According to our source, iOS 5 might bring the ability to play back 1080p video content on the iPad 2, as well as possibly the iPhone 4S and the AppleTV. Our source notes that with iOS 5 beta 1, 1080P video content now transfers and plays smoothly on the iPad 2.
While the iPad 2 cannot truly play 1080p content without downscaling (due to its lack of a display with high enough resolution), it will likely be able to output such content to an HDTV. But the really exciting bit is that this might bring smooth, native 1080p playback to the iPhone 4S, or even a future (or the current) Apple TV.
The interesting thing about this is that it apparently reflects that Apple is satisfied enough with the iPad 2’s A5 chip (and battery) to enable 1080p video playback, without worrying about the experience to the user. This speaks well about the A5 chip, which will likely end up in the iPhone 4S as well, and possible the next version of the AppleTV.
The second image in this post features a screenshot from our source showing 1080p playback on an iPad 2, and our source insists that the playback is very smooth, and looks great. As if there weren’t enough reasons to be impatient about iOS 5’s fall release, this is just one more thing to add to the list.
Your thoughts? As always, please sound off in the comments!