What Happened to the Camera on the New iPod touch?

[Ed Hardy]

Last week, Apple released the latest iPod touch. This started a minor mystery: why does this model not include the built-in camera it was supposed to?

There can be little doubt that Apple had originally intended to put a camera in the third generation of its handheld. When iSupply disassembled this device, it found an open spot in the design -- a spot that lines up with the camera on leaked images of early iPod touch prototypes.

So, why was the camera taken out? Was it a result of hardware or software problems? No one outside of Apple seems to know.

Looking Ahead
The fact that the internal design for the iPod touch has room to add a camera raises another question: will a new version of this device with a camera be released at some point?

The answer to this depends on the answer to the earlier question. If the camera was left out because of a technical problem, Apple could introduce a version with a camera as soon as the issue is ironed out.

On the other hand, if someone like Steve Jobs decided to take the camera out because he didn't think it was appropriate for the device, no camera is likely in the foreseeable future.

More about the iPod touch
For those who are unfamiliar with it, the iPod touch line is essentially an iPhone without the phone.

It has a slim tablet shape, with a 3.5-inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a built-in accelerometer and speaker.

It can run the same software that the iPhone can, and has emerged as one of the most popular mobile gaming platforms around.

The third-generation models are faster and have higher storage capacity than their predecessors -- up to 64 GB.

Source: iSupply

Related Articles:

• Apple Makes the iPod touch More Powerful, More Affordable
• iPhone 3.1 and iTunes 9 Released

[tmedvick]

Tinfoil hat time.

My money is on AT&T. By outclassing the memory on the iPhone, Apple is already creating a device, that with Voip competes directly for AT&T's money. Adding the camera would have further strained the relationship.

Neither Apple, nor AT&T wants iPhone sales to flatten, and the competition with the Touch w camera and 64 gb for only $400 flat was too much for AT&T to risk.

[The Turtle]

I am 100% certain the iPod Touch was full-speed-ahead to get a camera. There were cases and everything put out by various companies.

But if you read the rumor mill, it also stated that there was a QC problem with the cameras at the last minute. Rather than release a bunch of duds *OR* admit there was a problem in the first place, Apple simply released the new underlying hardware in the same form factor, sans the camera. They probably want to give it another year to iron out the kinks...that, and also see if the technology for a small autofocus video camera ala iPhone 3GS can mature enough to fit in the existing form factor without driving up the cost significantly.

I was fully ready to upgrade to the third gen touch, but now it just seems like a tweaked second-gen which I wasn't thrilled about in the first place. I think I'll hold onto my Touch 1G for now. If VZW doesn't get the iPhone in 2010, we'll see what the fourth gen will hold.

[NamelessPlayer]

My bet's that they don't want to take TOO much from the iPhone so as to push people toward selling their soul to AT&T or whatever their local iPhone-exclusive carrier is if they want it all in one device.