Speaking at the Intel Developer Forum, Intel VP Kirk Skaugen made some very interesting comments about Intel’s upcoming Ivy Bridge processors, reports 9to5Mac, stating that the chips are are built with full support for “Retina displays”:
We are planning to deliver more than 70% higher graphics performance versus the second generation core processor. We’ll have new support for three screens, DirectX 11, OpenCL 1.1, and OpenGL 3.1. These are new disclosures today on the amazing performance that we’re going to be delivering around this, with 2560×1600 resolution, and just like we had on the second-generation core, and now third-generation core, all this is Retina Display capable, if our OEMs choose to deliver on that.
It’s especially interesting that Skaugen used the term “Retina display” – a term which was coined by Apple’s marketing team to describe the ultra-high-resolution displays used in the iPhone and the new iPad, which are so pixel-dense that the human eye can’t discern individual pixels.
It’s worth noting that a resolution of 2560 x 1600 is four times the current resolution found in the 13″ MacBook Pro – and the new Ivy Bridge processors would actually be capable of powering even higher resolution displays than the resolution that Skaugen specifically mentioned.
Now, the use of the term Retina might just have been a slip of the tongue, but combined with rumors of new MacBooks and iMacs coming soon, and the fact that Apple has been actively updating OS X with Retina-ready images and support for Hi-DPI mode, I’d say this is likely more than just a coincidence. As always, however, only time will tell.
