BANGALORE: Apple’s iOS 8 is all set to advance the functionality of the iPad by adding a new split-screen multitasking feature to the tablet, reports 9to5Mac. As per the sources, the new option would allow iPad users to utilize two apps simultaneously on a single screen in landscape mode, a function frequently publicized by Microsoft as an advantage over the iPad.

The feature is designed with the 9.7-inch iPad display, and it is still not clear whether iPad mini will even offer support for the feature as the apps will be in landscape mode, the source revealed. Apple is also allegedly working on the tools that would facilitate easier interaction between apps, allowing users to drag content such as text or images from one app to another. It is also working on a way to let ongoing apps interact with each other directly while it is still functioning.

This company is not the first to introduce such functionality to tablets; Microsoft's Surface tablets already allow users to "snap" multiple apps onto the screen for simultaneous use.

In addition to all the aforementioned features, iOS 8 is likely to develop a lot of improvements including the possible introduction of a Healthbook app that would work with fitness and medical devices, and added features like transit directions to Maps.