iSight Camera...

davegee · June 4, 2003 7:17AM

Check out todays ThinkSecret... Nick seems to think Apple DOES (finally) have a camera on the way...

http://www.thinksecret.com/news/videoconf.html

Here goes part of the story... visit Nick's site for the rest...

Quote:

Insiders speculated that one Apple project, known as Q8, could be the camera. Internally, Q8 is known as "iSight," lending credence to this possibility.

At the same time, Apple is reportedly developing an iPhoto update code-named "Memento." One source said that a camera release could tie into an iPhoto update as well, affecting the iLife apps.

Apple plans to wrap up development on Q8, Viceroy, and Memento by the Worldwide Developers Conference on June 23. While Apple's specific release plans are unclear, sources said that the company would probably announce the videoconferencing solution at or before WWDC.

Dave

frenchmac · June 4, 2003 7:32AM

Could it be a WebCam/Camera with FireWire AND a 1.8" HardDrive that can take digital still pictures and store more than a few minutes video ?

I then could interfere with iChat, iPhoto and iMovie... and could be a prefect complement for the iLife suite of apps.

I'm happy 'cause I was looking for such a device for some times...

Hope ThinkSecret is right on that (but it is often so close from the truth that I would almost not classified it has a rumors site).

thegelding · June 4, 2003 7:47AM

i am looking forward to iChat 2 with video conferencing...that way i can chat with earl and see him sitting in his underwear eating nachos....actually maybe i will keep that function turned off...

as for iSight...i actually just want a small webcam that sits clipped to my flat screen...firewire and tiny and selfpowered by the firewire port and cool looking and about 100 bucks...they would sell like hot cakes and be just as tasty...a camera, video iPod thingy with a HD is more than i need for iChatting, but could be a nice thing if done right...but i don't see anything like that coming yet from apple...but i am often wrong, just ask my kids

g

davegee · June 4, 2003 8:13AM

I've been thinking about this and what about this...

Imagine a FW based CCD that could 'marry with' the iPod.

A device like this could be used in two ways...

1 - iSight connected to the CPU - a simple elegant webcam for use with iChat (connected via fw)

2 - iSight connected to the iPod - a basic 'on the road' camera for doing small movies (via fw or maybe/ more likely the new expanded connector)

Given the more advanced interface of the iPod it could happen... Sure the 'view finder' would be B&W but still, that wouldn't be the end of the world.

Something like this could spike the sales of iPods at the same time.

Dave

kidred · June 4, 2003 8:20AM

Well I think it would be FW800/USB2, harddrive based, no stupid sticks, and be a simple elegant way to videoconference. So it's more of a webcam then digital SLR. I just hope it doesn't try to compete with my elph.

frenchmac · June 4, 2003 8:23AM

Marry with an iPod could be a cool solution and produce a small product to use as a WebCam or as a standalone camera/camcorder.

But as such, it won't directly compete with camera/camcorder from other vendors due to the lack of the color LCD screen to display the photos/shots.

michael grey · June 4, 2003 8:25AM

I agree. I've said before that there is little point in Apple developing a new videocon app since there hasn't been any development on the webcam front in years.

If Apple releases a webcam I think it will be just that...a small firewire webcam. No storage. No high-end features. Most folks living the vida digital already have good digital still and video camera and wouldn't want to fork over a lot of money for a webcam. If it's cheap and there is a good videocon app to support it (iChat 2), I think Apple could sell a lot of these.

Apple likes to use software to sell its hardware. iTunes is free and the iTMS is comparitively cheap, but they both drive iPod sales. I think having a built-in videocon app would encourage folks to buy an Apple webcam.

kidred · June 4, 2003 9:55AM

I disagree micheal, what benefit would Apple have making a simple $80 webcam? It won't lure switchers and it won't convince very many people to flock to the stores to pick one up. No sir, it will have a wild card. A 10gig HD to store video so you can make an imovie from the webcam footage. Or take thousands of simple point and click images and email them. There will be something that makes it sell, something like HD, or I dunno, can they make bluetooth cameras so you can stream from the living room walking around to the backyard to show grandam the new landscape? That might be cool if possible. Not confined by a 3' - 6' cable.

frenchmac · June 4, 2003 10:05AM

I agree with you KidRed. I would think that if Apple decide to propose its own Camera, it will bring something new/inovative like the iPod has done in the past.

