According to 9to5Mac, the forthcoming iOS 8 could bring limited multi-tasking to the iPad by allowing two applications to run side by side. This would mirror the popular feature of the Microsoft Surface which allows users to “snap” an additional application to the main screen. The lack of multitasking has always been one of the biggest bugbears with Apple’s mobile OS.
The first iPhone didn’t even allow cut-and-paste or copy and it now seems incredible that we had to wait a year for such a basic feature. Multi-tasking, however basic, would make iPads much more viable for serious work. It will be particularly useful to have one window open for reference while working in another. At the moment it is necessary to exit one app, switch to another and try to remember stuff before switching back. Perhaps, by the end of this year, we will be looking back on the bad old days of single-tasking.