It's amazing how many of my friends dismisses the retina display, saying either it's not important or it's just a marketing hype. I guess it's really hard to put into words how good those displays are, it's really something they'd have to see.
It's pretty genius of Apple to dominate the most tangible spec: the display. And not just dominate it, but by all accounts, practically own the world-wide inventory. All of the other devices which continue to try [and fail] to out-RAM/CPU/GPU/battery the iPad just don't get it.
When you are holding the device and just looking at it, maybe trying a few apps - whether at the store, or trying out your friends - the display is the only constant that'll matter and it's the only thing that you can definitively and objectively compare.
Apple's choice of the display is a good/bad situation. They are getting some positive press around their so called "retina display" - but I suspect that Apple will have supply shortages that will negatively impact them for a significant portion of the quarter. The 2048x1536 display is a fairly new component, the yields are probably suboptimal, and the manufacturing lines are probably not up to speed. Don't be too surprise if you are unable to purchase the "new iPad" for several months while Apple (and it's component vendors) try and crank out enough supply for the foxconn factories.
And yes - I do agree with you - Apple and their bundles of cash have likely hamstrung world-wide inventories of this display for a minimum of 60, if not 90 days. No other electronics vendor will be shipping the 2048x1536 form factor in large volumes until June/July at the very earliest.
Doesn't Apple have a history of successfully using/inventing new components? The unibody aluminium, the original retina display, glass trackpads..even the "hidden" LED on Macbooks. The only major supply failure that I'm aware of is the white iPhone.
Also, Apple says they'll have enough screen for 12-15 million devices this quarter, and claim there's no supply issue at all. [1]
That aside, shortage isn't bad for in-demand items. It just causes more hype. A year after the Wii shortage, they were still one of the hotest electronic devices you could get your hands on.
I think that this is an area where Apple's retail presence is a big strength for them. The benefits of the new display are hard to get across in marketing, especially to consumers who are not tech-savvy and don't understand how a higher resolution display would improve the iPad. Apple Stores let people experience the product firsthand, and I expect a lot of these people will be very impressed after they see the screen with their own eyes.
Damnit, I accidentally downvoted you. Your old links just got some extra love to make up for it.
Anyways, I was attempting to upvote your comment because I've noticed the same. I'm sure it will change once they see the display in person, and then see an iPad 1 or 2 again. I stare at pixels all day and it was an incredible upgrade to go from a standard Dell to a MBP with a high res display a few years back. Looking forward to this next step as well.
My big question is: Is 2K by 1K5 actually an improvement over the best of the competition (1920x1200)? Obviously 1024x768 is way too low. Bumping to exactly 4 times the number of pixels made the transition seamless, but is there a significant visual difference between the 3 megapixel screen of the new iPad versus the 2 megapixel screen of the ASUS Transformer Infinity? At some point you are going to hit the limit of what the human eye can distinguish. Perhaps a different way of phrasing the question is: at what distance do you have to hold the tablet from your eyes to notice a significant difference?
One difference is that the ASUS tablet isn't out yet. And, as far as I know (which, admittedly, isn't much), it doesn't even have a release date. Once it is out, it should be definitely comparable, but this tablet is out now. Which is pretty impressive.
Around the office, when discussing the new iPad, many people have said "but it's just a higher resolution display," to which I replay "exactly, and it's a darn fine $500 display."
