Apple to launch ‘iPad 2 Plus’ with better display this year, analyst claims

Apple is gearing up to launch an updated version of its popular iPad 2 tablet with a high-resolution display later this year, according to FBR Capital Markets analyst Craig Berger. In a note to investors on Wednesday, the analyst claimed that Apple is currently shopping for quotes from manufacturers in China. The new iPad, which he calls an “iPad 2 Plus,” will not be an entirely new model as earlier reports have stated. Instead, Berger’s sources say the update will be a high-end version of the iPad 2 with a better display; the analyst believes Apple will increase the device’s pixel density from the current iPad 2 display’s 132 pixels per inch to between 250 and 300 pixels per inch. The move would be extremely curious for Apple, but it is possible. Apple could release a new high-end iPad featuring a 2048 x 1536-pixel display, which is double the current model’s resolution, and developers would able to maintain a single version of each application that will accommodate both screens. This would be a similar scenario to what we have now with the iPhone 3GS (480 x 320-pixel display) and iPhone 4 (960 x 640-pixel display). Berger believes Apple may now meet or even exceed his build target of between 40 and 45 million iPad tablets in 2011.