Edible Apple

Samsung next week at the SID Display Week 2011 International Symposium will demo a brand new 10.1-inch display with a whopping 2560 x 1600 resolution. If you’re looking in the tablet realm, you won’t find anything even close to that kind of resolution.

In the weeks leading up to the iPad 2 announcement, there were rumors that Apple was going to implement a Retina Display on its next-gen tablet. This obviously never came to pass, and of course there were some technical issues rumored to be behind Apple’s decision not to go with the touted Retina Display it introduced with the iPhone 4.

But here’s the thing. The aforementioned Samsung display is 300 dpi, which is a tad higher than the 287 pixels per inch threshold for a Retina Display. By way of comparison, the iPhone 4 sports 326 pixels per inch.

So does this pave the way for a Retina Display based iPad 3?

We wouldn’t be shocked if such a product was in the pipeline. And interestingly enough, Samsung’s display uses PenTile technology which the Korean based company claims requires 40% less power. Just don’t expect Apple to use the exact display Samsung plans on showing off.

It’s unlikely for a number of reasons that Apple will employ this exact display in the iPad 3. The 10.1-inch form factor exceeds the 9.7-inch size of the current iPad’s design, and the display resolution is also in excess of the pixel-doubled resolution of the iPad’s current 1024 x 768 display. The PenTile technology that’s made its way into displays for smartphones like Google’s Nexus One is also something Apple has shied away from thus far, preferring to stick with tech like in-plane switching (IPS) for its iPhones and iPads.

But as TUAW notes, Samsung’s display proves that a Retina Display tablet is indeed possible without sacrificing battery life – which as opposed to other tablet manufacturers is actually a high priority for Apple. But in the interest of objectivity, or perhaps pessimism, let’s wait until we see the demo before jumping to too many conclusions. After all, whose to say when this display will find its way into Samsung’s line of tablets, or any other tablet for that matter. Rumor has it, though, that it might start showing up in tablets by the end of 2011.

Notably, there have also been rumors that Apple would introduce a new iPad model this Fall, but with a new iPod refresh and now the iPhone 5 on the docket, we don’t anticipate that being the case. Besides, if Apple starts upgrading its products too soon after launch, people will be slightly more apprehensive about pulling the trigger.