[Harry Marks takes Dana Levine and Shawn Blanc to task over their stance on retina displays](http://curiousrat.com/home/2012/11/30/that-disruptive-retina-display):

>Visible pixels matter and now that they’ve gone away, we certainly don’t want them to come back.

Like Marks, I was pretty shocked to see [Shawn’s comment about the retina display, specifically this bit](http://shawnblanc.net/2012/11/levine-ipad-mini/):

>As awesome as Retina displays are, they don’t fundamentally change the usability or use-case scenarios of the iPad.

Sorry Shawn, that’s bullshit.

Retina displays, on any device, absolutely change the usability of the device. Retina displays make text sharp, make text readable, reduce eye strain ((At least for me, but I wouldn’t be shocked to find out that they are easier on your eyes than a normal pixelated shit screen across the board.)) and they absolutely make me want to use these devices more.

I just cannot rationalize why anyone would think that retina displays are not a big deal. I get that they aren’t a feature that you find revolutionary *now*, but step back to when you first saw the iPhone 4, iPad 3, or retina MacBook Pro screens and you will quickly realize just how impossible it is to go back to non-retina.

If you even once find yourself saying: “after using technology X, you can’t go back to technology W” — then you sir have just found a feature that is fundamentally important. I don’t care what some book in the late 90s said about disruption in technology, I can tell you that retina displays have absolutely disrupted the way I use technology — so too with most people I know that have a retina display.