iMore:

iOS 9 takes multitasking from the background and puts it right up front on the iPad.

Apple calls it Multitasking for iPad. The iPad, of course, has always multitasked at the system level, and over the years has gained background tasks and refresh and other forms of third-party multitasking as well. With iOS 9, however, the iPad is getting more than just the ability to do multiple things at once—it’s getting the ability to show multiple apps at once. It’s getting Slide Over and Split View.

Both Slide Over and Split View allow you to have two apps on-screen at the same time—a “primary” app and a “secondary” app. The primary app is the one you start with, full screen. The secondary app is the one you bring in that either overlays a part of the screen in Slide Over or takes over part of the screen in Split View.

This new functionality might actually get me using my iPad more. It’s been gathering dust since I got the iPhone 6 plus but Slide Over and Split View sound like the kinds of features I’m looking for to help the iPad get closer to a laptop in terms of useability.