Confirmed: iPad 3 Has a 2048x1536 Retina Display

MacRumors · Feb 17, 2012, 03:32 PM

Over the past couple of months, several photos of displays claimed to be for the iPad 3 have surfaced from various sources. Such parts leaks are typical with the device's expected debut early next month. While reports have claimed that these displays are high-resolution "Retina" displays, there has been no definite confirmation of these claims so far.

MacRumors has now been able to obtain one of these iPad 3 displays and examine it under a microscope in an effort to determine whether it is indeed an ultra-high resolution Retina display. Physically, the purported iPad 3 display is the same size as the current iPad 1 and iPad 2 display at 9.7" in diagonal, and looks quite similar to the naked eye.

However, when comparing the iPad 3 display to one from an iPad 2 under a microscope, the difference in resolutions becomes readily apparent, with the iPad 3 display's pixels appearing to be one-quarter the size of those on the iPad 2.

Since we only had a raw iPad 3 display with no method to power it, taking high quality photos of the pixels was difficult. Still, even with the relatively poor lighting, you can easily make out the pixels on each display (made up of red, green and blue elements). We highlighted a cluster of 4 pixels (2x2) from the iPad 2 to compare it to the same area on the iPad 3. On the iPad 3, the same cluster was occupied by 16 pixels (4x4) -- exactly twice the resolution in each direction.

Extrapolating out, the iPad 3 screen should carry a full resolution of 2048x1536, exactly twice the linear resolution of the iPad 1 and iPad 2 which is 1024x768. Such a screen should be able to display much sharper images as compared to the previous generation iPads.

While these iPad 3 screens weren't directly sourced from Apple, they are labeled as OEM replacement parts for the iPad 3 and are apparently in mass production. The difficulties of any 3rd party in mass producing 2048x1536 9.7" Retina displays make us quite confident that these represent legitimate iPad 3 parts.

Apple is expected to introduce the iPad 3 with a media event on March 7, and the device is rumored to be carrying this high-resolution display, a new A6 system-on-a-chip, and LTE support for models with cellular data capabilities.

Article Link: Confirmed: iPad 3 Has a 2048x1536 Retina Display

Broojo02 · Feb 17, 2012, 03:34 PM

Awesome, if this is true I am definitely getting an iPad 3!

Slix · Feb 17, 2012, 03:34 PM

Sounds awesome!

MBHockey · Feb 17, 2012, 03:34 PM

Pretty impressive detective work, guys

colmaclean · Feb 17, 2012, 03:34 PM

Scoop!

Peace · Feb 17, 2012, 03:35 PM

Seriously MR ? wow.

Don't go turning into another Gizmodo please.

/start down votes

Nielsenius · Feb 17, 2012, 03:35 PM

Oh damn, nice! This is going to be an amazing release!

bidwalj · Feb 17, 2012, 03:36 PM

The iPad is my fav apple device and I can't wait for this new iPad! Retna display and verizon lte is all I want

catalyst6 · Feb 17, 2012, 03:36 PM

Apple has my money.

AppleInLVX · Feb 17, 2012, 03:36 PM

Sold.

nfl46 · Feb 17, 2012, 03:37 PM

19 days away!

Thanks, MacRumors!

Ryth · Feb 17, 2012, 03:37 PM

Buying 2 of these bad boys.

Take
My
Money
Now

Agent-P · Feb 17, 2012, 03:38 PM

Bravo, Macrumors. That's a great find. Looks like I sold my iPad 2 just in time. I can't wait for the iPad 3 release!

TheSuperSteve · Feb 17, 2012, 03:38 PM

Why wait? Apple take my money already! Geez!!

C00rDiNaT0r · Feb 17, 2012, 03:38 PM

With all these leaked parts out there, if all these rumor sites work together they can probably assemble a functional iPad3 on their own by now!

dokujaryu · Feb 17, 2012, 03:38 PM

Seriously? In before "left at bar" joke?

Consultant · Feb 17, 2012, 03:38 PM

Does that mean all computer displays will look like a POS after you use the retina display iPad 3?

Schtumple · Feb 17, 2012, 03:40 PM

ChristianJapan · Feb 17, 2012, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peace

Seriously MR ? wow.

Don't go turning into another Gizmodo please.

