Source: Apple shopping for LED camera flash components
Apple in recent months has moved to procure significant quantities of LED camera flash components that could help the iPhone maker's next-generation mobile handsets produce superior image and video captures in low-light situations, AppleInsider has learned.
The lack of camera flash technology has long stood as one of the iPhone's glaring omissions. Although the handset's existing 3.2 megapixel camera produces surprisingly sharp and vibrant images when employed in sun-drenched scenes and aptly lit venues, its lack of flash often leads to disappointing, dark and grainy photographs in more dimly-lit scenarios.
In making the jump to the iPhone 3GS last spring, the Cupertino-based company was content in focusing on enhancements to the overall user experience of its mobile phone to maintain its high level of satisfaction amongst consumers. Improvements to the device's camera technology were limited to an updated image sensor capable of capturing 1.1 more megapixels, and software technology to improve the quality of motion photos and those taken in poor lighting.
Despite these changes, clarity in photos taken indoors and at nighttime continue to elude users, often leading to frustrating results or images that are completely blacked out. A move by Apple to build flash technology into future versions of the iPhone makes more sense now than ever, especially given the increasing popularity of the device as an impulse point-and-shoot camera, as well as rising competition from rival handset makers who count camera flash technology on their handsets as an advantage over the iPhone.
For example, Palm's Pre, Motorola's Droid and Google's new Nexus One -- seen by some industry watchers as contenders that could combine to potentially disrupt the iPhone's staggering growth -- each ship with LED flash technology. And in the case of the the latter two, both include image sensors suited for capturing 5-megapixels compared to the 3.2-megapixel sensor on the iPhone 3GS.
People familiar with Apple's initiative claim the electronics maker is seeking allotments of LED camera flash components in the tens of millions for delivery during the 2010 calendar year, meaning future iPhones -- and possibly the iPod touch -- are the most likely recipients of those parts, due to their sales volume. Those same people say that Philips' Lumileds Lighting sector is believed to be the front-runner for Apple's business and may have already secured the design win.
The Amsterdam-based firm is well-regarded for its LUXEON LED camera flash technology, which was the first to combine the brightness of regular lighting with the long life and small footprint of LEDs. The technology is commonly coupled with 5+ megapixel cameras and has seen shipments of over 200 million units worldwide.
A move by Apple towards the LUXEON components would also appear to jibe with rumors that the iPhone maker has placed orders with OmniVision, its current supplier of CMOS image sensors, for as many as 45 million 5-megapixel parts for the next-generation of the handset due by late spring . The company is also likely to leverage the iPhone's ambient light sensor, in addition to providing a software switch, to ensure that the LED flash won't interfere in photos where it isn't needed.
Low power consumption, drive circuitry that demands little real estate, and a lack of significant electromagnetic interference (EMI) generation are a few of the advantages that have helped push the use of an LED flash in camera phones. And since the same LED flash can also be operated as a continuous light source, it would be suitable for proving light to enhance iPhone video recordings* as well -- not to mention closing the book on the numerous, dinky iPhone flashlight apps proliferating the App Store.
The lack of camera flash technology has long stood as one of the iPhone's glaring omissions. Although the handset's existing 3.2 megapixel camera produces surprisingly sharp and vibrant images when employed in sun-drenched scenes and aptly lit venues, its lack of flash often leads to disappointing, dark and grainy photographs in more dimly-lit scenarios.
In making the jump to the iPhone 3GS last spring, the Cupertino-based company was content in focusing on enhancements to the overall user experience of its mobile phone to maintain its high level of satisfaction amongst consumers. Improvements to the device's camera technology were limited to an updated image sensor capable of capturing 1.1 more megapixels, and software technology to improve the quality of motion photos and those taken in poor lighting.
Despite these changes, clarity in photos taken indoors and at nighttime continue to elude users, often leading to frustrating results or images that are completely blacked out. A move by Apple to build flash technology into future versions of the iPhone makes more sense now than ever, especially given the increasing popularity of the device as an impulse point-and-shoot camera, as well as rising competition from rival handset makers who count camera flash technology on their handsets as an advantage over the iPhone.
For example, Palm's Pre, Motorola's Droid and Google's new Nexus One -- seen by some industry watchers as contenders that could combine to potentially disrupt the iPhone's staggering growth -- each ship with LED flash technology. And in the case of the the latter two, both include image sensors suited for capturing 5-megapixels compared to the 3.2-megapixel sensor on the iPhone 3GS.
People familiar with Apple's initiative claim the electronics maker is seeking allotments of LED camera flash components in the tens of millions for delivery during the 2010 calendar year, meaning future iPhones -- and possibly the iPod touch -- are the most likely recipients of those parts, due to their sales volume. Those same people say that Philips' Lumileds Lighting sector is believed to be the front-runner for Apple's business and may have already secured the design win.
