Edible Apple

The iPhone burst onto the scene in 2007 and quickly became the premier smartphone on the market. Since then, Apple’s iconic smartphone has retained its status as the smartphone to beat amidst an unending stream of Android devices that, taken together, have taken away a significant amount of marketshare that would otherwise belong to Apple.

Seeking to combat this with respect to the iPad, Apple was rumored to be working on a new iPad with a Retina Display that it would launch as early as this past Fall. That clearly never happened – thanks to reports of production difficulties – and the iPad 3 has since returned to its natural release cycle with a launch tentatively scheduled for early 2012.

But now CNET reports that iPad manufacturers LG and Samsung are still experiencing difficulties producing the pixel-dense iPad retina display in significant volume.

The closest that iPad display manufacturers like LG Display and Samsung can get is 2048×1536 resolution display, according to the source. That’s a PPI of 264, twice the 132 PPI on the iPad 2.

But whether manufacturers can make them in volumes that Apple demands is the question. “They have production plans for 2,048×1,536 displays. Starting in November. But those are only plans at this point,” said the source, referring to LG and Samsung.

“It’s not a question of making just one. That, of course, can be done. The challenge is making lots of them,” the source said. “This is a quantum leap in pixel density. This hasn’t been done before.”

If manufacturers are not able to hit the volumes necessary for the higher resolution, there is an interim option of 1,600×1,200, according to the source.

The display is also expected to have a brightness of 550 nits. That’s pretty bright, as the typical laptop display panel tops out at about 350 nits.

The iPad 2 is already blazing fast and we doubt folks will upgrade to an iPad 3 solely for a Retina Display. That said, Apple has to up the ante with its next-generation iPad to make it a worthy upgrade. To that end, it’s been rumored that the next-gen iPad will be LTE compatible. Further, we have to imagine that Siri will finally make its debut on the iPad 3 as well.