A story on AppleInsider has some interesting information from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of Concord Securities, to the effect that the iPad 3 may well be getting a 9.7-inch IPS panel screen with fringe-field switching (***) technology, which makes for a wider viewing angle and is clearer and easier to see in the sun. Kuo also told AppleInsider that the display will have Retina Display-like quality, with a resolution of 2048x1536, double that of the current version. According to Kuo, the iPad 2 will not be getting this new screen, because currently Apple is unable to get such screens supplied and installed in the right volume and at the right price.

“At this point,” Kuo told AppleInsider, “making a high-resolution and bright IPS/*** panel is not easy and the production volume and cost couldn’t meet Apple’s requirements.”

AppleInsider says that Kuo has a good track record of accurate predictions on these matters, having correctly outlined the details of the iPhone 4’s display and RAM back in May 2010.

If you’ve got your heart set on an iPad with a Retina Display, don’t despair just yet though, as an earlier story on MacRumors, gleaned from a couple of usually accurate sources, said that the iPad 3 may actually be launched as early as September 2011.

Sources: AppleInsider | iPad 3 with Retina display, new device sized between iPad and iPod in Apple's pipeline, iPad 3 to Arrive This September? - Mac Rumors

I'm sorry, but anyone who actually really believed that Apple would release a screen at that resolution in the iPad 2 is really not in touch with the tech world.

The price and supply are important factors of course, but one thng that many people didn't mention is there currently isn't a mobile processor and graphics chip out there that could run intense graphics at that resolution.

Now the NVidia Kal-El which will be in mobile devices starting in September does have that capability, so I'm sure Apple can come up with something by the time the iPad 3 is ready.

Just as long as it's not at the expense of battery life...

Originally Posted by Hasty

Just as long as it's not at the expense of battery life...

Maybe that's why their waiting until this new battery technology is refined --

Apple Researching Dense Lithium Cells to Extend Battery Life