iPad 3 Flagship Feature Is a 'Dense' Display - Report

People familiar with Apple’s product roadmap have leaked some interesting information about the next-generation iPad which, according to one report, will boast a high-density pixel display with a sought resolution of 2048x1536.

It’ll be tough to get there, says Cnet’s source, but Samsung and LG Display are pushing hard to meet the yield rates imposed by the Cupertino, California-based Apple Inc.

Reportedly, the goal is to have a Retina Display-like resolution, which means a pixel density so high that your eye cannot distinguish one dot from the one sitting next to it.

In the iPhone, the average viewing distance is around 12 inches, and the 326 PPI (pixels per inch) achieves the Retina effect. In the iPad, the viewing distance is much larger, therefore the pixel density doesn’t have to be that strong either.

But the display will have to be dense, nonetheless. According to the source who is in contact with Asia-based suppliers, the closest that iPad display manufacturers can get is 2048x1536 pixels.

That translates into a 264 PPI, or twice the 132 PPI on the iPad 2. This pixel density would yield what Apple calls Retina-quality display.

The only problem with these screens is that it’s difficult to make them in volume. Per Cnet’s source, "They have production plans for 2048x1536 displays. Starting in November. But those are only plans at this point," said the source, referring to Korea-based LG Display and Samsung.

"It's not a question of making just one. That, of course, can be done. The challenge is making lots of them," the source said. "This is a quantum leap in pixel density. This hasn't been done before."

The report says that LG and Samsung have a plan B, if they’re not able to hit the volumes required by the American electronics maker - an interim option of 1600x1200.

The display is also expected to have a brightness of 550 nits. That's pretty bright, as the typical laptop display panel tops out at about 350 nits.