Multitasking?

[argon]

I finally found this site and joined moments ago. I had been searching for definitive information about the iPad 4 being able to multitask. You know, there's a Windows 8 TV commercial currently on the air that shows an iPad and a Windows 8 pad with background dialog, about "let's do this & that," inferring that the iPad can do only one thing at a time, like play "Chopsticks." I sure a few of you have seen the commercial. I found a very obtuse answer at a site, the pretty much claimed that (paraphrasing Bill Clinton) it depends on what your definition of "multitasking" is, and proceeded to provide his answer, which I found to be of no use. (Why doesn't my keyboard "enter" work to allow multiple paragraphs?) So, if someone here could just answer my questions about truly active multitasking (apps not just simply open quietly idling in the background: 1.) Can I listen to music over the internet and at the same time surf the internet at the same time? 2.) If not, can I listen to iTunes music loaded into the iPad's memory and surf the internet at the same time? 3.) With the appropriate adaptor, can I access files on a USB flash drive (instead of loading them into the iPad)? Thanks.

 

[ardchoille]

I finally found this site and joined moments ago. I had been searching for definitive information about the iPad 4 being able to multitask. You know, there's a Windows 8 TV commercial currently on the air that shows an iPad and a Windows 8 pad with background dialog, about "let's do this & that," inferring that the iPad can do only one thing at a time, like play "Chopsticks." I sure a few of you have seen the commercial. I found a very obtuse answer at a site, the pretty much claimed that (paraphrasing Bill Clinton) it depends on what your definition of "multitasking" is, and proceeded to provide his answer, which I found to be of no use. (Why doesn't my keyboard "enter" work to allow multiple paragraphs?) So, if someone here could just answer my questions about truly active multitasking (apps not just simply open quietly idling in the background: 1.) Can I listen to music over the internet and at the same time surf the internet at the same time? 2.) If not, can I listen to iTunes music loaded into the iPad's memory and surf the internet at the same time? 3.) With the appropriate adaptor, can I access files on a USB flash drive (instead of loading them into the iPad)? Thanks.

1) yes, with the proper apps. There are YouTube apps that continue to play music in the background.
2) yes, iTunes can play music while you surf the net with safari
3) yes, iFlash Drive can do this

Be wary of any company that only highlights what they want to highlight when doing a product comparison. The ad you mention is a perfect example of a company intentionally avoiding to highlight the full feature set of all products being compared.

 

[argon]

Yes, I realize that ads can be deceiving, and that's why I'm asking. But, I think a lot of people like myself who know nothing about tablets but are considering buying one, see that ad and have also seen the lower purchase costs of many Android tablets, will just order some less expensive Android. I don't know. Researching a purchase has/is frustratingly complex.