Extra sources back iPad 3 with 2048x1536 display in 2012
updated 08:25 am EDT, Fri August 19, 2011
iPad 3 gets more definitive leak
Sources on Friday supported beliefs that the iPad 3 would carry a 2048x1536 display. Apple was now due to start test productions with the more advanced screen in October with expectations of an early 2012 release. Tips to the WSJ had Apple contractors already building 1.5 million iPad 3s in the fall, in part to see if it can improve yields ahead of full production runs.
The design would still have a 9.7-inch display, suggesting it might be very similar to the iPad 2 on the surface outside of the screen.
While the details aren't a large deviation from what was already hinted at before, they support a number of rumors by extension. Current dual-core tablets don't have the power to drive more than a roughly 1080p display, suggesting that Apple's in-progress A6 processor is quad-core and has the matching graphics needed to run its OS and apps at 2048x1536 without trouble. The overhead might also demand more RAM and storage.
The extra-sharp LCD may be vital to Apple standing out in an increasingly crowded environment and when at least Samsung plans to step up. Apple's is the first reasonably hinted-at future tablet to be using a higher resolution display and could provide a more print-like effect. Samsung will have a 2560x1600 display likely bound for a Galaxy Tab 10.1 sequel, and Motorola could match Apple with the same resolution and aspect ratio.
