Sony boss reportedly reveals Apple's plans for 8MP iPhone 5 camera - rumor

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Reports emerged on Friday that, during an interview, Sony CEO Howard Stringer had accidentally confirmed plans to supply an eight-megapixel camera for Apple's next-generation iPhone.



As noted by MacNN, reports surfaced late Friday that Stringer told The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg in an interview that a Sony camera sensor plant in Japan had been damaged by last month's earthquake, delaying shipments of sensors to Apple.



However, Sony does not currently provide image sensors to Apple, prompting speculation that the electronics giant could be set to provide a higher-resolution camera for the next iPhone. OmniVision has been Apple's camera supplier for the 5-megapixel camera on the iPhone 4 and the 3.2-megapixel sensor for the iPhone 3GS.



Stringer's slip-up has led some to believe that an earlier rumor suggesting Sony would take over for OmniVision in providing an eight-megapixel sensor is indeed accurate. In February, an analyst claimed that OmniVision would be unable to produce an eight-megapixel sensor in time for the launch of the next iPhone and that Sony would step in to for at least the first wave of orders.



According to the report, Sony's eight-megapixel sensor, which is used in the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo, would suit Apple's needs because it has a CMOS sensor for low light situations.



While the executive's comments should certainly be taken with a grain of salt, it's also possible that shipment delays of camera sensors corroborate rumors that Apple will hold off on showing new iPhone hardware at the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference, which runs from June 6 through June 10. Apple has traditionally revealed a new version of the iPhone at WWDC in advance of a June or July release.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 64
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    What’s the physical size of the sensor area? Are we just adding 60% more sensors to the same sensor area? I suppose that even if it the same size better low-light images are a good sign.
  • Reply 2 of 64
    I hope not, 8mp would be terrible on a phone camera! Please increase the sensor size before increasing mega-pixels!
  • Reply 3 of 64
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    So when we get a solution from Olympus we can all laugh about the leak.
  • Reply 4 of 64
    bushman4bushman4 Posts: 858member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post




    While the executive's comments should certainly be taken with a grain of salt, it's also possible that shipment delays of camera sensors corroborate rumors that Apple will hold off on showing new iPhone hardware at the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference, which runs from June 6 through June 10. Apple has traditionally revealed a new version of the iPhone at WWDC in advance of a June or July release.



    Big surprise is when Apple actually announces and displays the Iphone5 at the WWDC. Don't be fooled, Apple most likely has parts lined up for the Iphone5 other than Japan.

    Take note of how Apple is not saying a word or dropping any hints or leaks yet.
  • Reply 5 of 64
    That could explain the rumored delay of the iPhone 5
  • Reply 6 of 64
    mgl323mgl323 Posts: 247member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by theguycalledtom View Post


    I hope not, 8mp would be terrible on a phone camera! Please increase the sensor size before increasing mega-pixels!



    I agree. Look how great the pictures/videos come out with the iPhone 4.
  • Reply 7 of 64
    firefly7475firefly7475 Posts: 1,502member
    Sad if it's true. Apple could be one of the very few (or the only) companies that could get it through to mainstream users that "more megapixels" is not the same as "better quality".



    It's supposed to be about the experience, not the specs!



    For the way that I use the iPhone camera I would be happy if they reduced the number of MP all the way down to around 2MP... as long as it was matched with kick ass quality at higher ISOs.
  • Reply 8 of 64
    joshdeanjoshdean Posts: 24member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BUSHMAN4 View Post


    Big surprise is when Apple actually announces and displays the Iphone5 at the WWDC. Don't be fooled, Apple most likely has parts lined up for the Iphone5 other than Japan.

    Take note of how Apple is not saying a word or dropping any hints or leaks yet.



    Maybe Apple leaked to Dalrymple on Monday.

    http://www.loopinsight.com/2011/03/2...oming-at-wwdc/
  • Reply 9 of 64
    saareksaarek Posts: 1,520member
    Even is Sony was the supplier for the iPhone 5 it's quite possible that Steve will ruthlessly cut them out for screwing up.



