iPad 2 rumors point to doubled resolution, dual-core CPU

By Molly McHugh January 17, 2011

We told you last week that the next-generation iPhone would get a new CPU, and that Apple was investing in Qualcomm chips. Today, Apple Insider is reporting that the iPad 2 will be getting some interior upgrades of its own.

Citing the same source that spilled on the licensing deal between Apple, Imagination Technologies, and Samsung back in 2008, the site claims that the upcoming iPad will feature double the resolution, and an enhanced version of Apple’s A4 chip that will significantly enhance its graphics and video-processing capabilities.

Just as Apple doubled the number of pixels packed into the width and height of the iPhone’s screen with its new Retina display, MacRumors suggests graphics found within iBooks 1.1 point to the same change for a next-gen iPad. That would put total resolution at an astounding 2048 x 1546, even greater than the 1920 x 1080 resolution used in most big-screen desktop monitors and HDTVs. Doubling resolution, rather than working in other odd increments, makes it easier for developers to scale up old apps to the new screen size.

AppleInsider reports that Apple will also replace the SGX535 graphics processor with the SGX543, a new version which operates at the same clock speed but supposedly offers twice the power. This not only means support for higher-resolution video decoding (which the new screen size would necessitate), but also HDMI compatibility. Following in the footsteps of many next-gen tablets from CES 2011, the iPad 2 is also like to move up to a dual-core CPU based on the ARM Cortex A9.

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Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…

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