It seems 2015 will be the year when everyone acknowledges that the split-screen multitasking feature made popular on mobile devices by Samsung is a great idea. Android M has been found to be hiding code for a multi window feature, and Apple has announced that it will be bringing Multi Window-like multitasking functionality to iOS 9, which will debut on iDevices later this year.
Split-screen multitasking isn't a feature exclusive to Samsung devices – Microsoft's Surface tablets also have similar functionality, but Samsung has always been a step ahead of others. Its Galaxy tablets now support multitasking with up to four apps on the screen at a given time, and many of its phones support Multi Window, with the Galaxy Note II having introduced it back in 2012. For iOS users, the multitasking feature isn't coming to any device but the iPad Air 2, meaning they will have to upgrade to said tablet or future iterations to be able to enjoy the benefits.
Apple has never shied away from taking elements from the competition and incorporating them into its mobile operating system (iOS 9 will also bring a feature that allows users to open apps in a pop-up window, similar to Samsung's software.) It will no doubt try to tell people that its newest not-so-new feature will work better than anything that has been offered by the competition, but the company will not be able to hide one thing for much longer – here in 2015 and beyond, Apple needs to be inspired by others as much as others have been inspired by it, and that it is no longer the leader it has always portrayed itself to be.
We should point out that none of us here at SamMobile think this is a bad idea – useful and intuitive software features need to be present on every mobile platform, and it doesn't matter who does it first or who copies from whom. As long as these hardware and software companies can keep in mind that the solution isn't to go to court to stop the other in its tracks; rather, their end goal should be to offer a better experience to the end-user, even if getting there means ripping off on a lot of ideas from the competition.
