The iPad mini 4, which could possibly make its first official public appearance in September, is now believed to harbor support for split view, a useful multitasking feature that allows two apps to share the screen side by side.
Citing a tip from iOS developer Hamza Sood, 9to5Mac reports that it has spotted a resource file in OS X El Capitan beta's Safari browser that indicates support for split-screen view, showing two unspecified apps sharing an iPad's screen 50-50.
Moreover, there is a developer tool in El Capitan called responsive design mode that lets developers try out various layouts in Safari 9. This tool also allows developers to test split view on an iPad mini 3, but because of the limitations in the A7 chip that powers the tablet, split-screen is not officially supported in the current-generation iPad mini.
However, with the recently unearthed resource file, the testing tool and the fact that split view is fully supported in the upcoming iOS 9. It is believed that the next iPad mini, the iPad mini 4 will finally include full support for this multitasking feature, one that has been available in many Android tablets for quite some time now.
Apple promises to make multitasking easier on the iOS 9. Aside from split view, the next version of Apple's mobile OS will also include Slide Over, which lets open a second app from a menu that opens from the side of the screen and slide over one-third of the current open app. The other feature is Picture over Picture, which allows users to watch videos or make FaceTime calls and minimize the video screen so they can do other things on their iPad.
Both Slide Over and Picture over Picture are available on the iPad mini 3, iPad mini 2, iPad Air 2 and iPad Air, but split view is only available in the iPad Air 2 because of its more advanced internals.
Given that split view requires more power than what is available on the older iPad models, it only makes sense to expect that Apple could make a huge jump in its iPad mini line by giving the iPad mini 4 an A8X chip, or even possibly, an A9 chip, the same that powers the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. It is also likely that the iPad mini 4 will get a bump in RAM to 2 GB, similar to the iPad Air 2, after years of limiting its devices to 1 GB RAM.
The iPad mini 4 could be unveiled by Apple at a scheduled media event on Sept. 9, along with a new pair of Force Touch-enabled iPhones and, possibly, as 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
Photo: Maurizio Pesce | Flickr
