Apple Targeting Third-Generation iPad for Doubled Display Resolution?

[MacRumors]

The back-and-forth debate about whether Apple will seek to double the resolution of the iPad's display to 2048 x 1536 in the second-generation model continues, with PC World reporting late last week on comments from IDC analyst Tom Mainelli claiming that Apple is seeking to make the jump with its third-generation model, presumed to be released in 2012, and not the second-generation model expected to be released in the relatively near future.

"I think the Digitimes story probably got the resolution right, but the iPad version wrong," Mainelli told PCWorld via e-mail. "Our sources say Apple has requested that manufacturers begin work on displays with that resolution for the iPad 3."

"I don't believe anybody is ready to produce that resolution in volumes at this point. And Apple is going to require huge volumes for the iPad 2," he added.

Double-sized images found in Apple iPad applications had led to speculation that the company might be planning to double the resolution of the device's display in the forthcoming revision, but sources have indicated that such a change is unlikely.

Adding to the confusion has been speculation about the possibility of Apple still being able to offer a "Retina" display on the iPad while increasing the resolution by less than a factor of two, with observers arguing that the fact that an iPad is typically viewed at a farther distance than an iPhone would allow for an iPad "Retina" display at a lower pixels-per-inch than found on the iPhone. But others have argued that anything less than a doubling of the pixels in each dimension would cause significant problems for existing applications by not allowing them to be simply and sharply scaled up using pixel doubling methods.

Article Link: Apple Targeting Third-Generation iPad for Doubled Display Resolution?

 

[wordoflife]

Aww, I was hoping the 2nd gen would get it.

 

[gloss]

Disappointing, but probably realistic. Shame, though. A higher-res screen would have been the kicker for me.

 

[0815]

sounds reasonable ... guess too expensive for now.

 

[taltal]

I hope Apple will put an end to all those spec-ulations soon.

 

[jonesy16]

Surely the screen will be somehow improved from the first generation. I'm sure many of the tablets getting released this year will sport screens with higher resolutions than the iPad (e.g., the Motorola Xoom). And if the parts rumors are correct, the screen for the iPad 2 already costs more than the screen that was on the first gen, so what changes could they be making if they're not upping the resolution?

 

[emvath]

Makes sense, but is dissapointing to me. May be looking into the Toshiba tablet instead unless Apple has some killer feature to unleash.

 

[jav6454]

Reasonable, but still that doesn't mean can offer a higher resolution iPad at an extra cost (just like the GPS and 3G connectivity)

 

[iPhoneCollector]

so the next ipad isn't going to be that great.

 

[millertime021]

I'll be waiting for iPad 3 now.

 

[asleep]

I'll be waiting for iPad 3 now.

Yep. Not buying one until the screen resolution is upped.

 

[Small White Car]

Reasonable, but still that doesn't mean can offer a higher resolution iPad at an extra cost (just like the GPS and 3G connectivity)

That's the kicker.

I think it's been proven by now that a high-rez screen is too expensive for Apple to offer in its standard iPads.

But will they offer two models and let users pay through the nose for it? My gut says 'no' but who knows...if they feel that the competition is gonna get tough this year then they might do it.

I mean, they started offering SSD drives as an option in Macs before they were really affordable to most people. Perhaps this will work the same way.

(But I'd still bet on not. I do think this'll be a version 3 feature.)

 

[ZilogZ80]

Disappointing, but probably realistic. Shame, though. A higher-res screen would have been the kicker for me.

Agreed, but I'm still going to hold out hope until I hear it from Apple!!

 

[markosb]

I was going to wait for iPad 3 anyways. iPad 1 has been fantastic for me, I use it for nearly every thing... except posting this comment

 

[HelveticaNeue]

What a surprise ... John Gruber says it ain't coming this year and everyone starts singing a new tune.

 

[BornAgainMac]

iPad 2 will be a nice update if you don't have an iPad 1.

 

[supmango]

Apple will probably push back the release until supply chains can give them what they want. They don't seem to be having difficulty moving the current version. So until they do, I would not expect to see much compromise.

 

[Ubuntu]

sounds reasonable ... guess too expensive for now.

Hmm, I think its more so they have another reason to make you buy the third iPad. It doesn't surprise me that Apple plans this far ahead - they don't play all their cards at once. That's why the current iPad is so "basic" in hardware - it sold really well regardless, as will iPad 2 for those people holding out for better specs and a camera.

 

[gatearray]

Surely the screen will be somehow improved from the first generation. I'm sure many of the tablets getting released this year will sport screens with higher resolutions than the iPad (e.g., the Motorola Xoom). And if the parts rumors are correct, the screen for the iPad 2 already costs more than the screen that was on the first gen, so what changes could they be making if they're not upping the resolution?

Perhaps it will be optically laminated like the iPhone 4, so there's no space between the glass and the display itself? The reported higher priced displays may be accounting for the incorporated digitizer, as well.

 

[xvgunjusticex]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; de-de) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

Sad but might be true! Although don't hope so!

 

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

A more realistic timeline.

I'll probably be waiting for the iPad 3 to upgrade in this case.

 

[TechNutt]

Aww, I was hoping the 2nd gen would get it.

I hope Apple will put an end to all those spec-ulations soon.

Plural of this: "these"

Seriously, a relative of mine (who cannot stand Apple because of the way everything is locked down, secretive, and limited with the company) made a good point. Apple hypes up their products when in fact they are playing catch-up with current technology. I mean, look at the rumored camera on the iPad2. Yes, it should have a camera this time around. It should have had a camera LAST YEAR. But now we are getting reports of just a 1MB camera. Seriously, there are good things about Apple, but with them holding back on certain technology pieces just so they can do it NEXT YEAR is getting a little bit freaking old. Another example is the iPod Touch, in which they just had a camera put in the last model when we expected it back in 2009.

 

[emvath]

So what will they be adding then? A thinner - flat back form factor and a larger speaker isn't much to shout about. Dual camera's are okay I guess but not too exciting. I stoppped getting excited about cell phone cameras about 5 years ago. SD card slot? That is tempting but I'm not convinced that it is coming. Improved battery life is to be expected.

Of course we are all just speculating at this point.

 

[whooleytoo]

I'll be waiting for iPad 3 now.

This is the problem! Even before the iPad 2 has been announced (never mind being released) people are already saying they'll wait for the next generation. Easy to see now why Apple hates rumours & leaks so much!

It's like an (inadvertent) Osbourne Effect.

 

[Stang68]

Oh my god who cares? Either way the screen will be nice! Lol