One of the most frustrating things about doing any kind of multitasking is using apps in split screen. This seemingly simple concept continues to cause headaches, as evidenced by Apple’s continued attempts to implement multi-window support on the iPad.
But what if you could fire up Chrome, open some tabs, and actually split one of the tabs horizontally from within the same window? It looks like they’re working on “reimagining the Edge web browser” to do just that (and more).
Ignoring the UI overhaul that this new version of Edge aims to bring, the biggest feature I’m excited about is the ability to use a split-screen interface. internal the browser window itself. This may look like a revolutionary feature, but it really isn’t. There are other browsers that offer similar functionality. If you’re on a Mac, you may have seen this in action.
Arc from The Browser Company is in active development and recently received an invitation to join the beta program. We’ll talk about other fun things about Arc for another time, but one of Arc’s key features is the ability to open different browser tabs in split screen. All of this can be done without grabbing a browser tab, dragging it out of the window, and placing it where you want it on your screen.
Instead, you can open several different tabs in split-screen view, complete with controls for rearranging those tabs and adding them to the view as needed. You can also resize the various tab windows directly. This is especially useful when working with more than one tab.
The current implementation has only been tested on the Canary version of Edge, but Microsoft is working on the ability to view two tabs side by side. But what all this has made me realize is that this is something Google should have already implemented.
Both Edge and Arc are built on Chromium, so neither of these companies are building anything new from scratch. Of course, the writing and implementation of the code is made by Microsoft and The Browser Company. But it shows that this is somewhat possible in Chrome.
Google has put a lot of effort into improving the overall Chrome experience, including adding Material You design elements. Along with other features like tab groups and memory saver. But it’s been a long time since we’ve seen “shock” features like what Edge is working on and what Arc is offering.
Frankly, I’ve seen two Chromium-based browsers implement this, so I think it’s time for Google to do the same with Chrome. Whether you’re using a Chromebook, MacBook, or Windows PC, we all love keyboard shortcuts for managing open windows. But being able to have several tabs open in a single window changes the way I work. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels that way.
