iPad 3 Retina-Slaying Reports Return, 7.85-Inch iPad Possibility Voiced

If you'll remember back to the start of this summer, it was LG that was speaking about AH-IPS displays that would take all other panels, including the iPad 2's 9.7-inch 1024 x 768 powerhouse, to the cleaners – and now the report comes from Samsung, Sharp, and LGD that the iPad 3 will play host to a panel that's twice as nice as the current king. DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim spoke with CNET about the matter and has noted that "production has started" on no less than 10-inch displays with 2048x1536 pixel resolution. How on earth one would think that these panels would be shipped to retailers inside 2011 or even inside the first quarter of 2012 is a massive mystery to your humble narrator, but that's what's being said about these panels for the iPad 3.

DisplaySearch is saying several things, a couple of fellows, analyst Richard Shim who says that these displays (inside devices, no less), will come to the market inside the first quarter of 2012, while his boss Paul Semenza says something very similar. Hear first the words of Shim in a quote that will have you baffled. When's the last time you saw Apple bring an entirely new iteration of a product less than a year after its predecessor?

"It takes a couple of weeks for the production to go to the [the manufacturers]. Then the manufacturer puts them in the housing. Then, that goes off to shipment. We could start seeing finished devices produced in December. And then being ready to be shipped in January. With volumes gearing up in February and March." – Shim

Then hear from DisplaySearch Senior Vice President Paul Semenza speaking with Jon Phillips of Wired on whether or not he expects to see an iPad 3 with a 2048×1536 screen resolution inside the first quarter of 2012:

"We don't have a forecast on it, no. But I wouldn't be surprised if they don't get there. They're dealing with a lot of new technologies." – Semenza

Shim continued by noting that he had information leading him to believe that Apple was interested in creating another new iPad model with a 7.85-inch display that'd be released near the end of 2012. Of course this all comes from a quote that could essentially mean anything when it comes down to it:

"If there's demand, there's no reason they wouldn't build a 7.85-inch iPad." -Shim

So what can you take from all this conjecture? That the iPad 3 will be better than the iPad 2 in some form or another. Imagine that! If the iPad 3 has the same amount of pixels mentioned earlier inside the same 9.7-inch space that both iPads out already have, it'd have 264 pixels per inch. That's quite a bit better than the current 132 pixels per inch the iPad 2 has, and it's not a far-off dream that Apple would improve upon its previous models with its next generation device. Head back to the last post about the improved display specs on the iPad 3 then remember to note that in the next generation, thickness may be a factor in the iPad 3. Imagine that!

[via ArsTech]