Does The iPad Air 2 Need 4K Resolution To Be A Game Changer?
It’s almost that time of year again, when Apple reveals and releases its new set of products for the year. And if the leaks are any indication, this year’s iPad Air could be quite the upgrade. Yes, there have been many rumors in the past regarding the iPad, but according to the International Business Times, the iPad Air 2 is expected to have an A8 processor chip, TV-game console support, and 4K resolution.
The 4K resolution screen is the interesting bit to focus on, as it would double the resolution of the current model of the iPad Air, as well as exceed the resolution of large 4K televisions, Tech Radar reports. But is this battle of pixels all for naught? While the iPad of late has faced criticism for falling behind in the pixel department of their screens compared to their competition, is this even a battle Apple should fight? When it comes to tablets like the iPad Air, there is a point where the returns are diminished. In an article from Tech Radar, the following was stated regarding the sizes in which 4K televisions should be coming in:
“In the short term, screen sizes are likely to stabilise at 55-inches and upwards. That’s because as the screen size shrinks the advantage of having such a pixel dense display starts to diminish. There’s also an irrefutable relationship between screen resolution and viewing distances.”
In short, the smaller the screen (like on an iPad Air) the less one is able to discern the difference between a six million pixels and seven million pixels. In that sense, Apple had the right idea with its retina display marketing slant, wherein retina display indicated that at “standard distance viewing,” the eye wouldn’t be able to notice the pixels. Getting involved in the numbers game with other competitors where the numbers really don’t matter seems like a slippery slope, especially regarding a smaller device like an iPad. Or perhaps this indicates that Apple will be releasing larger iPads this year? Despite rumors last year of a potential 12.9 inch iPad Pro, the more recent pictures of leaked iPad Air 2’s could indicate that such plans were nothing more than rumor.
Though Forbes seems to believe that 4K resolution screens for their new iPad can be quite the game changer, the Tech Radar quote from above seems to indicate otherwise. Apple has always been a company to make strong, unforgiving strides into directions consumers did not even realize they wanted. They nixed the 3.5 inch floppy drive in favor of the CD drive long before most were comfortable with the switch, and even more recently dropped disc drives altogether, while most competition continues to bundle their computers with them.
Would the switch to a 4K iPad Air be an indication of Apple growing weaker in their convictions and simply upping the numbers in order to please uneducated consumers?