/start down votes

My first thought too:
1) wow, how they did that
2) please be carefully, iSecurity might be on its way

Anyway: thanks for the surprise in the morning ; waiting for March to come soon

ri0ku · Feb 17, 2012, 03:41 PM

So stolen tech is ok to report on ? :S

I get the whole rumor thing and sometimes leaks of images from factories etc but "Obtaining" it to check out... Gizmodo keeps ringing in my head hmm

Edit: actually you know what I think this is actually pretty lame. I have been temp banned from here before for calling someone a "liar" ... ok so I name called and went against the rules but its hardly a word that can cause serious harm.

But you guys can illegally obtain objects to report on and break the law ? wow. The sense I see it now.

slrandall · 03:57 PM

... where did you guys get this?

Edit: As shown here [http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost...&postcount=49] by Arn, you can actually buy one yourself. I retract my suspicions of illegitimacy, and instead congratulate MR on a fantastic scoop.

AxiomaticRubric · Feb 17, 2012, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Broojo02

Awesome, if this is true I am definitely getting an iPad 3!

Of course it's true, silly. They just proved it.

catalyst6 · Feb 17, 2012, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Consultant

Does that mean all computer displays will look like a POS after you use the retina display iPad 3?

I'm actually legitimately worried about this.

ultravioletfly · Feb 17, 2012, 03:42 PM

What in the . . .? How in the . . .? Where did you guys . . .?

Anyways, in for 2.

henrystar · Feb 17, 2012, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Consultant

Does that mean all computer displays will look like a POS after you use the retina display iPad 3?

Yes, I think so! A factor of two both ways in resolution is big stuff. This will blow people away and lead to huge, huge sales.

Feb 17, 2012, 03:32 PM	#1
MacRumors macrumors bot Join Date: Apr 2001	Confirmed: iPad 3 Has a 2048x1536 Retina Display Over the past couple of months, several photos of displays claimed to be for the iPad 3 have surfaced from various sources. Such parts leaks are typical with the device's expected debut early next month. While reports have claimed that these displays are high-resolution "Retina" displays, there has been no definite confirmation of these claims so far. MacRumors has now been able to obtain one of these iPad 3 displays and examine it under a microscope in an effort to determine whether it is indeed an ultra-high resolution Retina display. Physically, the purported iPad 3 display is the same size as the current iPad 1 and iPad 2 display at 9.7" in diagonal, and looks quite similar to the naked eye. However, when comparing the iPad 3 display to one from an iPad 2 under a microscope, the difference in resolutions becomes readily apparent, with the iPad 3 display's pixels appearing to be one-quarter the size of those on the iPad 2. Since we only had a raw iPad 3 display with no method to power it, taking high quality photos of the pixels was difficult. Still, even with the relatively poor lighting, you can easily make out the pixels on each display (made up of red, green and blue elements). We highlighted a cluster of 4 pixels (2x2) from the iPad 2 to compare it to the same area on the iPad 3. On the iPad 3, the same cluster was occupied by 16 pixels (4x4) -- exactly twice the resolution in each direction. Extrapolating out, the iPad 3 screen should carry a full resolution of 2048x1536, exactly twice the linear resolution of the iPad 1 and iPad 2 which is 1024x768. Such a screen should be able to display much sharper images as compared to the previous generation iPads. While these iPad 3 screens weren't directly sourced from Apple, they are labeled as OEM replacement parts for the iPad 3 and are apparently in mass production. The difficulties of any 3rd party in mass producing 2048x1536 9.7" Retina displays make us quite confident that these represent legitimate iPad 3 parts. Apple is expected to introduce the iPad 3 with a media event on March 7, and the device is rumored to be carrying this high-resolution display, a new A6 system-on-a-chip, and LTE support for models with cellular data capabilities. Article Link: Confirmed: iPad 3 Has a 2048x1536 Retina Display
	35

Feb 17, 2012, 03:34 PM	#2
Broojo02 macrumors newbie Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: UK	Awesome, if this is true I am definitely getting an iPad 3! __________________ Macbook Pro 13" Late 2011 iPod Touch 2G 8GB iPod Nano 4G 8GB
	44

Feb 17, 2012, 03:34 PM	#3
Slix macrumors 6502 Join Date: Mar 2010	Sounds awesome! __________________ Poliwager ~ Poliwager Forums ~ YouTube ~ Twitter
	19

Feb 17, 2012, 03:34 PM	#4
MBHockey macrumors 68040 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: New York	Pretty impressive detective work, guys
	52

Feb 17, 2012, 03:35 PM	#6
Peace macrumors P6 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Space--The ONLY Frontier	Seriously MR ? wow. Don't go turning into another Gizmodo please. /start down votes
	51

