Despite the fact that Android devices by the boatload run circles around Apple’s Retina display panels, the Cupertino firm is nonetheless still considered to be one of the best in the business when it comes to display technological advancements. It was back in 2010 that the “Retina” branding was first used and at the time Apple was largely untouchable, but these days there’s just no escaping the extraordinary progress going on in the Android sphere.
Things could be set to change quite spectacularly as of next though as Apple is reportedly toying with both 2K and 4K displays for the next round of iPads, which according to reports could make their first appearance as early as Q2 next year.
Talk of the so-called iPad Pro has been hotting up ever since the summer, when it was first suggested that Apple will going very big inded in 2014…in more ways than one.
A new report from the folks at Pad News in China talks of an iPad Pro with a gigantic 12.9-inch touchscreen, along with its supposed ultra HD resolution.
the competition in display resolution and density, rumors now suggest that Apple will be working on two Retina Display tablets in 2014, one with 2K resolution and the other with 4K. These devices will reportedly come with a larger display, hearkening back to the iPad maxi and iPad Pro rumors from weeks back, and one may be out in the market as soon as April 2014.
“Recently, we got some news about 12.9 inches of iPad,” the translation reads.
“We understand that Foxconn for 12.9 inches of iPad [sic] did five different scenarios, and Apple may choose from two options. That Apple may launch two 12.9 inches of iPad [sic].”
In addition, the report also stated that the 2K version of the iPad Pro could already be in its late testing phases and therefore go into full production in time for a spring launch. As for the 4K device, chances are the upper-end iPad Pro won’t hit the market until the closing quarter of next year – not that it won’t be worth the wait, of course.
To put 4K resolution into some kind of perspective, a 4K iPad would have to feature twice the pixel count of the iPad Air, meaning a full 4,096 by 3,072…something entirely unheard of in the mainstream tablet PC sphere right now. The Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is considered to have the best display available on a tablet PC right now with 2,560 by 1,600 resolution – just to illustrate how far ahead of the pack a 4K iPad Pro would be.