Jul 26, 2011 09:04 GMT  ·  By

A finding in the latest Xcode release from Apple indicates the Mac maker is laying the groundwork for implementation of Retina displays in future Macintosh computers.

We’re still a long way before the first Retina Macs arrive to market, with the iPad still in the pipeline to receive this hardware upgrade, but references to an HiDPI resolution blowup in Xcode indicate Apple is setting the scene to get there.

Apple aims to push pixels in “HiDPI” mode (High Dots Per Inch) on future iMac and MacBook displays, according to such a listing discovered in the Quartz Debug Application found in the Developer Directory of Xcode.

Currently, Apple’s computer displays already output crisp visuals, but there’s always room for better, as shown with the iPhone 4 and iPod touch fourth-generation.

By multiplying the number of pixels on the same 3.7-inch screen by four, Apple achieved what was called a Retina effect, in that the viewer would not be able to distinguish individual dots holding the device some 12 inches away from their head.

That’s what basically determines whether or not a display is Retina, which means Apple doesn’t necessarily need to crunch the pixels four times over on the iPad’s 9.7-inch screen, as users hold the tablet even farther from their eyes.

So now you have some perspective of what needs to be done on the 24-inch and 27-inch iMacs and Cinema Displays (now called Thunderbolt Displays).

However, there’s also a matter of how much these screens would cost to manufacture.

So before anything happens on the desktop side, the focus remains the tablet front.

An iPad 3 is not very far away, some analysts estimate.

Pundits, like the highly-connected John Gruber, believe a 2048 × 1536 Retina display is pretty much a given on the next post-PC device from Apple.

However the events unfold, Apple has just provided us with the first piece of evidence that Macs are getting there as well.