Apple's next iPad will include a screen with 2048 x 1536 resolution, according to the latest rumor. But which Apple exec will unveil the next tablet in Steve Jobs' absence?
Apple's
next-generation iPad will feature a higher-resolution screen, according to a
new burst of rumors. That adds to the general drum-roll of rumor and
speculation surrounding the successor to the company's bestselling tablet.
Citing unnamed
sources from "upstream component makers,"
the publication
DigiTimes suggested Jan. 20 that the "iPad 2" will boast a resolution of
2048 x 1536. That apparently opens the door for software crossovers within the
Apple ecosystem.
"The larger
resolution should provide the company's app developers more convenience, while
all future applications will be able to run under any of Apple's machines
including the 27-inch iMac," DigiTimes reported.
Along with
blogs such as Boy Genius Report and MacNotes, DigiTimes has contributed many an
iPad rumor based on unnamed sources over the past few months. Collectively,
those rumors suggest that the newest iPad will arrive on U.S. store shelves by
early April, roughly in line with the release schedule for the original iPad,
which launched in April 2010.
Boy Genius Report suggested in a Jan. 12 posting that Apple is planning a
fairly radical hardware alteration to the iPad. "We have exclusively been told
that the reason Apple just added multi-touch gestures for the iPad in the
latest iOS 4.3 beta is because the iPad will be losing the home button,"
read
that posting. "Instead of button taps, you will use new multi-touch
gestures to navigate to the home screen and also to launch the app switcher."
That would
bring the next iPad in line with other next-generation tablets such as Research
In Motion's PlayBook, whose case is also touch-sensitive; instead of hitting a
button to bring up the home screen, for example, you "flick" your finger across
the BlackBerry logo embossed along the tablet's bottom.
But a
higher-resolution screen for the iPad would allow the tablet to stand out among
its competitors in the same way that similarly augmented screens help
differentiate smartphones from their competitors. Apple's iPhone 4 incorporates
an ultra-bright "Retina Display," while Samsung's Galaxy S smartphone line
includes Super AMOLED (active-matrix organic LED) screens; both additions are
frequently cited as standout features from other iOS and Android devices.
Should Apple
choose to announce the next iPad in the near future, though, the question
remains which company executive will take the stage to whip the curtain away
from the device. Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who usually hosts his company's
highest-profile presentations, announced Jan. 17 that he is taking another
leave of absence to focus on his health. With his departure, it seems likely
that COO Tim Cook,
who
unveiled the Verizon iPhone in New York City Jan. 11, will take over event
ringleader duties.
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