Consider What SmartPhone Features can Provide Useful for the User and the Marketer

Claims that the new iPhone 4 has a retina display have been criticised by one technology expert.

Dr Raymond Soneira, who is the president of DisplayMate Technolgies, said it was simply not possible for the display of the handset to have sensitivity which outweighs the human eye.  This followed claims from Apple chief executive Steve Jobs, who said that there is a point at which pixels blur into continuous curves.  It occurs at around 300 pixels per inch (ppi), Mr Jobs revealed, when the display is held around 12 inches from the eye. 

However, because the eye does not see in pixels, Dr Soneira has expressed doubt over the scientific accuracy of Apple's marketing pitch.  In an email, he pointed out that holding the iPhone 4 12 inches away from the eye would work out at 477ppi, with it only falling to 318ppi around eight inches away.

"So the iPhone has significantly lower resolution than the retina. It actually needs a resolution significantly higher than the retina in order to deliver an image that appears perfect to the retina," he explained.

The iPhone 4 was previewed in early June at the Worldwide Developer Conference.