iPad Retina Display? Maybe With iPad 3…

With the iPad 2 set to come out sometime in April and Apple reportedly about to announce a media event to unveil the new device in February, the Apple rumor mill is in fully-working state. And when it comes to the next-generation iPad, two are the kinds of rumors that blogs and publications are reporting: Retina Display

and faster processor. Lately, we have noticed a rapid increase in the presence of “iPad Retina Display” rumors on the Internet.


he iPhone 4′s Retina Display, admittedly, spoiled the fun for many: once you lay your eyes on it and experience the lack of visible pixels, the iPad’s screen almost looks fuzzy and outdated. The current iPad has a 1024×768 resolution, and the rumors surfaced in the past months suggested Apple might implement a “2x”  (or at least higher-res) screen in the next-gen tablet, thuis achieving a 2048×1536 resolution. That would place the iPad at around 260ppi, which would be enough for the human eye to see no pixels at the distance one normally holds the iPad. The problem is, such as high-density 10-inch screen would require a terrific CPU power, RAM and graphic card to make everything run fast and smoothly. Not to mention battery life. Still, several rumors and tech pundits pointed to an “iPad Retina Display” in the past. 
According to a report from IDC analyst Tom Mainelli, Apple is indeed working on a 2048×1536 screen, but has told manufacturers to save it for the iPad 3.

I think the Digitimes story probably got the resolution right, but the iPad version wrong,” Mainelli told PCWorld via email. “Our sources say Apple has requested that manufacturers begin work on displays with that resolution for the iPad 3.”
“I don’t believe anybody is ready to produce that resolution in volumes at this point. And Apple is going to require huge volumes for the iPad 2,” he added.

At this point, it seems likely that Apple won’t implement a “Retina Display” on the iPad 2, but we know it will happen at some point. And when the technology is ready, that screen will be a 2048×1536 one.