Is the Race On?

The other day I had a chance to use Apple’s new Macbook Pro with Retina display and I was completely amazed—make that blown away! Trust me, I’m not easily impressed and I had a hard time believing it was the “best Mac Apple has ever built” according to one review from a well-respected computer hardware blog. But I stand corrected and completely agree--everything from text to photos to HD videos looked so much better and sharper. I immediately thought what would an MRI or CT scan look like on this display?

What is a retina display? Retina display is a brand name used by Apple for displays Apple claims to have a high enough pixel density that the human eye is unable to notice pixelation at a typical viewing distance. For a comparison, see the table below, comparing the resolution of a DVD, HDTV and the Retina display. Notice that the 15” Macbook retina display has 15 times more pixels then a DVD and 2.5 times more than a HDTV. Now that’s pretty impressive.

	DVD	1080p HDTV	15" Macbook Pro Retina
Resolution	720x480	1920x1080	2880x1800
Pixels	345,600	2,073,600	5,184,000

Apple first introduced the concept of high resolution, retina display on the iPhone 4 in 2010, followed by the 3rd generation iPad last year and now the Macbook. All of these devices have a pixel density approaching that of the human eye.

Now imagine these displays used in medical imaging applications like PACS, MRI’s or CT scans. Think about these images and how much more accurate, detailed, and precise they would appear. Would this level of clarity assist radiologists and doctor’s to be more decisive and conclusive with their diagnoses resulting in a more precise and expeditious diagnosis, treatment and cure? The potential is exponential.

Also imagine these displays on medical devices like physiological monitors such as EKG’s, blood pressure, respiration, and pulse oximetry monitors. Would nurses be more able to provide a better level of care by reducing eye fatigue and eyestrain while increasing their accuracy and efficiency? Visual clarity automatically enhances one’s mental clarity thereby reducing ambiguity and doubt making the arduous work of a nurse more fluid and less questionable.

Is the race on? Which is going to be the first medical application to make full use of the Macbook retina display? And which medical device manufacturer will start shipping retina displays? Right now there are more questions than answers but I think that will be changing very soon.