This iPad multitasking concept isn't perfect, but it's way better than what we have now

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iPad Pro multitasking
iPad Pro multitasking (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • iPad multitasking has its problems, not least discoverability.
  • This new concept shows us how it could be done better.
  • It still isn't perfect, but it makes much more sense than what we have today.

Multitasking on an iPad is most certainly possible. It has been for years. And while some people are very much down with all the gestures and multi-finger magic that's needed to get it working, most people don't even know it's a thing. And that's a problem – one that Apple needs to fix. This concept might go some way to doing just that.

Created and shared via Twitter by Tommy Walton, the concept shows an iPad doing iPad things. But with gestures that any iPhone user will automatically feel right at home with.

One major difference between this concept and what we have with iOS 13 is the ability to have one app open with Springboard filling half the screen. It's multitasking with a single app of sorts, and it makes it way easier to launch a second app. You see it, you tap it. No finger gymnastics and no fuss.

Closing an app is as simple as swiping up from the bottom of the screen, even when you're using two apps in split-screen mode.

The video will do a much better job of describing how everything works than my words can, but there are a couple of issues. The first is what swiping from the right side of the screen will mean for Slide Over. This concept has that gesture taking a full-screen app and making it fill half of it instead, so Slide Over would need a re-think. The same goes for the left side of the screen and Apple's "back" gesture.

All of this is something that could be worked out, and this is a great place to start. I'd use it today, issues and all, given the choice!

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.