What is “Retina Ready” & Why do I need it?

You see it on the news. You hear about it whenever there’s any sort of Apple Convention. We advertise it in our themes…

Retina Quality

What is it? Why is it important? Why on earth do I need it?

Retina quality is just that…quality. It’s very high quality imagery designed and created by none other than Steve Jobs. Back when Apple first released the iPhone 4, Jobs made a comment about wanting to ensure that it was the best there was in the standard of cell phones. It was to be the first of it’s kind. That not only included the incomparable quality of the available features, but the quality of the overall design. Simply speaking, the iPhone would have so many pixels on its screen that no one would be able to tell that they were actually pixels.

Which just means that the phone itself would be crystal clear. Fast forward a few years, and Apple has continued to improve and increase the pixel-power. Ensuring that every single device is the very best in quality performance and viewing for its user.

So, what does that have to do with me & my Restored 316 theme?

We are glad you asked! There are a handful of benefits to being on a retina ready theme (mostly in terms of aesthetics). Regardless, “retina” is the next thing and we try to bring you the very best and the very latest to ensure that you are always one step ahead.

With a retina ready theme you’re going to get three crucial things- sharper images & fonts, better quality on your mobile devices (namely due to those higher quality images), and high quality details.

 Sharper Images.

The Retina quality essentially doubles the size of your images. On our themes, for instance, we have a much larger upload size for our header/logo area. The standard is 800 x 400 on our latest themes. You’re uploading a much larger image, but it’s actually displaying at half the size.Basically just meaning that for those who are using Retina Quality displays, they will see your site at its very best. without the images appearing blurry or fuzzy due to a lower pixel size.In the example above, the image on the left is from my standard resolution computer.

The image on the right is from Lauren’s retina-quality computer. The image on the right is of much high saturation and much smoother all around. The image on the left, from my standard resolution computer is more pixelated and, when zoomed in, can look fuzzy and slightly blurry.

Smoother Fonts.

This is a crucial one for those who depend highly on their mobile readers. Tiny fonts on our cell phones can not only cause eye-strain (ouch) but can also make for difficult reading. By using a retina ready theme, your fonts are going to be sharper and clearer thanks to the additional pixels that are included in the display. While your reader may not be on a retina quality computer, we’d be willing to bet that they are on a retina quality cell phone or tablet.In the example above of our Restored 316 logo, this one is much more blatantly obvious as to which screen is which.

Overall better display & visual appeal.

It’s true that a lot of us aren’t on Retina displays yet (myself included). However, for the millions of people who are, why not give them the best experience out there?

Using a retina ready theme is going to ensure that your site is always looking the very best that it can. Whether your reader is popping over on a non-Retina computer screen or from the latest retina quality iPad Pro…you’re guaranteed to look sharp, clear and professional.

All of our newest themes and most all of our older themes are retina ready or in the process of becoming retina ready, so be sure to check those out!