iPad photos show slot for forward-facing video camera
Physical evidence pointing to a forward-facing iPad camera was found in the frame of replacement enclosures for the device.
Evidence for the possible existence of a forward-facing camera in the iPad was uncovered by repair company Mission Repair in a shipment of replacement iPad enclosures it acquired on Tuesday.
A "spot" that closely resembles the holes present in the Unibody Macbook exists within the iPad frame. Mission Repair confirmed that the camera from the Macbook does fit into place on the frame, with the lens, LED, and ambient light sensor all lining up.
AppleInsider first reported that the iPhone OS 3.2 SDK provided evidence that the shipping iPad could support a camera. According to one developer, the native Contacts application on the iPad offers the option to take a photo, in addition to choosing an existing one.
This adds some validity to the rumors that Apple may still be working on a camera-equipped iPad that could recognize the face of its user, as reported by the Wall Street Journal in the days before the reveal of the iPad. The article mentioned that it was "unclear whether the feature would be included at launch."
Evidence for the possible existence of a forward-facing camera in the iPad was uncovered by repair company Mission Repair in a shipment of replacement iPad enclosures it acquired on Tuesday.
A "spot" that closely resembles the holes present in the Unibody Macbook exists within the iPad frame. Mission Repair confirmed that the camera from the Macbook does fit into place on the frame, with the lens, LED, and ambient light sensor all lining up.
AppleInsider first reported that the iPhone OS 3.2 SDK provided evidence that the shipping iPad could support a camera. According to one developer, the native Contacts application on the iPad offers the option to take a photo, in addition to choosing an existing one.
This adds some validity to the rumors that Apple may still be working on a camera-equipped iPad that could recognize the face of its user, as reported by the Wall Street Journal in the days before the reveal of the iPad. The article mentioned that it was "unclear whether the feature would be included at launch."
Comments
Sometime I wonder whether they intentionally leave a few key details out when they make the announcement, so that everyone can freak out about how there isn't a camera, then, "oops" there is one!
so...um... what went wrong?
Sometime I wonder whether they intentionally leave a few key details out when they make the announcement, so that everyone can freak out about how there isn't a camera, then, "oops" there is one!
More likely, I would imagine it was initially a "duh" feature (that any hardware engineer would plan for) that Steve nixxed as he was interacting with it. We shall see...
I get he feeling allot of things changed at "the last minute" in regards to the hardware, with "ultra competitive" pricing being the main factor in what to include or exclude. I know wasn't the only one pleasantly surprised with the pricing.
I understand some people don't think the tablet's cheap, but given Acer's announcement, it does seem like Apple made a strategic decision to drive the price down and exclude the extra's in favor of "the bottom line" as another way to make it harder for other's to compete; fair price, great OS, solid hardware, plethora of software and media in every format.
A "spot" that closely resembles the holes present in the Unibody Macbook exists within the iPad frame. Mission Repair confirmed that the camera from the Macbook does fit into place on the frame, with the lens, LED, and ambient light sensor all lining up.
So did they find any way to actually install the camera? I'm interested to see if they could do that.
in a shipment of replacement iPad enclosures it acquired on Tuesday.
i guess i missed something. why would anyone be receiving repair parts on a product that doesn't ship for over 30 more days.
and even if they were thinking about a camera (as apparently they were about the ipod touch) doesn't mean that it is going to appear. or that it is going to be anything more than a web cam, rather than this crazy 'log in via facial recognization' gig
I don't think these kind of leaks help Apple at all. I don't know how many will not hold back on the 1st gen because of this (if true) leak. But I believe it will affect sales.
Most people who will be buying the iPad don't visit sites like this so they don't know.
There was not a technical problem with the camera. Apple could have put it into rev. 1 of the iPad. But they didn't because a camera is going to be one of the "improvements" offered by rev. 2.
