Rumor: iPad Mini 4 Will Have Split Screen Capability

Rumors have been circulating that we'll see a new iPad mini this fall that will be a miniature version of the iPad Air 2, including the same thin form factor. If true, this is good news.
When Apple came out with a new mini last year, it was virtually unchanged from the previous year, except for the addition of Touch ID. So it's good to see Apple is intent on updating the mini and keeping it as part of its lineup. And now we have the additional good news, reported by 9To5Mac, that the new iPad mini 4 will have the split-screen capability that comes with iOS 9. A Mac developer who was poking around in the forthcoming version of the Mac OS found a resource file that shows thumbnail images of device displays, including an iPad mini running the full 50/50 split-screen view.

When Apple announced iOS 9, they said that some features of the split-screen view would work on older iPad models, but that only the iPad Air 2 was powerful enough to run two apps side by side, each taking 50 percent of the screen. I'm using the iOS 9 beta on my first-generation iPad Air, and I'm able to use the new Slide Over feature. I like it. It's more capable than I was originally led to believe. As far as I can tell, I'm able to use two apps side by side, but am limited to the right third of the display.
I will likely get the new iPad mini 4 that's coming out. I had been planning to get a new mini last year and had already given my old one away. But when they came out with such an anemic upgrade, I decided to go without. The new, thinner iPad mini with a faster A8 processor, Touch ID, an improved camera, and the ability to use full split-screen view will definitely be appealing.