iPad 3, e-textbooks, iBook 2.0

by Rian

I still feel very proud of myself that I have predicted Apple would not be able to ship tablet with retina display on their 2nd generation of iPad. Feel free to search around the Mad Tea Party, you will find dozens of posts, arguing Apple does not hold such technology to run retina display on 9.7″ screen. According to Gizmodo, approximate resolution of the retina for iPad is 1,536 x 2,048. Numbers look just fine, but they forgot to put one factor in calculation, distance between eyes and display.

In order to experience something in a retina resolution, three factors need to work coordinately: distance(from eye to display), resolution, and density. We all know about resolution and density. We’ve seen how it worked out with iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. But what about iPad? No users would put their iPad right in front of their eyes while they are using iPad in real life. Fortunately, Apple does not need to bare higher density than of the iPhones’, since many users would not keep it that close. But again, we are talking about 9.7 inch screen, manufactured in quantities of million units.

Round it up, it all goes back to the beginning. Is Apple capable of manufacturing a tablet with a processing power of retina display? iOS AppStore has been very popular for having games with high definition graphics. That even adds more pressure to Apple. Do they have that? Quite frankly, they had not have such technologies when  iPad 2 was announced. Let’s do the simple math. Macbook Pro 13 inch series generally have 1280×800 resolution. Without multiplying, it’s right in front of our eyes. iPad with retina display requires more processing power than a laptop.

Under the circumstances, Apple does not need to put all their secret flavors in their new coming iPad. They are the one who’s controlling the market, publishing new OS, -and only OS- and selecting the chips. But now that iBook 2.0 is launched for actual reading experiences for educational purposes, Apple may consider producing retina displayed iPad. There always has been popular demand, and now everything is set up, only thing they have to do is, just launch it.

Believe it or not, some analysts are actually predicting iPad 3 will be announced on WWDC 2012. Or maybe sooner, as iPads were generally launched before the Summer comes. And when they do, that will be another bloody fight, not in the IT, but in the publishing market. -R