Apple Messages beta includes high DPI art
updated 09:20 am EST, Fri February 17, 2012
Messages beta hints at super-high res Macs
Apple's Messages beta may have been a further clue as to Apple's possible plans for high-resolution Mac displays. Multiple images in the app package are designated "@2x," a new designation usually seen only in recent pre-release iOS code. Even the normally small chat tab icon for a contact is 82x82.
The sharper network would be included to account for larger resolutions where existing artwork would either scale poorly or be too small at its native density. It's doubtful the artwork is intended for existing Macs given that even the 17-inch MacBook Pro's 1920x1200 display hasn't prompted higher resolution artwork in the past.
Rumors, albeit growing ones, have suggested Apple might do for Mac displays this year what it did with the iPhone in 2010 and possibly the iPad 3. Higher density displays such as the 2880x1800 MacBook Pro display mentioned in one rumor would make individual pixels near-indistinguishable and create certain benefits for web browsing, image editing, and simply the overall look of the OS.
No clues have emerged from Apple itself of new hardware beyond the new code.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Mar 2011
Don't get excited
@2x images are in the Resources folders of some established third-party applications already.