Microsoft Also Preparing for Desktop/Laptop Retina Displays

During a BUILD 2011 presentation, Microsoft told Windows 8 developers to plan their artwork for High DPI (dot per inch) monitors with varying artwork sizes. In particular, they mentioned Retina-class desktop and laptop monitors. @Stroughtonsmith tweeted from the talk which is not yet online:

retina
We'd previously reported that Apple had also been planning for ultra high resolution Retina displays in Mac OS X Lion. These ultra-high resolution displays would increase the number of pixels per inch found on both laptop and desktop displays.

There's been some doubts about when such displays will become commercially available, but it seems both Apple and Microsoft have built in support for it in their latest operating systems. Microsoft seems to indicate that they will be available within the next couple of years.

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Top Rated Comments

wikus Avatar
184 months ago
Apple first needs to give its customer REAL choice in video cards. Their current offerings are crap. A mobile graphics card in the iMac? Are you kidding me?

These high res screens will put a dent in performance, thats for sure.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macrumors12345 Avatar
184 months ago
Why should Microsoft even care?

90% of PC laptops have the exact same crappy screen resolution: 1366 x 768. Doesn't matter whether it's a 12" screen, 13" screen, 14" screen, 15" screen, or 16" screen. You can have your laptop in any resolution you'd like as long as it's 1366 x 768. The reason, of course, is that it's cheap to produce screens like this. It's not like this is going to change in a year or two.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SilianRail Avatar
184 months ago
Matte screen please. Can someone explain what could take advantage of 3840x2160?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
applefan289 Avatar
184 months ago
I can't see these displays becoming mainstream until at least 2-3 years from now.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cougarcat Avatar
184 months ago
Its still a desktop. A crappy mobile GPU has no place in a desktop. I'll take an extra half inch in thickness that I'll never be bothered with if it means throwing in a video card that gives me RESPECTABLE performance.

So would I, but Apple would rather put in a mobile GPU if it meant a thinner profile. They have different priorities than us, unfortunately.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NakedPaulToast Avatar
184 months ago
Does anyone else find it funny that Microsoft uses the term "Retina Display" like it's the name of a technology, while it's a marketing name Apple created.

Next thing you will know, Microsoft will officially use this term everywhere and object to Apple's patent claiming it's a generic term.

No, what I find funny is how you just made up that Microsoft is actually using the term "Retina Display".
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)