14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has removed the "Open in HIDPI mode" checkbox from the "Get Info" window in Mac OS X 10.7.3 builds which, at the very least, indicates work-in-progress for Retina Display support in future Macs.
Spotted by developers with access to the latest Lion beta (Build 11D36), the removal of said option is regarded as a telltale sign that Apple is trying to determine the best way to implement higher-density video output in future Mac OS builds.
For now, the company apparently wants developers focusing on other stuff, such as Address Book, iCal, Mail, Spotlight and Safari, as well as iCloud Document Storage.
The option to boot up in HIDPI mode is likely to return, perhaps under a different name too.
This change on the software-side would accommodate higher-density-pixel displays in future Macs. Apple has been rumored to be planning the introduction of a MacBook Pro offering a resolution of 2880x1800.
Less than two weeks ago, Taiwanese trade publication Digitimes cited sources in the upstream supply chain as saying that the upcoming line of Macintosh computers will boast a display resolution of 2880 by 1800.
The move would impose new standards for panel specifications in the notebook industry, the site said, adding that current MacBook Pro models only have resolutions of 1680 by 1050 to 1280 by 800.
At the time of this reporting, there had already been some evidence of Retina display plans for Macs embedded in older Mac OS X betas.
But, as any technology buff will tell you, getting a Retina display Mac out is only a matter of time for Apple.
It’s also worth noting that the Digitimes report added that Acer and Asustek were also racing to get a Retina computer out, perhaps even ahead of Apple.