The iPad mini currently has a pixel density of 163 ppi (pixels-per-inch), which is the same as the iPad 2. However, Apple is reportedly working on a second gen iPad mini which is slated for release later this year. New rumors are now beginning to circulate that the next generation iPad mini will carry a 324ppi Retina Display.

According to news service BrightWire, AU Optronics is managing the production of the iPad mini and that the new screen on the device will be 2,048 by 1,536 pixels, which is four times as many pixels as the current iPad mini. Rumors about the iPad mini receiving a Retina Display have been around since the introduction of the device in October.

With a Retina Display on the same 7.9” screen, developers would only need to update the apps with high resolution artwork. During the introduction of the iPad mini, Apple noted that applications developed for the full sized iPad would be able to run on the 7.9” screen without being reworked. However, it appears that some apps do run letterboxed, similar to the transition from 3.5” screen of the iPhone 4S to the 4” inch screen of the iPhone 5.

Apps running letterboxed still take advantage of the Retina Display as they do not take up any more space than the device that it is developed for. Alongside the iPad mini’s thin bezel, majority of users won’t notice a huge difference when the device does letterbox videos or apps.

The rumored Retina Display, coming in at 324ppi would be 2 pixels short of matching up the current iPhone 5 display, which is an impressive feat when noting the larger screen size of the iPad mini. It is unclear how Apple plans to incorporate the Retina Display and retain the same form factor of the device without sacrificing the legendary 10 hour battery life.

{Via AppleInsider}

Rumors of Apple’s iPad 3 have been on the web since earlier this year, as early as the day that Apple announced the iPad 2, however, very little has been revealed about the 3rd generation device until now. On Friday, an image on a Korean forum depicted what appeared to be two displays, one claimed to be from the current iPad 2 and the other, the next generation iPad 3. The image on top is believed to be from the iPad 2 and the bottom from the iPad 3.

Both are 9.7″ in diagonal, although, the bottom screen has a different configuration for the attached cabling, leading speculators to believe that it is entirely for a new device. The current iPad 2 contains 3 brown cables from the screen to the circuit board, where as the iPad 3 display contains 3 wide ribbon cables that might be used for data. The new iPad 3 is also expected to include a higher resolution screen of 2048×1536, roughly 3 times the number of pixels in the current generation iPad.

The iPad 2 was rumored to support the Retina Display, however in order to preserve the 10 hour battery life and keep the costs low Apple did not include the high resolution screen. The leaked photo is the best source of speculation out there at this point, with very little to no evidence of an existing iPad 3.

Rumors also suggest that Apple is switching to a new type of display from a company named IGZO, which allows higher resolutions without sacrificing battery life. The iPad 3 is expected to be released during the first half of 2012, although recent reports also suggest a Fall 2012 time frame.

{via MacRumors}

9to5Mac is reporting Apple is looking for a QA Engineer in their “iPad Media” division. The job is described as:

The Media Systems team is looking for a software quality engineer with a strong technical background to test still, video and audio capture and playback frameworks. Build on your QA experience and knowledge of digital camera technology (still and video) to develop and maintain testing frameworks for both capture and playback pipelines…Experience with tuning of and image pipeline, including, but not limited to AWB, Color Correction, AutoExposure, FrameRate adjustments is a plus.

That seems like a pretty clear indication to me of Apple’s future intentions. A camera with the ability to shoot still pictures and video in the iPad. Perhaps even forward and rearward facing cameras if the iPhone HD rumors pan out.

Cameras of varying ability and size have been rumored for the non-iPhone members of the family for at least a year. If you remember back to just before the iPhone 3GS keynote last year, the blogosphere was abuzz with the news the third generation iPod Touch was going to receive a camera. The rumor didn’t pan out but not without further rumors suggesting they were excluded at the last minute due to quality concerns. Indeed, many were quite surprised the iPad didn’t come with at least an iPhone-like rearward facing camera. On the other hand, the inclusion of a video-capable camera on the newest iPod Nanos caught everyone by surprise.

Ultimately I believe the next generation iPhone and iPad will come with the rumored two camera set up. The indications in the iPhone 4.0 SDK are just too overwhelming. Of course this might all just be a big case of misdirection on Apple’s part but I don’t think that’s the case this time. I don’t think you’ll see a new, dual camera iPad this year; the iPhone HD will be used to get any kinks out of the video conferencing system the iPad will eventually inherit. This time next year though we’ll probably be waiting with the same anticipation for the second generation iPad and its dual camera system.

Of course the cynic in me says Apple could have put a camera or two in the iPad this year. They probably could have. The fact the software probably wasn’t in place yet though kept it out of the first iteration. And the fact they’ll get to sell a new iPad next year to all of the people that bought a first generation one this year is a nice side effect.

Do you think we’re on the cusp of an explosion of camera and video conferencing capable Apple devices? Will you have buyer’s regret if next year’s model has dual cameras? Do you agree with the cynic in me that this is all just a marketing and resale ploy by Apple? Leave us a comment and share your thoughts.