Intel Looking Toward Retina Display PCs by 2013

As reported by Liliputing (via Electronista), Intel is envisioning the high-resolution "Retina" displays pushed by Apple in its iOS devices as the future of PCs, with comments at its Intel Developer Forum in Beijing noting that the company is supporting those plans with its chips.

intel retina displays 2013
Specifically, Intel sees handheld and tablet devices targeting resolutions in the range of 300 pixels per inch (ppi), while notebook computers target roughly 250 ppi and all-in-one desktop computers register around 220 ppi.

So here’s what Intel sees happening in the computer space over the next few years:

- Phones and media players with 5 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel displays (this is already happening)
- Tablets with 10 inch, 2560 x 1440 pixel displays
- Ultrabooks with 11 inch, 2560 x 1440 pixel displays
- Ultrabooks with 13 inch, 2800 x 1800 pixel displays
- Laptops with 15 inch, 3840 x 2160 pixel displays
- All-in-one desktops with 3840 x 2160 pixel displays

As noted by 9to5Mac, Intel executive Kirk Skaugen specifically referred to these displays by the "Retina" term coined by Apple at the introduction of the iPhone 4 back in 2010. In his presentation, Skaugen mentioned that Intel's third-generation Core i-Series processors (also known as Ivy Bridge) will support Retina displays if manufacturers choose to offer them. This support is not new, however, as he also noted that the current second-generation Core i-Series chips (Sandy Bridge) also support Retina displays, although Ivy Bridge will mark a significant leap forward in graphics support.

Apple is of course rumored to be working toward releasing Retina-capable Macs, as evidenced by support for the "HiDPI" mode showing up in OS X Lion and Mountain Lion. Rumors have suggested that an updated 15-inch MacBook Pro set to appear in the near future could indeed carry a 2880x1800 screen capable of utilizing HiDPI mode to display sharper content.

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Top Rated Comments

djrod Avatar
170 months ago
Apple leads and the rest follows
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djrod Avatar
170 months ago
Just think of what would happen if this technology came to TVs. Ultra Blu Ray?

A tv is actually retina, you can't see pixels on a TV, you watch tv far away form the screen already
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kolax Avatar
170 months ago
I'm still sad they dumped the resolution independence and went down the hi-dpi route instead. One size does not fit all...

Yeah but I'd rather Hi-DPI though. Resolution independence works great for interface elements, but not for webpages. You'd end up with pixelated images on webpages if they are increased in size (i.e. zooming a webpage).

Least with Hi-DPI everything is sharper, and while images may not be optimised for double resolution, they won't look any less worse than they do on a non-retina display.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bawbac Avatar
170 months ago
I wonder if this will be the start of mass reports of yellowing displays, excessive dead pixels & color uniformity issues. :p

----------

Just think of what would happen if this technology came to TVs. Ultra Blu Ray?

4K blu-ray but there's currently no content.

Upconverting is not optimal and a waste of a good display without the proper source.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Drunken Master Avatar
170 months ago
I was planning on running my MBP into the ground for as many years as possible until it falls apart like the Blues Mobile but a retina MBP?

Might have to save up for that.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclardy Avatar
170 months ago
The whole 'Retina' term is marketing bulljive. Sit far away enough from *any* screen and PRESTO! ITS RETINA DISPLAY! :rolleyes:

'Retina' should mean; 300dpi, literally that many dots (or pixels) per inch at ANY distance, thereby truly being 'retina'

Its basically false advertising.

So a 30" Apple Cinema Display should be 7680x4320 so that it is 300dpi? Just so that when I am 5 inches away I see no pixels?

And man, a retina TV would be over 10,000 pixels wide. Just for the occasion when I stand six inches from it, I can marvel at the glorious detail. Too bad the movie has to come on a 50-bluray set to fit all the content.

Yes, Retina is a marketing term, but why should you set the definition to an arbitrary 300 dpi? If I hold my phone 1 inch from my face I can see pixels. So that means it has to be higher than 300 dpi. Why? Because our perception of detail is based on distance.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)