AppleInsider Staff
Continuing his analysis of Apple's most recent iOS 8.1 beta 2, developer Hamza Sood on Wednesday discovered frameworks containing graphical assets labeled "3x~ipad," suggesting the company is preparing to update its tablet lineup with high-resolution "Retina HD" displays.
As seen in the screenshot Sood posted to Twitter, graphics relating to the Clock app in iOS 8.1 beta 2 are offered in "3x~ipad," "2x~ipad" and "ipad" designations. According to Sood, the presence of the "3x" PNG files hints at super high-resolution iPad displays.
When Apple introduced the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus at a special event in September, the company revealed new pixel-dense screens dubbed "Retina HD." Specifically, the new panels come in at 1,334-by-750 pixels at 326ppi for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 1,920-by-1080 pixels at 401ppi for the 5.5-inch Plus.
It is possible that a rumored next-generation iPad Air model could also move to the upgraded display technology, though potential pixel densities are at this point unknown. For reference, the current iPad Air packs in a 9.7-inch Retina display with a resolution of 2048-by-1536 pixels at 264ppi, while the smaller iPad mini with Retina display carries the same resolution, but squeezes the pixels into a 7.9-inch display good for 326ppi.
Earlier today, Apple sent out invitations for a media event set to take place on Oct. 16. The company is widely expected to announce a next-generation iPad Air that features a slimmed-down chassis, Touch ID fingerprint recognition, faster A8 processor and minor design tweaks. Pictures of a supposed "dummy unit" also hit the Web on Wednesday, offering what could be a first look at the upcoming iPad.
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54 Comments
3072*2204? Wow! A8X? I am sold. Abandon the plan to hold on to the iPad air.
Hopefully it comes with a faster GPU than what's in the iPhone 6 Plus.
It has been #waytoolong for a true retina iPad.
Higher than 2x? I am missing the purpose of that, since Apple doesn't just bump up DPI on existing retina displays. This make me think maybe there's a new screen size on the horizon that is significantly larger than 9.7" hmm...
Woah, this sounds like bad news maybe! I might have to reconsider getting a new iPad! Damn!
I bought an iPad 3 to replace my iPad 2, and I was pleased with the retina display, but the performance between the iPad 2 and the iPad 3 was about the same.
I need to see how this new iPad performs, and it had better be considerably more powerful than the iPad Air. I'd rather have increased performance instead of more pixels. Retina is already good enough if you ask me.
Now, if this rumor is about a 12.9" iPad, then that's a different story.