    His Steveness is not such a nice bloke if you reveal his future plans for world domination, took ATI years to get back into his good graces!
  • Reply 10 of 64
    funkdisfunkdis Posts: 41member
    I'm happy with the physical size of the current photos, I do want something higher quality. the jump from 3gs to 4 was insane. i hope its a similiar jump from ip4 to ip5 in picture quality
  • Reply 11 of 64
    rufworkrufwork Posts: 130member
    There's no April 1st feel about Sony giving Apple a camera at all?
  • Reply 12 of 64
    Pixels are not quality, smaller sensor cells are not better.. seriously as was said up above I'd be happy if they didn't up the res ever, just improve the quality.



    More interesting is how tedious it must be to have to give your competitors the jump by using their bits. Samsung studies their chips, now Sony knows their cameras, on top of all other component suppliers are probably taking bribes to leak data to competitors.



    Sigh...
  • Reply 13 of 64
    neiltc13neiltc13 Posts: 182member
    These "rumours" are funny. So even if Sony is providing sensors to Apple, at what point did anyone say they were 8MP sensors? Where did that information come from? It certainly didn't come from Stringer, and it didn't come from Apple either.
  • Reply 14 of 64
    eriamjheriamjh Posts: 1,631member
    No surprise about an 8MP camera. And nothing newsworthy. We know the camera will continue to change and improve. What about new features? A night camera! Infrared! Sees through clothes!



    No. I don't want to know in advance. Because I'm stuck in an iPhone4 contract until Nov 2011 anyway.
  • Reply 15 of 64
    tardistardis Posts: 94member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by neiltc13 View Post


    These "rumours" are funny. So even if Sony is providing sensors to Apple, at what point did anyone say they were 8MP sensors? Where did that information come from? It certainly didn't come from Stringer, and it didn't come from Apple either.



    http://www.electronista.com/articles...me.for.iphone/
  • Reply 16 of 64
    ltmpltmp Posts: 204member


    Thanks for the link, I was wondering where the 8 MP came from too.



    The link still refers to it as a rumour, and its a new one to me.



    Did any of you hear about this before today?
  • Reply 17 of 64
    tipootipoo Posts: 1,141member
    What matters more is that they keep the sensor size/pixels ratio the same or better. Cramming that many more pixels on the same sensor would introduce more noise, and require more artificial noise reduction, and overall reduce quality.
  • Reply 18 of 64
    benroethigbenroethig Posts: 2,782member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Firefly7475 View Post


    Sad if it's true. Apple could be one of the very few (or the only) companies that could get it through to mainstream users that "more megapixels" is not the same as "better quality".



    It's supposed to be about the experience, not the specs!



    For the way that I use the iPhone camera I would be happy if they reduced the number of MP all the way down to around 2MP... as long as it was matched with kick ass quality at higher ISOs.



    Some of you guys are getting into a reverse mega pixel mentality (more megapixels = automatically bad) and not even bothering to do some research on the part in question. Do some research on the Xperia NEO's picture and video capability and come back and tell me this is a bad thing.
  • Reply 19 of 64
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    What’s the physical size of the sensor area? Are we just adding 60% more sensors to the same sensor area? I suppose that even if it the same size better low-light images are a good sign.



    Apple's use of small, low end camera / software technology is pretty advanced. The iPhone 4 uses similar technology to the latest Nikon DSLRs that can take a photograph in a room and correctly expose the darker inside as well as the window's far brighter outside in a single shot in idiot mode. Previously high end software was used to combine several radically different exposures of Raw HD images to achieve such results. So simply comparing the hardware, be it sensor size or pixel density doesn't give the whole picture even if traditionally these were good metrics for comparisons and expected resolution / quality. This new technology is simply in another dimension. I have faith that the iPhone 5 camera will blow our socks off in price / performance and we need not worry that some Android has a seemingly better hardware configuration.
  • Reply 20 of 64
    prof. peabodyprof. peabody Posts: 2,860member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tipoo View Post


    What matters more is that they keep the sensor size/pixels ratio the same or better. Cramming that many more pixels on the same sensor would introduce more noise, and require more artificial noise reduction, and overall reduce quality.



    And on the video side, an increase in fps from 30 to 60 is also far more important than more pixels.



    iPhone 4 "HD video" is only really HD if you aren't moving the camera. It's not bad quality, but it isn't great either.
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