We’ve been hearing rumors for months that the next generation of the iPad is going to sport a super-high resolution, amazingly dense Retina Display, similar to what graces the iPhone 4S. And the fact that this will exist on a 10-inch tablet screen is making some people pretty excited.
Previous rumors have set that mark at a 2048×1536 resolution.
According to sources quoted at CNET, Apple is aiming high and shooting for that resolution for the iPad 3. The problem is that the display manufacturers aren’t sure if they can produce that type of display at such a high volume required by Apple.
For Apple, a “retina display” is a display with a pixel density high enough to overcome the human eye’s ability to see individual pixels. That’s 326 pixels per inch (PPI) on the iPhone 4S, whose 3.5 inch screen packs a 960×640 resolution.
You won’t get that type of density on the iPad 3, even if you get the 2048×1536 resolution. But you’ll get a PPI of 264, which is double the amount you currently find on the iPad 2. It will still meet the “retina display ” requirements.
That is, if it can be done.
Here’s what the source had to say:
They have production plans for 2,048×1,536 displays. Starting in November. But those are only plans at this point.
It’s not a question of making just one. That, of course, can be done. The challenge is making lots of them. This is a quantum leap in pixel density. This hasn’t been done before.
Those November production plans fall in line with other rumors we’ve heard about Apple starting an early run before the end of 2011. This timeframe suggests that the iPad 3 could be hitting the shelves as early as Q1 of 2012.