“Apple is said to be on the verge of rolling out new high-resolution displays for its computers that, up until now, have only been available on its iPhones and iPads. And those panels are already in the supply chain, an analyst told CNET,” Josh Lowensohn and Brooke Crothers report for CNET. “The feature, which could cost nearly $100 more than Apple currently spends, would make photos, applications, and text look sharper and clearer on Apple’s computers. The company pulled the same trick on its iPhones and iPods, and more recently on the iPad. Computers have been the one holdout, but that’s changing.”
Lowensohn and Crothers report, “NPD DisplaySearch Senior Analyst Richard Shim says that super high-resolution 13.3-inch and 15.4-inch panels that Apple would be a prime candidate to use are already available from suppliers… ‘What’s clear is that Apple’s pushing it. They’re pushing panel makers to come out with higher resolution panels because they’ve created a market demand for it, starting with their phones, now going to their tablets,’ Shim said. ‘Now what we’re seeing in the supply chain is that they’re going to move that to their notebooks, and it’s becoming a premium feature.'”
“What’s unclear is if consumers will end up paying more for the improvements,” Lowensohn and Crothers report. “When Apple made the jump to Retina Displays in its iOS devices, the cost of the device stayed the same. The scale was a bit smaller though. For instance, according to a bill of materials from IHS iSuppli, the price of the third-generation iPad’s display was $87 versus the iPad 2’s $57, just a $30 difference… Shim did not specify whether Sharp or its IGZO panels was one of the suppliers. Other candidates include Samsung and LG Display, according to sources familiar with supplier activity.”
Much more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: If true, Windows PCs are set to fall even further behind Apple’s state-of-the-art Macs – and very noticeably so. Just a quick glance is all it will take.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]
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