While computer hardware in general–drive sizes, memory DIMMS, processor speeds–have been upgraded at a fairly continuous pace both in the private and commercial markets, screen resolution upgrades are noticeably absent from this upward curve. For more than a decade the average user, both in their cube and at home, has been rocking a very 1990s-esque 1024×768 resolution.
Even at the beginning of 2012, that common 4:3 resolution was still the most widely reported screen size in use by internet users–although 1024x768s popularity had been in decline for years it was still clinging to a just-barely majority.
By the end of the first quarter of 2012, however, a new front runner had emerged after decades of 1024×768 dominance. Thanks to a shift towards widescreen laptops and a turnover among corporate laptop stock, 1366×768–the widescreen sibling of 1024×768–is the new dominant screen resolution.
If the slow fall of 1024×768 is any indicator, it’ll be a technological age or two before the average user sits down in front of an ultra-high resolution monitor.