“Apple announced iOS 9 yesterday at WWDC, and the developer preview (beta version) also became available to anyone with an Apple Developer account,” Jim Lynch writes for CIO. “So I snagged a copy of the iOS 9 developer preview and installed it on my iPad Air 2 to check out some of the new features.”
“I’ll share my thoughts in more detail below, but my initial reaction to iOS 9 on the iPad Air 2 can be summed up with one word: Wow!” Lynch writes. “Yes, I have to admit that I’m very impressed with iOS 9 so far, and I’m quite shocked that a developer preview of iOS 9 is running so well on my iPad Air 2.”
“For a first beta, it seems far more stable than you’d expect, and the performance is quite good,” Lynch writes. “I can’t really convey how intuitive and easy it is to open another app while already using one. The way that Apple has set this up feels like the way that it should be done. You’ll notice this immediately when using Slide Over or Split View, they both work exactly as they should. Before actually using iOS 9, I was somewhat skeptical about how well these new features would work in a practical, day to day way. But Apple has done both features very well, and I think they are going to make a lot of people happy with Split View and Slide Over.”
Tons more, including many screenshots, in the full article – highly recommended – here.
MacDailyNews Take: We have a feeling that a lot of people are going to be using their iPads more and their Macs less. The move from trucks to cars is about to accelerate.
What Apps are currently compatible with Split view and Slide Over?
Only Apple’s built in apps, you have to build in compatibility.
But for the exact list its:
Mail
Calendar
Clock
Contacts
FaceTime
Find Friends
Find iPhone
Game Center
iBooks
iCloud Drive (can now be enabled as an app)
Maps
Messages
Notes
Photos
Podcasts
Reminders
Safari
Tips
Videos
Not good enough! As a historian, writer and researcher I need Pages.
You really think Pages won’t be compatible?
It’ll be ready on day one. Apple gets priority in the app approval process 🙂
The locked in side by side is nice, but what I think is even more useful is the second way this can be used. It also has the ability to swipe in a small panel of supported apps which disappears when you press back into your active app. This is useful for replying to a text quickly without stoping what you’re doing.
Was also facetiming someone last night while I had split screen open, so had three things going at once because the FaceTime window appeared in the corner too.
Maybe they can add YouTube which Apple should have bought before Goggle did.
All the haters always say YouTube is junk, but I would have preferred if Apple bought it. I still use YouTube, despite trying to avoid Google as much as possible. There’s just no alternative (yet).
iOS 9 is clearly designed for the iPad Pro 5k or 8k. 😉
Lynch did one heck of a review in less than 24 hours.
Time to buy a new iPad !
I went out and bought an iPad Air 2 the same day as the Keynote just to try out the new iOS 9 features.
Love it!
My “old” iPad Air is sitting in a drawer.
My poor iPad 2… Runs iOS 9, but the only benefit it will see is continual compatibility and security. Not bad, but certainly is bad, if I have to use it to support others with iPad Air 2+…
iPad 2 will also work longer from the battery charge.
That might actually save the iPad 2 from the bin. Apple is keeping it going, on life support.
It *is* a 4 year old product. Which is impressive when compared against the computer industry as a whole, where many cheap PCs are trashed after a year or two.
Agreed and that’s awesome.
This may be the feature that drives people to upgrade to iPad Airs. Look for lines in September.
I’m guessing there is significant iPad update on its way.
I’m going to wait to upgrade until the fall, just in case.
I don’t readily see a reason why Slide Over and Picture In Picture can’t work on an iPhone 6 Plus. Sure, some things might be a little small, but it would be very useful to me. Anyone else or am I off?
Agreed! I love how within YouTube you can be watching a video and then still navigate through the app. I would love the ability to do that on my iPhone across the OS and other apps.
I don’t so much care for the duel apps running side by side, at least not for iPhone (and I’m not totally sold on it for iPad either yet, until the aha moment when I actually need it), but the slider would be great.
The other thing to keep in mind for iPhone is that a lot of apps have built in functionality within their alerts (you ran reply to a text, for example).
I imagine it’s a memory issue: The iPad Air 2 is the only device enabled for Split View. It’s also the only iDevice with 2GB of RAM
Right, not Split View.
I don’t know if it was just coincidence or not, and I’m not entirely sure what all should be expected with Intelligence on iOS 9, but I was watching CNN and they were talking about Russia and Ukraine. I grabbed my iPad and opened Maps and rather than zoomed in to my current location it was zoomed out over Russia and Ukraine (and most of Europe and Asia too). Maybe I’m just experiencing a strange coincidence, because I didn’t think it listened to what was going on around you. I thought this was more behavior oriented based on learning what you usually do. Someday though.
Well, either that or your Apple devices are watching you closer than you previously thought.
it’s great
Amazingly stable for me so far (typed on my iPad Air 2).
But is it a Space Gray AT&T Cellular 128 GB iPad Air 2 in a black leather smart case, running iOS 9 Beta 1?
Pretty close. Space Gray AT&T Cellular 128 GB iPad Air 2 in dark blue leather smart case, running iOS Beta 1.
One reason Tim looks so confident when asked about iPad sales? How to get owners to buy new models when the old ones are still going well: create a new mode of usage and make it compelling. The upcoming big-arse model(s) should sell a motza since you’ll want more real estate for multiple windows.
I have another word – SUCKS !!!
iPad Air 2 ONLY?? What a crock…