Apple could be preparing to bring its high resolution Retina display technology to OSX products, according to a new report.

Ars Technica reports that the developer version of Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, the latest iteration of the Mac operating system, features some app icons running at double the usual screen resolution.

The source, who has access to the second developer beta of Mountain Lion, said that the high-res apps would suggest that 2012 will see the "summer of Retina display Macs".

The Retina screen is found in the Apple iPhone and, more recently, the iPad, but the unnamed developer feels that it is also coming to the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.

Speaking to Ars Technica, the source said: "I would interpret it to mean that Retina is close; perhaps concurrent with the release of OS X 10.8."

Unveiled last month, Mountain Lion is part of Apple's attempt to create greater unity between its OSX products and those running the iOS mobile operating system.

The latest version brings various elements of iOS 5 to Mac computers, including Messages, Reminders, Notifications and greater integration of microblogging site Twitter.

Providing evidence for the Retina claim, the developers said that Messages, which replaces iChat in Apple's OSX, features in the second developer preview of Mountain Lion art at 2x resolution, such as the "audio chat" icon.

The technology to bring Retina pixel-dense screens to Mac computers is already available to Apple, and the user interface of OSX can be adapted to the higher resolution via the "HiDPI" modes, notes Ars Technica.

As the consumer version of Mountain lion is due to go on sale this summer, a new range of MacBooks with Retina displays fitted is now expected to accompany the launch.

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