Although Apple rumor-mongers can rarely agree on anything, two things that most of the supposed tipsters and leaksters have managed to agree on is that the iPad 2 will be FaceTime compatible and have a higher resolution display.
Some files in the new iOS 4.3 SDK seemingly confirm the FaceTime claims, as it includes iPad-specific graphic files for the shutter screen seen in the iPhone and iPod Touch, which implies, at the very least, a new backwards facing camera. Interesting, but a no-brainer: there’s no way Apple’s going to leave FaceTime capability out of the iPad 2.
More surprising than the FaceTime implications of those icons, though, are their resolution: 1024 x 768. In other words, the current iOS 4.3 SDK implies that the FaceTime-capable iPad 2 will have the same resolution as the current iPad.
I know a lot of people thought the iPad 2 would get a Retina Display, but I’ve always been skeptical, and this seemingly confirms it. 10-inch Retina Displays are just too expensive to put in the iPad this generation.
More surprising is that Apple didn’t increase the pixel density in the iPad 2 at all, but it actually makes perfect sense when you think about it: Apple does not want to force developers to code for another resolution entirely until Cupertino’s maxed out the hardware display to their satisfaction. That means that until 10-inch Retina Display panels become cheap enough to put in the iPad, all iPads will continue at a 1024 x 768 resolution.
John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
