The Apple iPad 2 may follow in the footsteps of the iPhone 4 by quadrupling the number of pixels offered by its predecessor - but it still won't be coming with retina display.

The original Apple tablet has a resolution of 1024x768 pixels (on a 9.7-inch screen) with a pixel density of 132ppi, and Apple Insider reports that Apple has included "@2" graphics in its iBooks app, hinting at a normal and high resolution version of the iPad.

Quadrupling the number of onscreen pixels will require a massive jump in processing power, both from the CPU itself and the graphics module.

We've already put forward reasons why this would be a very unlikely move to make. A quasi retina display of that size (260 ppi or more) would be more expensive to manufacture and it would consume more power due to the increased number of pixels.

Interestingly, the rumoured new resolution would be a perfect match for a 3-megapixel camera, one which is expect to come with the iPad 2.