iBooks shows hints of next iPad having 2048x1536 display
updated 08:30 pm EST, Sat January 15, 2011
iBooks 1.2 points to iPad 2 getting Retina Display
A handful of discoveries on Saturday may have all but confirmed suspicions of a new iPad with a Retina Display. Both Arizona State University researcher Rafeed Chaudhury and mobile app writer Steve Troughton-Smith found images in both the current iBooks 1.2 and its 1.1 predecessor showing background and bookmark images that fit a "2X" iPad resolution that doesn't exist before. The wood tile image (below) is 1,536 pixels wide, twice the width of the iPad's screen, and by extension points to a 2048x1536 display on the future Apple tablet.
The resolution wouldn't have the same pixel density as the iPhone 4, whose 960x640 screen gives it 326 pixels per inch. At 264 pixels per inch, however, it would have four times the resolution of the existing iPad and would be almost exactly as sharp as screens like those for the Motorola Droid 2. A much sharper screen is potentially more expensive, although Apple has been willing to opt for brand new, ultra-sharp screens on the iPhone 4 and fourth-generation iPod touch that haven't affected the retail prices. Its biggest concerns may be performance, but the rumored dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 chip and PowerVR SGX543 graphics could help drive the extra pixels without a hit in performance.
A higher resolution display could be a critical selling point for Apple as a wave of new Android tablets reach the market. Google is requiring a minimum 1280x720 display for Android 3.0 tablets, and some such as the Motorola Xoom will have 1280x800 or larger panels. No competitor, regardless of platform, is known to be getting as high a resolution and would leave the iPad as technically superior.
Most now expect Apple to ship the next iPad in early April and keep to its pattern of releasing new mobile products in roughly 12-month intervals.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 2008
I'd sure like to see something like that...
on the new iPad 2. That would severely hurt the rivals because there's no way they could match it with their current designs and the cost structure would be too much for them to bear. Even if they wanted to try to copy the higher resolution display, there's absolutely no way they could get enough of those components to put out a substantial production run. Apple should be able to consistently get the jump on competitors by planning designs well in advance. By the time competitors can react to a move, it'll automatically be too late.
If this display rumor true, the competitors are going to have to go up against Apple's 9.7" high resolution display with 7" standard resolution displays. I'm sure that consumers will choose Apple's offerings in an instant even if the prices are slightly higher. Imagine a tablet market controlled by Apple that even top competitors can't compete in without blowing their profits. Apple has one advantage that nearly no other company has. A high-selling, four product iOS platform. All of them have overlapping components which Apple is able to spread the cost over. Apple must be ordering huge amounts of components and can guarantee those suppliers that Apple will buy as much as they can manufacture and will pay up front. No supplier would refuse such a deal. In the suppliers' eyes, they're taking almost no risk with Apple knowing that Apple has the marketing clout to move products. It's a win-win situation for both of them. This will mean another awesome iPad year for Apple and we'll likely see dual processor chips across the entire iOS lineup. A win-win for Apple and consumers. Sweet.