It should be obvious to anyone who's followed Apple for a while that they deliberately leave features out of rev. 1 products to make sure the hardcore fans (who bought rev. 1 as soon as they could) upgrade to rev. 2 the moment it comes out.
There was not a technical problem with the camera. Apple could have put it into rev. 1 of the iPad. But they didn't because a camera is going to be one of the "improvements" offered by rev. 2.
I agree with you, but it is possible that during the testing process they decided that the motion of the iPad for "normal" use was too high and they are waiting for better software to somehow reduce that.
Likely its a preplaned Rev B thing, however. Although that is sort of a "wow" feature that would have impressed many of the naysayers at launch.
It should be obvious to anyone who's followed Apple for a while that they deliberately leave features out of rev. 1 products to make sure the hardcore fans (who bought rev. 1 as soon as they could) upgrade to rev. 2 the moment it comes out.
There was not a technical problem with the camera. Apple could have put it into rev. 1 of the iPad. But they didn't because a camera is going to be one of the "improvements" offered by rev. 2.
I'm curious why it got so far as the mounting getting in the final molding for the first revision. It would seem to me that they would plan this farther ahead rather than drop it last minute. They've already been through this once before, it's odd to me why it would happen a second time like this.
It should be obvious to anyone who's followed Apple for a while that they deliberately leave features out of rev. 1 products to make sure the hardcore fans (who bought rev. 1 as soon as they could) upgrade to rev. 2 the moment it comes out.
There was not a technical problem with the camera. Apple could have put it into rev. 1 of the iPad. But they didn't because a camera is going to be one of the "improvements" offered by rev. 2.
Exactly. And who in their right mind would spend $500 on a 16GB anything, except a trendoid?
It should be obvious to anyone who's followed Apple for a while that they deliberately leave features out of rev. 1 products to make sure the hardcore fans (who bought rev. 1 as soon as they could) upgrade to rev. 2 the moment it comes out.
There was not a technical problem with the camera. Apple could have put it into rev. 1 of the iPad. But they didn't because a camera is going to be one of the "improvements" offered by rev. 2.
delete
It should be obvious to anyone who's followed Apple for a while that they deliberately leave features out of rev. 1 products to make sure the hardcore fans (who bought rev. 1 as soon as they could) upgrade to rev. 2 the moment it comes out.
There was not a technical problem with the camera. Apple could have put it into rev. 1 of the iPad. But they didn't because a camera is going to be one of the "improvements" offered by rev. 2.
Exactly. And who in their right mind would spend $500 on a 16GB anything, except a trendoid?
Actually I glad that there exists those with such disposable incomes who can work out all the kinks until the 2nd Gen.
They had one in March of both 2008 and 2009. It doesn't make sense to launch a new product in 3.2 and not 4.0. With Apple now allowing VOIP over 3G I can see their 'one more thing' being multitasking and iChat with video camera on the iPad and next gen iPhone. Multitasking will probably only work on the next gen iPhone with a custom built chip.
I dunno... you can call me an optimist... but if they really wanted to push alot of people over the edge to purchase one of these bad boys... thats what I would do.
Exactly. And who in their right mind would spend $500 on a 16GB anything, except a trendoid?
Maybe someone whose iMac is in his office down the hall and wants to be able to stop using his iPhone all the time when he's in the living room watching TV, because the screen is so small?
The iPad will be perfect for my wife and I, and since it's basically just a big iPod touch, my wife and kids already know how to use it so it'll be a painless addition to our gadget collection.
I have this gut feeling that Apple is going to have an iPhone OS event in March.
They had one in March of both 2008 and 2009. It doesn't make sense to launch a new product in 3.2 and not 4.0. With Apple now allowing VOIP over 3G I can see their 'one more thing' being multitasking and iChat with video camera on the iPad and next gen iPhone. Multitasking will probably only work on the next gen iPhone with a custom built chip.
I dunno... you can call me an optimist... but if they really wanted to push alot of people over the edge to purchase one of these bad boys... thats what I would do.
That would certainly be compelling.