Josh Ong
Images discovered by a person familiar with the beta release of iOS 5 have a resolution of 1536 x 2048 and have prompted further speculation that Apple will upgrade the display of the next-generation iPad, as first reported by TechUnwrapped.
According to the tipster, the Twitter.framework, which is new to iOS, is the only framework to contain these larger files. Apple has built in system-wide Twitter integration to iOS 5 with an install button and login embedded within the Settings application.
A separate rumor from a Taiwanese newspaper on Tuesday claimed that Apple will launch the iPad 3 in the fourth quarter with "image resolution 5-6 times higher than iPad 2," though the report remains unverified.
The resolution of both the iPad and the iPad 2 is 1024 x 768. Doubling that resolution would quadruple the number of pixels, similar to the introduction of the Retina Display iPhone 4, which saw a jump from a resolution of 480 x 320 to that of 960 x 640 with a density of 326 pixels per inch.
Though the original report speculatively refers to the next iPad as having a "Retina Display," doubling the resolution of the device would still fall short of the 300 ppi "sweet spot" as defined by Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
According to Jobs, the "limit of the human retina" is 300 ppi at 10- to 12-inches away. It is, however, possible that Apple could repurpose the Retina Display definition for the iPad by asserting that iPads are generally held farther away from the eyes than iPhones or iPod touches. A 2048 x 1536 resolution iPad would have a pixel density of 264 ppi, while the current pixel density of the iPad is 132 ppi.
Rumors of an enhanced display for the iPad have persisted since before the release of the iPad 2, with some reports suggesting that Apple planned to include a 2048 x 1536 display on the iPad 2, but ran into last-minute "engineering issues" that prevented it.
Earlier this month, a rumor claimed that Apple has begun certifying parts from Taiwanese components makers. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo with Concord Securities has asserted that Apple will deliver a double-resolution iPad 3 after resolving production volume and cost issues with the displays.
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William Gallagher
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28 Comments
The reason why the iPad 2 doesn't have a Retina Display has nothing to do with "last-minute engineering issues."
There is simply no supply of these high-resolution screens. There isn't a manufacturing line on this planet that produces such a part in quantities necessary to supply Apple's needs.
Heck, Samsung can't build enough slender 10.1" parts for their own tablet so they had to make do with a different process that results in a thicker display, contrary to what they published in their own marketing materials.
The reason why the iPad 2 doesn't have a Retina Display has nothing to do with "last-minute engineering issues."
There is simply no supply of these high-resolution screens. There isn't a manufacturing line on this planet that produces such a part in quantities necessary to supply Apple's needs.
Heck, Samsung can't build enough slender 10.1" parts for their own tablet so they had to make do with a different process that results in a thicker display, contrary to what they published in their own marketing materials.
Ditto. Samsung has only recently announced that displays of that DPI at that size would only start manufacturing in quantity near the end of this year. Plus, you'd also think that there'd be more "high DPI" iPad-sized images found in iOS 4.2.x builds like has been previously seen when developers dig around the SDK for pre-release code and resources.
Please stop saying that the iPhone 4 "doubled" the resolution of the previous iPhone and that the iPad 3 may "double' the resolution of the current iPad. Both of these statements are untrue.
The iPhone 4 quadrupled the resolution of the previous iPhone, just as an iPad 3 with a 2048 x 1536 resolution is quadruple the current iPad's 1024 x 768.
Also, sorry for being a pedant! Calling this resolution jump a doubling isn't true in any sense and it drives me totally crazy.
Please stop saying that the iPhone 4 "doubled" the resolution of the previous iPhone and that the iPad 3 may "double' the resolution of the current iPad. Both of these statements are untrue.
The iPhone 4 quadrupled the resolution of the previous iPhone, just as an iPad 3 with a 2048 x 1536 resolution is quadruple the current iPad's 1024 x 768.
Also, sorry for being a pedant! Calling this resolution jump a doubling isn't true in any sense and it drives me totally crazy.
I was thinking the same thing.......
Though the original report speculatively refers to the next iPad as having a "Retina Display," doubling the resolution of the device would still fall short of the 300 ppi "sweet spot" as defined by Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
That is not true.
Jobs defined 'retina display' as a display where the pixels were too small to be distinguished by the human eye. That is a function of both pixel density AND viewing distance.
The phone is typically viewed at a closer distance than the iPad. So while 300 ppi might be the cutoff for a phone, the iPad (being viewed at a greater distance) might have a retina display at 200 or 250 ppi.