iLounge

Apple’s LCD manufacturing partners, including LG Display and Samsung, are facing a steep challenge in trying to build enough high-resolution displays in time to be included in the iPad 3, according to a new report. Citing a source who is in contact with Asian suppliers, Cnet reports that Apple is seeking to include a 2048x1536 resolution display in the iPad 3, quadrupling the number of pixels seen in prior iPad models. “They have production plans for 2,048 x 1,536 displays. Starting in November. But those are only plans at this point,” said the source. “It’s not a question of making just one. That, of course, can be done. The challenge is making lots of them. This is a quantum leap in pixel density. This hasn’t been done before.”

The report also claims that the manufacturers are offering 1,600 x 1,200 screens as an interim option should the higher-res panels prove too difficult to build, although it remains to be seen if Apple would consider such an option given the difficulties such a product would pose to developers. Surprisingly, the report doesn’t mention Sharp, a company with which Apple reportedly had plans to invest $1 billion in a factory to build LCD panels for iPhones and iPads.