Apple may deliver ways to rev up the iPad, report says

MacRumors last month said that the latest numbers from market research firm IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker revealed Apple stayed on as the largest vendor in a declining tablet market. The iPad in 2010 looked as if this was to be a big step for Apple in enjoying leadership of an in-demand form factor but growth slowed down.

Stay tuned. A report by Mark Gurman, the Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, talks about what Apple may be working on to energize tablet use over the next year.

New deal number one: split-screen app viewing mode. New deal number two: 12-inch iPads codenamed J98 and J99. New deal number three: support for multi-user logins.

How did 9to5Mac know this? The publication quoted "sources briefed on the plans." The features would not all come at once, according to Gurman. Two features (multi-user login support and 12-inchers) would arrive later. The split-screen applications feature, however, could be introduced at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference next month, said Gurman. The side-by-side feature for iOS 9 would be shown using currently available iPad models. When split, the screen could display two apps side-by-side or multiple views of the same app.

Gurman said, though, that "Sources are quick to warn, however, that the feature could still be pulled before next month's conference," pending further polishing up—or may be held back until the 12-inch is announced. He said the larger device's launch date was yet to be locked down.

Michael Simon, writing in Macworld earlier this month, commented on rumors about a 12-incher to come. "For nearly a year now, rumors have pointed to a new kind of iPad—think of it as the opposite of the iPad mini. The so-called iPad Pro caters to users who want an even larger screen. A 12-inch iPad might seem like the nichiest of niche products, but when you break it down, it might not be so crazy."

As for the feature of support for multiple users, "this feature will allow several users to share an iPad, but have access solely to their own apps, documents, and media, like on a Mac." Gurman said that Apple executives believed it to be "critical to the enterprise and education sectors."

Meantime, the buzz about iPad's future moves does not stop there. Patently Apple said that the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office on Thursday published a patent application from Apple involving a stylus which would work with the iPad and could be used to sign documents on a MacBook Trackpad.

The patent is titled "Expanded Function Touch Sensor Implement." Neil Hughes in AppleInsider said Thursday that this was an advanced stylus bringing the user more dynamic ways of interacting with a touchscreen than just the press of a finger. He said the concept involves a "stylus-type accessory with multiple sensors that would act in concert with a touchscreen device, like an iPad." A number of sites discussed it as a patent involving a stylus form but with a distinguishing accent on multi-sensor.

PhoneArena referred to "a stylus-like implement packing a number of sensors, which would offer an input that better mimics the natural interaction of the human finger."