What to expect:
'iOS 8' rumors

• Likely announced at WWDC
• Expected fall 2014 launch
• Focus on health for iPhone
• Splitscreen apps for iPad
• Shazam integration with Siri

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The new feature is said to be in the works for "iOS 8," Apple's anticipated next major release of its mobile platform, according to 9to5Mac. The feature has reportedly been designed with Apple's full-size 9.7-inch iPad models in mind, including the iPad Air, but said it's "unclear" whether multi-application support will be available on the 7.9-inch iPad mini.

Details on how such a feature might work remain unknown, though it was said that users might be able to more easily drag text, video or images from one application to another.

In the early days of iOS, multitasking support was limited to basic background functions for Apple-built applications. True multitasking support didn't arrive until iOS 4, then known as iPhone OS 4.0, which allowed developers to run specific processes in the background.

But to date, iOS has only been capable of showing one application at a time, leaving the iPad as essentially a "unitasking" device for viewing content.

Rumor: Apple to bring split-screen multitasking to iPad with iOS 8