iPad 2 Specs: New improved resolution

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January 16, 2011 5 Comments

We’ve seen a huge amount of upcoming tablets due to rival the iPad such as the Motorola Xoom, which will run on Android 3.0 Honeycomb, or the innovative Notion Ink Adam. However it remains to be seen whether they can compete against the next-generation iPad, the iPad 2.

Here at OSM we’ve recently published many articles about news and speculation regarding the iPad 2, including rumored features of it and the iPhone 5, rumored launch dates in April and also asking if Best Buy were preparing for the tablet device. Now we hear something new about improved resolution for the iPad 2 from Daniel Eran Dilger over on Apple Insider.

Although it would not be a Retina Display as on the iPhone, which many people wanted, the resolution for the iPad 2 could be much higher. It seems that Apple plans to quadruple the native resolution which would give a pixel-per-inch density of around 260. The first iPad had a 1024 x 768 resolution with ppi of 132. Although the new ppi of 260 falls short of the Retina Display of the iPhone 4, which has a ppi of 326, it’s still a massive improvement.

One indication that the new resolution is actually happening is the iBooks app. Apple’s plans to quadruple the resolution would means that apps developers could simply incorporate 2 version of graphics assets making apps suitable for the existing iPad and the upcoming version. The higher resolution file would be named file@2x.png. Apparently versions of the iBooks app have examples of the @2 graphics and would therefore be suitable for the higher-resolution iPad.

This could explain recent reports that the iPad and iPhone 5 may be getting more processor power via a new version of its GPU. Meanwhile if you haven’t yet decided which new tablet to go for there’s an excellent roundup of some of the best upcoming devices that could possibly rival the iPad, by Leo Xavier over on Device Magazine.

What are your thoughts on this latest information from Apple Insider? Would a higher-resolution display for the iPad 2 be enough to make you decide on it, rather than an alternative tablet? We’d be interested to hear from you about this so please do send in your comments.

Filed Under: Tech Tagged With: Apple, iPad 2, Resolution, Specs

Carlos J Aud

I already have an iPad. The addition of cameras for FaceTime, a higher resolution screen and a stronger processor for sure are welcome. However, what I miss a lot in the iPad are:

- The possibity of use a good Stylus Pen. The ones existing in the marketing until nos are not good enough. I believe the fault is in part due the iPad screen;

- The possibility we can open and see some files like ".wmf". I receive dozens of e-mails which is not possible to see the attachments; and

- Finally the feature where we can manage files and folders. Some files are very useful to keep and in the current iPad is a impossible task.

In my opinion those are very important features so the iPad don't lose ground on a near future and keep in first place for a long time.

Carlos J Aud
James

It isn't going to happen :l it just isn't viable on a device like the ipad to have a resolution higher than a 27inch iMac :l
preime101

the problem with increasing the resolution is that it will need a significant boost in graphics processing power as well which it simply can't offer with current tech without a significant drop in battery life
Janson

My heart sank this morning when I read the higher res screen for the ipad 2 wasn't going to happen. Because Apple dazzled us with the retina display on the iphone I guess my expectations are a little higher now. My heart sank because I was really looking forward to buying my first ipad and the high res display was the deal maker for me. I'll hold off for another year and let technology catch up to expectation.
Matt

Apple is increasing the resolution of the display, just not as high as the retina display. Apple wants to make the iPad 2 slimmer and modify the display to decrease glare to better compete against competition at the moment. I head Apple is already slatting the iPad 3 to have a retina display, at least that is what they want included in it. That is why Apple is upgrading the CPU and GPU to dual processors in the iPad 2. Making the iPad 2 sleek, slim, and fast.