Apple is reportedly preparing to kick off trial production of its next-gen iPad in October 2011.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Cupertino has already ordered key components such as display panels and chips as it readies for an iPad 3 launch in early 2012.
The next-gen tablet is expected to boast a high-res display – 2048×1536 – compared to the iPad 2’s current resolution of 1024×768.
As AppleInsider points out, the WSJ’s report seems to confirm a previous analysis by Ming-Chi Kuo of Concord Securities.
Although Kuo was unsure when the iPad 3 would actually hit the market, he did note the tablet would feature a 9.7 inch IPS panel with FFS (fringe-field switching) technology, which enables a wider viewing angle and clearer visual quality in direct sunlight.
At 2048×1536, the iPad 3 would offer higher resolution than the 17-inch MacBook Pro and would actually be closer to Cupertino’s 27-inch, 2560×1440 LED Cinema Display.
Indeed, the iPad 3’s high-density display is capable of rendering existing tablet apps at full fidelity, while allowing optimized apps to draw images, text and other content with razor sharp detail – at a pixel density where individual dots begin to vanish from view.
