No Retina Display for iPad 2?

Flicking through my usual RSS feeds I came across an interesting post by Ryan Block over on gdgt.com. Block contemplates the impending arrival of Apple’s 2nd generation iPad and whether it will sport the Cupertino outfits impressive Retina Display.

It’s worth having a read of the whole post over on gdgt, but the post points out that in order to qualify as a Retina Display the screen would need a massive resolution, 2560 x 1920 to be exact.

Now lets just think about that for a moment. If the iPad 2nd generation is the same 9.7″ form factor as the current model, that would give the device a DPI of 330, the same as iPhone 4. Any lower than that and we’re no longer in Retina Display territory.

Next, there’s the fact that the resolution needed is simply mind-boggling. A top of the range 17″ MacBook Pro only sports a resolution of 1920 x 1200. My 24″ monitor is the same. Apple’s own high-end 27″ cinema display doesn’t even come close to such a massive pixel count (2560 x 1440 for those keeping up).

At the risk of saying I told you so, I’ve been saying this for a while now, and Block even points out another issue – what kind of GPU would be needed to move that number of pixels around, especially when rendering the 3D graphics we are starting see from games such as Rage HD. It’s all starting to sound very expensive, and certainly a far stretch if Apple wants to hit the magical (and revolutionary!) $500 price point.

Don’t get me wrong I’d love to see a super hi-res iPad next year, but I honestly don’t see it happening. That’s unless Apple decides screens don’t need 300dpi to qualify as a Retina Display!

I’m just glad someone finally agreed with me!

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One Comment on ““No Retina Display for iPad 2?”

  1. Sandeep85

    Umm, retina display when holding it 12″ from your face. You don’t hold the Ipad 12″ from your face hence it doesn’t need 300 ppi.

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