The Amsterdam-based firm is well-regarded for its LUXEON LED camera flash technology, which was the first to combine the brightness of regular lighting with the long life and small footprint of LEDs. The technology is commonly coupled with 5+ megapixel cameras and has seen shipments of over 200 million units worldwide.
A move by Apple towards the LUXEON components would also appear to jibe with rumors that the iPhone maker has placed orders with OmniVision, its current supplier of CMOS image sensors, for as many as 45 million 5-megapixel parts for the next-generation of the handset due by late spring . The company is also likely to leverage the iPhone's ambient light sensor, in addition to providing a software switch, to ensure that the LED flash won't interfere in photos where it isn't needed.
Low power consumption, drive circuitry that demands little real estate, and a lack of significant electromagnetic interference (EMI) generation are a few of the advantages that have helped push the use of an LED flash in camera phones. And since the same LED flash can also be operated as a continuous light source, it would be suitable for proving light to enhance iPhone video recordings* as well -- not to mention closing the book on the numerous, dinky iPhone flashlight apps proliferating the App Store.
Comments
not to mention closing the book on the numerous iPhone flashlight apps proliferating the App Store.
At least we'll still have our fart apps.
Until Apple comes out with hardware-assisted fart circuitry.
Oh boy...
Apple in recent months has moved to procure significant quantities of LED camera flash components ...
I know it's unlikely, but who here doesn't also hope that it's the Apple logo on the back of the phone that becomes the light source?
Oh boy...
I wonder how truthful this comparison shot is... I do know that the Droid flash is not all that effective when shooting things that are more than a few feet away.
Hardware improvements:
New Design... please its getting old and boring...
Screen with much higher resolution. I personally don't want OLED because of bad performance in sunlight, something you don't want on a phone, but wouldn't care with a PMP.
I would also like a slightly bigger screen with 16:9 aspect ratio, but nothing really important.
Better camera with higher resolution and 720p video.
LED Flash!
Cortex ARM9 chip, with 1GHz or higher clock speed.... (something that works well with a good battery life.. Apple can figure it out..)
Software:
Multitasking!!
Some sort of addition that makes alarm clock apps work without leaving them on all night! (self launching apps. Obviously this is tricky because of virus problems..)
Slightly newer UI, which works with multitasking..
contacts etc synching with gmail, facebook, etc, something like WebOS.
built in voice typing... more voice commands.. but i don't want it to work like android, where it send voice to their server and gets results. I want the feature to work when offline..
Surprise me!
My rule of thumb - if your camera isn't good enough to capture enough ambient light then don't take the photo - end of story. Rooms are dimly lit for a reason - intimacy, mood, privacy, mystery, calmness. Why ruin that for a few harshly-lit ugly snapshots?
The iPhone 3GS has a 3.0 megapixel camera, right?
According to their website.......yes.
Rooms are dimly lit for a reason - intimacy, mood, privacy, mystery, calmness. Why ruin that for a few harshly-lit ugly snapshots?
Because it's human nature.
iPhone 4G:
Hardware improvements:
New Design... please its getting old and boring...
Screen with much higher resolution. I personally don't want OLED because of bad performance in sunlight, something you don't want on a phone, but wouldn't care with a PMP.
I would also like a slightly bigger screen with 16:9 aspect ratio, but nothing really important.
Better camera with higher resolution and 720p video.
LED Flash!
Cortex ARM9 chip, with 1GHz or higher clock speed.... (something that works well with a good battery life.. Apple can figure it out..)
Software:
Multitasking!!
Some sort of addition that makes alarm clock apps work without leaving them on all night! (self launching apps. Obviously this is tricky because of virus problems..)
Slightly newer UI, which works with multitasking..
contacts etc synching with gmail, facebook, etc, something like WebOS.
built in voice typing... more voice commands.. but i don't want it to work like android, where it send voice to their server and gets results. I want the feature to work when offline..
Surprise me!
And with all that you want the iPhone to be very thin, right? Hmmm I wish Apple did magic.
Exactly the kind of thing I want to hear. The two things keeping me from upgrading to an iPhone are the lack of a flash and the still small memory capacity. Add the luxeon flash and 64GB of storage and I'll happy upgrade when the new one comes.
your current cell phone has more than 32GB internal memory?
I suppose they'll up the megapixels for the camera too or maybe hold out for the 5th gen.
Honestly, I don't see where else there is to go.
Apple will not make a video iPod. Nobody wants to watch video on an iPod. Anybody who wants a video iPod is a whiner.
Apple should not allow third parties to create native iPhone applications. Nobody needs third party applications on the iPhone. Web apps are really SWEET. Anybody who wants native third party iPhone applications is a whiner.
Apple will not add copy and paste to the iPhone. Nobody needs copy and paste on the iPhone. Anybody who wants copy and paste is a whiner.
Apple will not add GPS to the iPhone. Nobody needs GPS on the iPhone. Anybody who wants GPS is a whiner.
Apple will never switch to Intel processors.