DisplayMate has just run through a set of vigorous tests that compare the new iPad with the iPad 2 and a bunch of other tablets, and have confirmed many of Apple's tall claims about the new Retina display.
What makes the new iPad really shine is its very accurate colors and picture quality. It’s most likely better and more accurate than any display you own (unless it’s a calibrated professional display). In fact with some minor calibration tweaks the new iPad would qualify as a studio reference monitor. ... With this degree of picture quality and accuracy the iPad is now qualified for many interesting professional level applications. ... For this the new iPad beats every laptop, tablet, and mobile projector I have seen."
While the iPad 2 and iPhone 4 had weak blues and purples, DisplayMate reported that the new iPad reproduced 99% accurate color reproduction. Though the sharpness is incredible and approaching overkill, the "Retina" quality is being disputed slightly; in order for the human eye to be unable to distinguish pixels at a distance of 12 inches, a screen would have to cram in 573 pixel per inch, which is a far cry from the new iPad's 264 ppi. Further, he notes that at a viewing distance of 6 feet, your HDTV technically counts as a retina display, too.
The only areas Apple can really improve on, according to DisplayMate, are separated backlights for red, green, and blue pixels for even more accurate colors, reduction of reflection, and smarter automatic brightness handling. Eventually, they expect Apple to switch to OLED screens of varying sizes, but cost remains a big factor.
At this point, it seems like it will actually take content creators some time to catch up to the new standard of high definition. That said, Apple is now freed up to improve different parts of the device while the rest of the tablet world scrambles to catch up. Maybe they can get in on that textured display technology that was rumored just before the announcement...
Be sure to take a look at the source link for all of the technical nitty-gritty of the new iPad's tests. The guy who wrote it has been in the business for over 20 years and definitely knows what he's talking about.
Source: DisplayMate
