Technically Speaking: Is An iPad With 2048x1536 Resolution Possible?

There have been a slew of recent rumors floating around that the iPad 2 or iPad 3 will sport Apple’s Retina Display and have a beautiful resolution of 2048 x 1536.  Which got me thinking, is that even possible to achieve on a 9.7-inch display?  So I decided to do a little math.  The current iPhone 4 which has a Retina Display has a screen resolution of 960 x 640 at 326 PPI.

If the iPhone 4’s 3.5-inch display is capable of producing such a high-resolution, then yes, it would seem logical that Apple could get a 2048 x 1536 resolution on a 9.7-inch display.  But let’s take a look at the numbers to make sure, shall we?

The current iPad has a resolution of 1024 x 768 at 132 PPI.  If the Retina Display is capable of 326 PPI and you do the math using the iPad’s 9.7-inch display with a resolution of 2048 x 1536: Display size: 7.76″ × 5.82″ (19.71cm × 14.78cm) = 263.92 PPI, then it appears that it is definitely a possible feat to accomplish.  In fact, it may be able to produce even higher resolutions than that.

The question that remains is the price.  I doubt Apple would go with the Retina Display if it meant significant price increases (or a price increase at all).  So it may be that they are waiting for the costs to come down before shipping an iPad with a Retina Display.

Either way, I still want my Retina Display Monitor.