Feb 17, 2012, 03:34 PM	#5
colmaclean macrumors 68000 Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Berlin	Scoop!
	19

Feb 17, 2012, 03:35 PM	#7
Nielsenius macrumors 6502a Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Virginia	Oh damn, nice! This is going to be an amazing release! __________________ 15" MacBook Pro with Retina Display 27" Cinema Display iPhone 5
	11

Feb 17, 2012, 03:36 PM	#8
bidwalj macrumors 6502a Join Date: Feb 2007	The iPad is my fav apple device and I can't wait for this new iPad! Retna display and verizon lte is all I want
	3

Feb 17, 2012, 03:36 PM	#9
catalyst6 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: NC	Apple has my money.
	25

Feb 17, 2012, 03:36 PM	#10
AppleInLVX macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada	Sold.
	21

Feb 17, 2012, 03:37 PM	#11
nfl46 macrumors 68040 Join Date: Oct 2008	19 days away! Thanks, MacRumors! __________________ \| 16GB Apple iPhone 5 \| 13" Macbook Pro \| Apple TV 2 \| 16GB Apple iPad Mini \| 8GB LG Google Nexus 4 \|
	19

Feb 17, 2012, 03:37 PM	#12
Ryth macrumors 65816 Join Date: Apr 2011	Buying 2 of these bad boys. Take My Money Now
	14

Feb 17, 2012, 03:38 PM	#13
Agent-P macrumors 68000 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Colorado	Bravo, Macrumors. That's a great find. Looks like I sold my iPad 2 just in time. I can't wait for the iPad 3 release! __________________ I have a dream that one day iOS users, Android users, and Windows Phone users will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. Follow me on Twitter
	17

Feb 17, 2012, 03:38 PM	#14
TheSuperSteve macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Puerto Rico	Why wait? Apple take my money already! Geez!! __________________ Insert Apple/Google/Microsoft Stuff Here.
	9

Feb 17, 2012, 03:38 PM	#15
C00rDiNaT0r macrumors regular Join Date: Jan 2006	With all these leaked parts out there, if all these rumor sites work together they can probably assemble a functional iPad3 on their own by now!
	38

Feb 17, 2012, 03:38 PM	#16
dokujaryu macrumors 6502 Join Date: May 2011 Location: California	Seriously? In before "left at bar" joke? __________________ I now have a Galaxy S4. Dead blog about S3 is dead.
	10

Feb 17, 2012, 03:38 PM	#17
Consultant macrumors G5 Join Date: Jun 2007	Does that mean all computer displays will look like a POS after you use the retina display iPad 3? __________________ * Is redesign innovation? The false burdens of Apple iOS * \| Apple User Art \| Celebs with Macs \| Mac: Power Users \| Tech Humor
	69

Feb 17, 2012, 03:40 PM	#18
Schtumple macrumors 601 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Los Angeles or England	__________________ Leave Only Footsteps / Flickr / Bandcamp / DU Bandcamp Urban Exploration Documentary / Photography / Solo Musician / Dirty Uniform
	57

Feb 17, 2012, 03:41 PM	#20
ri0ku macrumors 6502a Join Date: Mar 2009	So stolen tech is ok to report on ? :S I get the whole rumor thing and sometimes leaks of images from factories etc but "Obtaining" it to check out... Gizmodo keeps ringing in my head hmm Edit: actually you know what I think this is actually pretty lame. I have been temp banned from here before for calling someone a "liar" ... ok so I name called and went against the rules but its hardly a word that can cause serious harm. But you guys can illegally obtain objects to report on and break the law ? wow. The sense I see it now. __________________ MacBook Pro Unibody (June 09)\| 2.66GHz \| 4GB DDR3 \| 9400M+9600M GT \| 320GB HDD / iPad 32GB 3G iPhone 4 16GB
	16

Feb 17, 2012, 03:41 PM	#21
slrandall macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jun 2011	... where did you guys get this? Edit: As shown here [http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost...&postcount=49] by Arn, you can actually buy one yourself. I retract my suspicions of illegitimacy, and instead congratulate MR on a fantastic scoop. Last edited by slrandall; Feb 17, 2012 at 03:57 PM.
	24

Feb 17, 2012, 03:42 PM	#24
ultravioletfly macrumors regular Join Date: Oct 2007	What in the . . .? How in the . . .? Where did you guys . . .? Anyways, in for 2.
	3

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