The future of multitasking on iPad?

[ZZ Bottom]

With both Android and Windows 8 RT soon to offer a truer form of multitasking, when do you all think we are likely to see the next step in iOS? I am of course referring to the ability to view more than one open app at a time. Android has Cornerstone, which allows a tablet to view 3 active apps at once, and Windows 8 RT will have ability to view two apps at once giving one about 75% of screen and 25% to the other.

As always, I'm sure when Apple finally does it, they'll do it well. However I find myself frustrated with the limitations of full screen only app views.

Furthermore, not having developer experience I am curious how they could implement multiple apps open. My assumption is that an app would have to support it, since apps are designed for specific resolutions/aspect ratios. One can see how Android and all of its fragmentation would invariably force app developers to make more flexible apps, making it easier to dynamically change app window sizes.

Anyone who's given some serious technical thoughts on this, I'd love to hear your ideas.

 

[Roy G Biv]

Yo, yo

I think this would be a great way to move IOS forward with one major stroke. Simply having two apps side-by-side or even apps like safari with two pages would be better than ever with Retina. With the 4x3 apect ratio, you could split it to have two 2x3 windows, which is the same as the iphone. It would be like having two adjacent 4.85 inch iPhone screens. You could be writing your term paper and be playing GTA3 simultaneously.

 

[chleuasme]

It would be like having two adjacent 4.85 inch iPhone screens.

nope, on the 9.7" iPad, it would be divided in two 3:2 screens of 7" (and on a 7.85", two 5.66")


And even if it maybe could look acceptable on a retina iPad (1.6x actual resolution), it probably would not really be usable though.

 

[chleuasme]

I am curious how they could implement multiple apps open. My assumption is that an app would have to support it, since apps are designed for specific resolutions/aspect ratios.

With the assumption that apps with Auto Layout could support different resolution (relatively close to the full size),

It becomes easy to imagine some kind of Exposé mode allowing to temporary display a condensed (and not miniaturized) opened app from the app switcher on top of the current app opened, interact with its content, then slide it back to the app switcher to go back to the original fullscreen app - or - switch to the condensed app going fullscreen.

 

[xraytech]

According to the iOS Hacks boards, the furture is now. Take a look at Quasar...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1364605/

Of course with some draw backs. As the OP stated in his original posts, some Apps will not run simply because of resolution limitations. Games almost always never work with Quasar.

Personally, I don't need real multitasking on the iPad. The Switcher works just fine for me.

 

[nuckinfutz]

I don't need better multitasking but rather a better way of moving content from one app to another.

If this "issue" can be "cracked" where it's powerful and simple it may just obviate the need for multiple app windows.

 

[ActionableMango]

The HP Touchpad may have been a complete failure, but it handled multitasking, task switching, and app closure far better than iOS does. It is the #1 thing I'd like to see changed in iOS.

 

[MacMane]

There is no reason Apple has not implemented Quasar-like Features in iOS.

 

[ManicMarc]

If anyone has seen Mac OS X recently they would probably agree that Apple is moving towards a single-task based interface, with full screen applications. This must be based on research, and I can quite believe that most users only ever do one thing at a time. It's only us developers/techies that like to have lots on the go at once and we're the minority.
Based on that I think it's very unlikely Apple will try and out-do Android/Windows 8 by introducing side-by-side apps.

Where iOS might get improvements is on task switching and access to frequently used apps.

 

[ZZ Bottom]

It's funny that someone revived my post. It just so happens that I bought Samsung Note 10.1 tablet on thursday. I purchased it because I am a digital artist and no capacitive stylus offered a worthy substitute for my illustrative style. HOWEVER, as some of you may know Samsung added the ability to multitask apps side:

Demo of Samsung Multitasking

Samsung's method of multitasking is quite elegant. It is limited to certain apps, but it is a step in the right direction for tablets. I much prefer iOS, but I'm a tech enthusiast so I have no problem owning an Android tablet and iOS phone. Not to mention they also have several utility apps that can be opened in floating windows like what you see in quasar.

By the way, the Note 10.1 is pretty darn good. Im loving the digitizer+stylus. Although the dpi is similar to the ipad 2, it does appear sharper, as the type of panel that samsung opted for seems to be of very good quality.

For the record, I currently have a Macbook Pro 13, two desktops running Win7 and Win8, an Asus netbook with Ubuntu, an iPhone 4, and now an Android tablet i assure you that Im not biased.

 

[ManicMarc]

Samsung's method of multitasking is quite elegant.

It looks like a cool geek-feature to me. I mean the guy started by boasting about the task manager I haven't used Andoird on a tablet since the days of the Xoom 1, but seeing that with its clock in the bottom right and home button n the bottom left, it did make me think "wow, this looks like more like Windows than Windows does these days" !

Also made me think, why are the iOS music player controls not in the Notification area like the weather widget? Seems a better place to put them, rather then hidden to the left of the 'recently used apps' list.

 

[Abazigal]

It's funny that someone revived my post. It just so happens that I bought Samsung Note 10.1 tablet on thursday. I purchased it because I am a digital artist and no capacitive stylus offered a worthy substitute for my illustrative style. HOWEVER, as some of you may know Samsung added the ability to multitask apps side:

Demo of Samsung Multitasking

Samsung's method of multitasking is quite elegant. It is limited to certain apps, but it is a step in the right direction for tablets. I much prefer iOS, but I'm a tech enthusiast so I have no problem owning an Android tablet and iOS phone. Not to mention they also have several utility apps that can be opened in floating windows like what you see in quasar.

By the way, the Note 10.1 is pretty darn good. Im loving the digitizer+stylus. Although the dpi is similar to the ipad 2, it does appear sharper, as the type of panel that samsung opted for seems to be of very good quality.

For the record, I currently have a Macbook Pro 13, two desktops running Win7 and Win8, an Asus netbook with Ubuntu, an iPhone 4, and now an Android tablet i assure you that Im not biased.

And according to one of the comments, it apparently sucks bad too.

 

[Piggie]

I'd suggest Apple will need to come up to speed and upgrade the format of the iPad screen, to, lets say 16:10 before more than 1 app on screen becomes practical.

Like they are doing on the iPhone, and perhaps the Touch also.

In survey after survey, even on these forums in the past, the vast majority reported they use their iPad in landscape mode, as they view TV's and Computer monitors.

I know there are a few people who say they almost always use portrait, but it's been shown these are in the minority of users.