Rumors circulate that Apple may be getting back into digital photography
By Sean P. Aune
Could Apple be eyeing a reentry into the world of digital photography?
In 1994, Apple introduced a camera compatible only with Macs named QuickTake. It was developed in conjunction with Kodak and Chinon, and your $750 allowed you to take a whopping eight photos at 640×480. They later introduced a PC-compatible version, but the entire line was killed in 1997 when Steve Jobs returned to the company.
Flash forward to the introduction to the iPhone, and you finally see Apple integrating a camera again, but it is fairly low quality, and not a whole lot to get excited about. However, according to Seth Weintraub at Computerworld, this may all be changing fairly soon.
It appears that Apple has ordered a large quantity of 3 and 5-megapixel lenses from Omnivision. It has been rumored for some time now that the next version of the iPhone would offer up a 3MP lens, but the other lens is where the mystery comes in. Buried deep inside the iPhone OS 3 beta that is floating around at the moment, there are some clues to video editing software to be added later. According to DigiTimes, the 5MP lenses are due for delivery later in the year, and anyone who follows Apple release cycles knows that means the delivery would fall right around the annual launch of iPod updates.
So, what do you get when you start adding these things together? Well, Mr. Weintraub thinks we may be seeing an iPod Touch later this year that is capable of not only shooting pictures, but also recording HD video. Not only that, but he goes on to speculate that you would have full editing capabilities directly on the device, and then be able to upload those pictures and videos to wherever you see fit via the built-in Wi-Fi.
While this all sounds like speculation, it sounds like very reasoned speculation, and it is further backed up by Apple looking for some new engineers:
The Interactive Media Group is looking for a highly skilled and innovative engineer who is up to playing a key role in delivering cutting edge embedded video processing technologies. We’re looking for a team player with demonstrated success in delivering products. You will be a critical part of a fast-paced team, and must thrive in a high energy, time constrained, multitasking environment.
While this “camera” would be a far cry from high end equipment, it would also be a definite step above your standard point-and-shoot camera, and could become a useful tool in just about anyone’s arsenal of photography equipment.
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