Calling it “the best display ever on a mobile device,” Apple says its new A5X chip, quad-core graphics powered, iPad 3 retina display offers a 2048x1536 resolution, plus 44 percent better color saturation and 3.1 million pixels in the same 9.7-inch space as the iPad 2 — four times that device’s pixel count, and a million pixels more than HDTV — providing 264 pixels per inch (ppi) worth of razor-sharp text and rich, vibrant colors. The iPhone 4S offers a much smaller, but still sharp, version of the retina display; with a 960x640-pixel resolution at 326 ppi on a 3.5 inch screen.

“The retina display transforms the entire iPad experience,” states the Apple website. “So everything looks and feels incredibly lifelike and perfectly detailed.”

“Those pixels are so close together, your eyes can’t discern individual ones at a normal viewing distance,” Apple adds. “When you can’t see the pixels, you see the whole picture. Or article. Or game. In ways you never could before.”

This has obvious positive benefits for consumers of photographic and video erotica, as well as for the merchants providing suitably hi-resolution wares.

Apple says breakthrough technology was required to develop its high-resolution display.

“You see, every pixel in a display has multiple signals telling it when to light up. But when you have a lot of pixels and a lot of signals on the same plane, signals get crossed and image quality suffers,” the company explains. “To make sure everything on the new iPad 3 looks crystal clear, Apple engineers elevated the pixels onto a different plane — separating them from the signals.”

However they made it happen, the effect is stunning; but the real question we all want to know is, “how will it affect adult content?”

Crystal clear video materials simply beg for hi-bitrate video streams, while smooth playback and true HD capability call for an increase in resolution. Downloadable Bluray ISOs may be perfect for feeding such devices with the hi-quality content they deserve — prompting savvy adult operators to explore this emerging video distribution opportunity.

For photographers, a redefinition of what should be considered “web size” is in order; with yesteryears’ “you won’t need more than 1024x768 for the web,” faded into the past.