It would be cruel to suggest the rumours surrounding iPad 2 specs have little basis in reality. Equally, writing down your dream features for Apple's next tablet on the back of a cigarette packet would probably generate a headline or two, such is the hunger for info about the device.

The latest rumours focus on iPad 2's screen.

Following on from expectations that the tablet will come equipped with two cameras (one on the back and one front facing) and will sport a thinner, sleeker design with an SD card slot, reports claim Apple is looking to match the quality of iPhone 4's retina display – or at least come close.

As such, a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels is being touted for iPad 2's screen, following the discovery of iBook's artwork designed to support such a 'super high resolution'.

That would mean the tablet would come with with four times as many pixels as its predecessor, with a pixel density of 260 dpi – down on iPhone 4'a dpi of 326, but still a marked improvement.

Resolution realism?

However, as CrunchGear points out, there's a strong case to suggest Apple zealots are getting carried away.

The site quotes Nelso's Jack Deneut, who points out that such a resolution is unrealistic, if for no other reason than because native content to support it doesn't exist.

"Let's assume for the sake of argument that all of the usual problems with such a display have been solved - battery life, cost, speed, etc," Deneut states on the firm's blog.

"Even if the iPad 2 comes out in a 16GB WiFi version for $499 with a 2048x1536 display, where is the content going to come from? 720p HD video - the highest resolution sold on iTunes - would fill only a quarter of the screen, and 1080p video would have black bars not only along the top and bottom, but also along the sides of the screen.

"Of course, Apple will scale up these videos to fill the screen, but most people don't expect pixel-doubling when watching HD video."





Price and powerThe other concern is, such a high quality display in a device as big as iPad would effectively price the tablet out of the market, making the kind of mainstream appeal the current version has fostered hard to hold on to.

Aside from that, other reports point to iPad 2 coming equipped with a dual-core GPU from Imagination Technologies, dubbed the SGX543, which may also form the basic architecture for the iPhone 5.

Drivers for the SGX543 were apparently discovered within the iOS 4.3 beta.

[source: TUAW]