A refreshed line of Macbooks within the next few months seems a given, but now we’re starting to hear some interesting possibilities about the screen technology that Apple plans to use.
A major software update to the OS X software used on Macs is due this summer, called Mountain Lion (OS X 10.8), and Apple is currently let developers test the software before the main release. This early use of Mountain Lion has enabled developers and various Mac fans around the world to snoop around and see what else could be in store.
Several users have reported that many icons used in the current developer version of Mountain Lion are “double resolution”. This leads us to believe that Apple may be planning to launch Macs with super high-resolution screens, which it is likely to brand with the same ‘Retina Display’ name as its iPhones and iPads.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard whispers of future Retina Display Macs – Apple added high-DPI (dots per inch) icons and interface elements within OS X 10.7.3 this February. It also added HiDPI, a mode that makes icons and text much sharper, ideal for higher resolution displays.
The move to put Retina Displays in Macs would make sense, as it appears Apple is planning to put visuals first in its products. The iPhone was the first to get the super-clear Retina Display, and now more recently the iPad, so why not its computers?
If these clues do come to fruition, we could be looking at a 15-inch MacBook Pro with a resolution of 2880 x 1800 pixels – double that of the current range’s screen resolution. Apple’s desktop iMacs would boast resolutions of 4096 x 4096, a whopping size that can be supported if Apple chooses to use Intel’s next series of Ivy Bridge processors.
Along with a Retina Display, rumours have indicated that Apple is already producing a much slimmer model of MacBook Pro that could drop the CD Drive in a bid to be more like the MacBook Air.
Super-clear Retina Displays and slimmer, lighter frames? Yes please!
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