Summary Apple's World Wide Developer Conference is expected to unveil new versions of Mac OS X and iOS. For WWDC, Apple may preview a version of iOS that runs multiple apps simultaneously, possibly in a split screen. The compelling motivation for this is the impending onslaught of Windows 10 devices. Apple's next custom chip, the A9, will be a key enabler of this new multitasking capability. A little over a year ago, rumors sprang up of a split-screen multitasking feature that was in the works for Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS 8. The feature would allow two apps to run side by side, as Windows 8 does now on tablets. The rumors came to naught, but could this be a part of iOS 9? I believe that forces are converging that make this likely. The Need is Now The rumors kicked off last year in May with a report by Mark Gurman in 9to5mac that iOS 8 would feature split-screen multitasking for iPad. Further fuel was added to the rumor fire when developer Steven Troughton-Smith produced a video claiming to demonstrate "hidden" code in iOS 8 that supported app resizing as a precursor to split-screen multitasking. To this day, iOS 8 doesn't support split-screen multitasking, and users can only experience apps one at a time, except for notifications. In a recent article from May 21, Mark Gurman again repeated his prediction of split-screen multitasking in conjunction with the much rumored 12.9 inch "iPad Pro". Why is split-screen multitasking important? The ability to view and interact with multiple apps simultaneously is something we all take for granted for desktop and laptop devices running Windows or Mac OS X. In Windows 8, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) implemented a tablet analog to multiple open windows through the split screen. Since Windows 8 represented a convergence of tablet and desktop user interfaces, it was natural for Microsoft to offer some form of app multitasking for Windows tablets. As of Microsoft's latest Build developer conference in April, the ability to run multiple simultaneous apps will become even more useful in the soon-to-be-released Windows 10. Through what Microsoft calls Continuum, tablet users will be able to view multiple apps either in split-screen mode or through touch or pen resizable windows. With Microsoft focusing its efforts on Intel processors for all Windows devices, the multi-app experience on Windows 10 Continuum will work very well. Without something equivalent for iOS, Microsoft will have a significant competitive advantage through its multitasking support in Windows 10. Putting Out Fires The lack of split-screen capability in iOS has led many to conclude that iOS is "not a true multitasking operating system". Nothing could be further from the truth. iOS, like Mac OS X is a true multitasking OS based on UNIX. iOS, like its Mac OS big brother, continuously runs multiple tasks, or processes, in the background. These processes can include other apps than the one the user might currently be engaged with. What an app is allowed to do in the background is very limited however. Thus, this article's title refers to the fact that apps are kept on a very tight leash. The limitations that Apple imposes on background operation of apps have mostly to do with hardware: the limited RAM, screen size, processor capability, and battery power of the device. It's not the OS. With the introduction of Apple's iOS devices last fall, those hardware limitations began to be relaxed. iPhone 6 introduced much larger screen sizes. The Apple A8x processor in the iPad Air 2 featured 3 processor cores as well as very enhanced graphics capability. With the A8, Apple would probably have had sufficient processor capability to implement split-screen multitasking, if it hadn't been for Continuity (not to be confused with Microsoft's Continuum). In retrospect, Continuity may have been partly to blame for many of the problems iOS and Mac OS X users encountered since the release of the latest versions of the operating systems last fall. Continuity provides for proximity-based transfer of ongoing tasks such as document editing. Continuity is supposed to allow for seamless transfer of the user's app focus from device to device. Continuity requires that iOS devices be situationally aware to a greater extent than ever before. This usually means monitoring Bluetooth and WiFi for a potential hand off of an application focus from a nearby device. Since the latest release of Mac OS and iOS, numerous users have complained about poor WiFi performance and battery life. Continuity's impact may only have been indirect, but everyone has noticed the problems this year with the latest Apple operating systems. Recently, it was reported that the latest OS X beta contains a reversion of the system to prior code. The OS component that was yanked out of the beta (called discoveryd), appears to have been put in as part of the OS overhaul to support Continuity. With all the fires that Apple has been racing to put out in the current gen operating systems, it's not really surprising that split-screen multi-tasking in iOS fell by the wayside. And given that at least some of the problems have yet to be fully resolved, it's no wonder that many articles on WWDC have asserted that this year's versions of Apple's operating systems would focus on incremental improvements and bug fixes. The conventional wisdom has it that just as Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) IO developer conference focused on bug fixes in the next generation Android, Apple must do the same for iOS. The Sleeping Giant Awakens There are certainly many in the developer community who might wish for Apple to slow down and do what the pundits suggest. That's not likely however. Even as the threat of Android seems to have abated somewhat, a new much more potent threat has emerged in the form of Windows 10. Microsoft's Build developer conference gave every indication that Microsoft is going to get Windows right this time. One of the ways that Microsoft is getting it right is by going to an all Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) architecture approach, something I've long advocated. Often, when I write about Intel, I get accused of being "anti-Intel". I'm not. At this very moment, I'm writing this article on an Intel-based computer. For desktop applications, Intel has no peer, as yet What I have said is that Intel is cost disadvantaged relative to ARM processors of equivalent capability. So, why have I advocated that Microsoft abandon its ARM devices? Because the most important factor for Microsoft's success is retaining its current Windows user base. And that means compatibility with Intel. Microsoft's Windows users will pay the Intel premium to maintain that compatibility. The ongoing decline in iPad sales year over year demonstrates that Windows on Intel tablets is gaining traction. Windows 10 is going to get even more traction. Windows phone has been only treading water since the Nokia acquisition, but Windows 10 on Intel phones will probably start to increase market share for Microsoft. Battle of the Giants I've dwelt at some length on the implications of Windows 10 by way of setting the stage for Apple's response. The threat of Windows 10 is by far the most compelling reason that Apple has to implement some form of app multitasking in iOS 9. If for some inscrutable reason Apple fails to implement app multitasking, it will have to endure even further iPad sales declines. But there are other motivations that make split screen or a similar feature almost inevitable for iOS 9. The most important enabler will be the next generation Apple A9 custom system on chip (SOC). This will be fabricated initially by Samsung (OTC:SSNLF) on its 14 nm process. As such, it will be much more powerful while having longer battery life. If the performance of the A8 was marginal to support split screen, the A9 won't be. In addition to the new processor, there's the advent of the iPad Pro, expected later this year. This is a device supposedly targeting professionals and may even be equipped with a pen. It's hard to imagine this market responding enthusiastically to the iPad Pro with only iOS 8.x to power it. iOS 9, enabled with some form of app multitasking, will be critical for the success of the iPad, and this is probably the reason why we won't see the Pro until the Fall. What to Look for at WWDC In order for developers to modify their apps to support the app multitasking approach that Apple implements, Apple will have to provide that capability in the iOS 9 beta that will be made available at the conference. This will afford developers this necessary time to get ready for the roll out of the new OS and related devices in the Fall. We might also see a sneak preview of the iPad Pro. Once again, this is for the benefit of developers, so that they know what changes to make to support the Pro and iOS 9. Even if the Pro doesn't go on sale right away, Apple would need to provide developers with a Pro simulator, at which point, the cat is out of the bag. Fellow SA contributor Bill Maurer has pointed out that WWDC has historically not been particularly good for Apple's share price. I believe that if Apple unveils app multitasking, and especially if it shows the iPad Pro, this will have a galvanizing effect on the stock. And Apple's stock price may once again approach ... reasonable.