be done right now on an iPad - no need to have split screen to accomplish it.
Unless Apple's implementation is a HUGE improvement over Samsung's, it will be little more than a gimmick for the marketing department to latch on to.
Might prove handy for Skyping and looking at emails or websites simultaneously, but to be honest I'd rather that stay a whole screen process (i.e. I switch to safari to look up some data as I do now and then switch back to Skype), rather than have half the screen for Safari and half for Skype.
The success of the iPad has largely been down to how easy it is to use.
I think multitasking is important, but splitting the screen...well...not really and will probably result in making a nice simple to use device a little confusing to new users.
That said, if anyone is going to implement it properly it'll be Apple - so I suppose we should wait and see.
At the moment though, I'd rather they concentrate on making IOS easier to read.
Let me guess, now multitasking will be a desirable feature, but before Apple had it is was a gimmick and needless feature.
Small tablet=no good, iPad Mini= great!
Large screen phones=too big, phablet, gimmick, etc, large screen iPhone=brilliant!
NFC=dated tech, useless, etc, NFC coming to iPhone= I can't wait!
Pono and HD music= gimmick, 256kbs sounds the same, Apple may sell HD audio content = I can't wait to hear good quality music!
Disclaimer: This is not a trolling post. It is my observations of what I have read here over the past couple of years.
I agree with you to some degree but Apple has "flip flopped" in the past and given the explanation as that they wait until something can be "done right". This may be the case here. They would most likely state that it isn't done well in terms of processing power and battery life by their competitors and because they have 64 bit, they will do it better.
Apple awarded design patent for actual rounded rectangle - Ars Technica
Samsung was right. Apple DID manage to get a design patent on a rounded rectangle. Here it is. (Dashed lines don't count.)
Apple did not try to sue using the more detailed actual iPad design patent. Of course not; no other tablet had a round Home button or the same exact shape. Instead, they tried to use the above rounded rectangle which was not for any particular product.
The good news is that, along with courts all over the world, even the first set of California jurors decided that Samsung's tablets did not infringe it.
It was the 2002 Neonode.
Apple didn't give them any stock; Xerox invested in Apple with the idea of doing collaborative products they could sell in Xerox stores.
According to Xerox's lawsuit, Apple never licensed the GUI from them.
Not even Apple ever made the claim that they had gotten such a license.
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The multi-tasking thing would be great, but the user account feature could be very simply implemented:
You know how you type in a 4-digit passcode now? Depending on which of multiple passcodes you enter, you log in to that account. 1122 could be the password getting you in to user A's account, while 3344 could be the password letting you in to user B's account.
Complex passwords could prompt for different user selection before you are given the option to type a password.
Just my theory, but what kind of UI designer am I?
A bad one, way to compromise the state of someone else's passcode if you pick the same one as them...
Are you seriously asking that question?
Well is a personal computer really personal?
No... Single App only is fine for past, but when people starts do more and more on their iPad, it became more of hassle than convince. How many time you need to jump between apps just to accomplish a small task such as copy and past. I rather want copy one text from one window then switch to other window to past the text. I am much more prefer multiple windows approach.
The only thing preventing split screen is lack of RAM. Not motion Safari reloading problem, background app got killed more aggressively on iOS 7, at least that what I noticed. When Apple choose split screen, they need make sure next generation or iPad include at least 2 or 3GB of RAM. The only thing holding iOS is amounting of RAM. It is not a good experience when you need reload entire videos when you just jump to Safari to check something.
To be honest, even 9.7 feel quite small of split screen. Not 4:3 screen, maybe achievable on 16:10 screen.
I had to be obvious, but when is Apple's ANYTHING not a huge improvement over Samsung's?
If that's true then I am curious to see how they are going to implement it. It is definitely needed and will bring iPad closer to it being a more capable device.
Responses like these underscore the point. Do we want such a litigious landscape where everything from the the broadest concepts to the smallest UI nuances can be locked down and "owned" by one company?
Stepping out from the mobile phones for a moment - do we want a landscape where Pinterest or Flipboard locked down their innovations so they could never be seen elsewhere? Or do we like it when innovators influence the design paradigms of many?
Exactly. Slide to unlock shouldn't belong to anyone. Manipulating an image along a path to unlock shouldn't belong to anyone. Pull-down notification centers shouldn't belong to anyone. Split screen multitasking shouldn't belong to anyone.
Exactly my point, I'm not one. Just throwing the random idea out there.
Way to compromise data? I don't work at Apple, so calm your britches.Obviously, if you have a multi-user iPad, don't you think people would have already settled on separate passwords if they plan to share an iPad?
Derp.
Laughable
So let me get this right...Apple, after BSing people about multi tasking for several years is now finally going to provide a quasi version of it. This is old news as those of us who JB our devices have had this for a long time. Like the swipe up and swipe down task bars before it, the JB enviornment led the way.
So in response to to OMG moment in Macrumors, my response is.....
meme.....
So let me get this right...Apple, after BSing people about multi tasking for several years is now finally going to provide a quasi version of it. This is old news as those of us who JB our devices have had this for a long time. Like the swipe up and swipe down task bars before it, the JB enviornment led the way.
So in response to to OMG moment in Macrumors, my response is.....
meme.....
I didn't know Samsung invented multitasking. I seem to recall it being around long before Android or iOS even existed in beta form.
That's fair enough, but I would like to see someone guilty of this pwn'ed hard by it being illustrated in someone's signature or something