What is limited in the current offering of combo camera is the storage, the image quality and sensibility of the CCD matrix, the quality of the objective and the fact that yuo have to buy a camera, a camcorder and a webcam. It's 3 differents products that use some common technologies.

I'm would enjoy a simple device that is simply able to capture images (still or not) whenever I want to do with them.

But I could be wrong...

physguy · June 4, 2003 10:16AM

Airport Extreme Still/motion camera. Use remotely for still pictures. Just set it on the desk/dresser/table and call your favorite person to talk or show the pictures. No wires, no hassle, no limitation of what image to show cause by cables turning the camera etc. With a dock/firewire for charging and standard position.

occam · June 4, 2003 11:06AM

There's one thing Apple would definitely bring which I would heartily welcome to digicams:

firewire

Downloading pics takes too long with USB. The digicam makers just don't get it. The latest wizbang Canon G5 was just announced with... (drum roll please)... USB1. Wow.

I think firewire2 would be awesome, but firewire1 would even be great to make downloading a quick painless process.

As the resolution and storage size of digicams continues to rocket up (a good thing), this download issue just becomes more and more painful. Apple could do the industry a favor by favoring firewire (which is currently only available on pro digicams).

Caveat: Apple would have to have a low power firewire chipset, and I have no idea if this is a stumbling block or readily available.

Wishlist: I also hope they put an orientation sensor in the digicam. The second biggest pain is manually rotating sideways shots in iPhoto. The new Canon G5 is the first (to my knowledge) to have the feature of automatically rotating photos based on its storage sensor. That's just what the doctor ordered to streamline the camera to printer (or email) process.

Let's hope they use good optics too (Zeiss, Leica, Canon, or Nikon).

physguy · June 4, 2003 11:18AM

Quote:

Originally posted by occam

Caveat: Apple would have to have a low power firewire chipset, and I have no idea if this is a stumbling block or readily available.

Not really, if they were clever the fire wire chip set would get its power from the computer.

Quote:

Wishlist: I also hope they put an orientation sensor in the digicam. The second biggest pain is manually rotating sideways shots in iPhoto. The new Canon G5 is the first (to my knowledge) to have the feature of automatically rotating photos based on its storage sensor. That's just what the doctor ordered to streamline the camera to printer (or email) process.

My lowly Kodak 3MP has this orientation sensor built in. Verrrry nice.

kidred · June 4, 2003 11:19AM

Quote:

Originally posted by occam

Wishlist: I also hope they put an orientation sensor in the digicam. The second biggest pain is manually rotating sideways shots in iPhoto. The new Canon G5 is the first (to my knowledge) to have the feature of automatically rotating photos based on its storage sensor. That's just what the doctor ordered to streamline the camera to printer (or email) process.

Let's hope they use good optics too (Zeiss, Leica, Canon, or Nikon).

Maybe Canon is the first, but not with the G5. My Elph Powershot rotates the photos automatically. Granted you need to use their X software which is quite nice, feature packed and easy to use, but it does automatically rotate the pics when taken and downloaded to your mac like you want. Maybe they took it a step further with the G5.

kidred · June 4, 2003 11:25AM

Quote:

Originally posted by FrenchMac

I agree with you KidRed. I would think that if Apple decide to propose its own Camera, it will bring something new/inovative like the iPod has done in the past.

What is limited in the current offering of combo camera is the storage, the image quality and sensibility of the CCD matrix, the quality of the objective and the fact that yuo have to buy a camera, a camcorder and a webcam. It's 3 differents products that use some common technologies.

I'm would enjoy a simple device that is simply able to capture images (still or not) whenever I want to do with them.

But I could be wrong...

