Friday, May 30, 2014

Apple : iOS 8 split screen is apparently coming, but won't be ready for WWDC showcase

Apple : iOS 8 split screen is apparently coming, but won't be ready for WWDC showcase

iOS 8 split screen is apparently coming, but won't be ready for WWDC showcase

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iOS 8 split screen is apparently coming, but won't be ready for WWDC showcase

The rumoured split screen multi-tasking mode for iPad will not be featured during Apple's expected iOS 8 reveal at WWDC, according to a New York Times reporter.

Respected tech journalist Brian X. Chen claims Apple is indeed working on the heavily-requested, Microsoft Surface-aping feature, but it is not quite ready for the bright lights of the annual developers conference.

Chen tweeted: "I've been told that the split-screen feature for iOS 8 isn't ready yet and won't be shown at WWDC. Still a work in progress."

The lack of a side-by-side multi-tasking feature, as populised by Microsoft's Windows 8 'Snap' feature, has been identified by some as a weakness, preventing the iPad becoming a true 'Post PC' device.

Microsoft, certainly, has mocked Apple mercilessly in its advertising materials for failing to offer such a feature.

Rectify

Apple is apparently planning to rectify that with iOS 8 by allowing users to operate two apps at the same time, while the iPad is in landscape mode.

It is thought the feature may make it easier for users to share links and content between two apps, rather than the current awkwardness of having to completely exit one app before entering the other.

Reports have speculated the feature may only be available to iPad Air users at launch, a device which has both the power and screen resolution necessary to handle the task.

Apple's smart home moves may simply extend Made for iPhone program

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Apple's smart home moves may simply extend Made for iPhone program

Apple's foray into the burgeoning smart home device market may be a simple extension of the Made for iPhone program, not the full software platform that was rumored on May 26.

That earlier report said Apple is preparing to unveil a software platform for smart appliances like thermostats and refrigerators that would let those gadgets interact with iOS devices.

That may still be the case, but now Gigaom says Apple's smart home initiative may be little more than a set of standards for those devices that would be integrated with Apple's existing MFi program for game controllers.

The site didn't identify its sources, but said they claimed to have knowledge of and/or involvement with the project.

First air conditioners, then the world

This doesn't mean you won't be able to control your home's temperature and lighting from an iPhone or iPad, but it does seem Apple may not in fact be working on an entire platform for those gadgets.

Apparently the program will focus on creating a Wi-Fi-based ecosystem for connecting smart devices and may include Bluetooth-based voice controls, but "it won't have some sort of software-based automation layer controlled by Apple that supersedes the original apps."

Nevertheless, much like with iOS game controllers, users shopping for smart home gadgets will reportedly be able to look for the MFi label and know their system will be connected and compatible.

In fact, Apple already dropped its MFi stamp on a smart air conditioner from Chinese company Haier during CES 2014, according to CNET. The appliance is easy to connect to iOS devices, and that could be an indication of what's in store for the future of this initiative.

That June 2 WWDC announcement we've been hearing about is likely to include a slew of additional home devices that will be stamped with MFi certification, but we'll have to wait and see to be absolutely sure of that.
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