Could laptop displays finally be dragged out of their torpid stagnation at 1366×768? Quoting unnamed industry sources, DigiTimes reports that Asus and Acer are both working with LCD panel manufacturers to “develop a new generation of full HD notebook panels with a resolution of 1,920×1,080.” Those panels would go in the next wave of ultrabooks due early in 2012.
DigiTimes doesn’t say what size ultrabooks these 1080p panels are destined for. We could be talking about 14- and 15-inch machines, in which case 1080p panels would be welcome but not entirely groundbreaking additions. However, the wording of the article (which mentions a next-gen iPad 2 with a 2048×1536 display) suggests otherwise.
For many years now, I’ve been quietly waiting for PC displays to venture into high-DPI territory. Phones ended up getting there first, but now, it seems tablets and laptops might be next in line. Provided high-DPI displays receive solid operating system support, I’ll be happy. We’d be able to enjoy, among other things, better typography on the web, with none of the ugly tradeoffs of the different font antialiasing schemes out there. Good OS support is key, though. At a standard 96 DPI, I think 1600×900 is about all I can tolerate on a 13″ panel before my eyes get tired.