My Sony DV something or other does all 3, photos, DV and can web cam too. Course, it's an awkward still camera and rather large for a web cam. So, yea, Apple could do something like that and uses FW and has a HD.

Wasn't there also a rumor about a device with a 5x7 screen? I wonder if the two could be related? A video phone type device (not actual phone, just figure of speech) that has screen on it like video phones. Then you could via airport or bluetooth, whatever, walk around the house while video conferencing? No more sitting perfectly still in front of your computer. Youy could press a button and take stills of either you or the person of the other end and email the pics. Maybe switch to camera mode, snap a pic and send it to the person on the other end once back in conference mode. All over AOL. No more long distance phone calls!! Video conferencing done the right way, the different way, the Apple way 8)

michael grey · June 4, 2003 11:45AM

Plunking my money down on the barrel:

Simple Firewire webcam. Under $100. No storage.

thegelding · June 4, 2003 12:04PM

i'm with michael...

personally i have a digital camera and a minidv camcorder...apple can make an iPod like camera/camcorder/mini cam and it would be great and all...and it might even sell (the iPod did)...but the digital camera market is crowded with people like sony and canon and nikon etc etc...i don't need it , i won't be buying one (at least for a year or three)....

but a webcam is a toy i could use....and with iChat 2 they could tap into a growing number of people who have internet (dsl and broadband and cable are growing) and would love to video chat...a cheap device would sell quickly to the many millions of apple users out there...it might not be a killer "switcher" application, but it would be a welcome one for us mac faithful (and it might get some to switch if it is simple and elegant...none of my pc friends video chat...if they see me chatting with my mac friends, it is just one more cool thing apple does--like iTunes and iPods and FP iMacs etc...of course if i am video iChatting to my boxer short-only wearing, nacho cheese in the chest hair eating canadian friend, it might not get my friends to switch)

give me a little webcam that is firewire and tiny and is 80 to 100 bucks (ok, this is apple--100 to 120 bucks) and i will buy one today....make an iPod like digital camera plus and i will love it and buy one in a couple of years (hopefully they would still be around, unlike when i missed on the cube bandwagon)

g

soopadrive · June 4, 2003 12:21PM

I'm going to remain skeptical that Apple would release a FW digital camera, just because they don't have the R&D compared to other photography companys such as Canon, Nikon, etc., to make a solid working one, cameras aren't what Apple does. A webcam I can see. I remember the old webcams I would put on my Performa 575, so maybe this would be a needed (and I mean needed) upgrade for their webcams. FW would be a plus, but don't get your hopes up.

paul · June 4, 2003 12:33PM

isnt there already a $100 fw webcam out there... the iBot or something... seriously...fitting for earl tho...

thegelding · June 4, 2003 12:38PM

firewire would be great for image, speed, and no extra power cord...

i see all geeky college kids getting these (brad would have like 3)...i see schools buying a ton (elementry schools would love this...can you see kids in LA talking to kids in NYC or Iowa or wherever...can you all sing It's A Small World After All with me?)...i can see parents talking to grandparents and grandkids talking to nieces and nephews....not to mention the porn applications that will pop up like the plague...still, it would be cool...apple will do it right (at least by version 2 and iChat 2.3) and the world will be a happy place

g

carson o'genic · June 4, 2003 12:39PM

I tend to beleive that Apple only brings out new hardware ewhen it can add something new to the mix. So, from that aspect I think the cheap FW webcam seems unlikely. However, if they do bring this out maybe they'll try to bundle it with Panther (iChat and webcam for $199, save $20 off buying them seperately....)

On the other hand, I would love to see Apple come out with the iPod-Cam-thingy. A harddisk camera would would be great for vacations etc. If it double as a webcam for iChat, all that much better. WWDC may be very interesting indeed...

kidred · June 4, 2003 1:27PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Michael Grey

Plunking my money down on the barrel:

Simple Firewire webcam. Under $100. No storage.

You mean like the dozens currently available? I'll take you money and say no, it won't be a simple single purpose web cam.

iSight Camera...

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