Phil Schiller Says New iPod Touch 'Too Thin' for Ambient Light Sensor

MacRumors · Oct 16, 2012

Since the introduction of the fifth-generation iPod touch last month, a number of observers noted that the tech specs for the device no longer listed an ambient light sensor included as had been the case in previous generations, and users have indeed confirmed that the automatic brightness feature controlled by the sensor is missing in the latest model.

Apple senior vice president Phil Schiller has responded to a customer's email inquiry asking about the lack of an ALS. Raghid Harake emailed Schiller and the executive wrote back, saying that the 5th generation iPod touch lacks the sensor because the device is simply too thin:

The teardown of the new iPod Touch shows just how cramped the interior of the device is, and the ALS is one of the components that Apple's engineers were forced to leave out to make everything fit.

Article Link: Phil Schiller Says New iPod Touch 'Too Thin' for Ambient Light Sensor

ltcol266845 · Oct 16, 2012

No big loss IMO, the light sensor drives me crazy.

Clown Boy · Oct 16, 2012

Lol fail again Apple

WordMasterRice · Oct 16, 2012

I don't understand how the thickness of the device is an excuse. Make it thicker then. At what point is dropping features so that it can be thinner going to stop.

Edit: By the way that is a flat out lie, the ambient light sensor is a surface mount component no bigger than the capacitors that are already in there.

Aluminum213 · Oct 16, 2012

Classic example of making something thinner for no logical reason

iPhone 5 is thinner then the 4 but if they retained the thickness they could have dramatically improved battery life. I have never met or heard someone say the iPhone 4 was too thick or heavy.

baleensavage · Oct 16, 2012

ltcol266845 said:
No big loss IMO, the light sensor drives me crazy.

Same here. I find that the screen is always dimming precisely when you don't want it to with the auto sensor. I'd rather just dim it myself if it's dark (though it would be nice if the brightness wasn't buried in settings so far).

ThE.MeSsEnGeR · Oct 16, 2012

woop! woop! it's a Lebanese guy

deannnnn · Oct 16, 2012

ltcol266845 said:
No big loss IMO, the light sensor drives me crazy.

Same. I leave it disabled on my iPhone all the time. It's far more annoying than it is helpful.

ltcol266845 · Oct 16, 2012

baleensavage said:
Same here. I find that the screen is always dimming precisely when you don't want it to with the auto sensor. I'd rather just dim it myself if it's dark (though it would be nice if the brightness wasn't buried in settings so far).

Especially when holding the phone in landscape (with the headphone jack on the bottom!) for typing or watching videos.

MasterHowl · Oct 16, 2012

I hate it how these days, the high profile Apple employees try to persuade you how good things are (I'm mainly talking about Schiller, Forstall and Cook here).

"It is a remarkable device!"

"Maps are SO beautiful"

"It's just gorgeous"

"We absolutely love this at Apple, absolutely LOVE it"

It just looks desperate?

Steve would have just gone "here it is, it's so cool", end of. Then of course, we would have opened our lovely new Apple gadgets and thought "yeah, this is pretty cool!".

But now it seems that the recent decline in quality of some Apple products (Maps, lack of light sensor on new Touches, no groundbreaking new features in iOS 6 that work properly) has resulted in the top dogs getting desperate, and trying to persuade us that Apple products are really cool rather than just showing us how cool they are. I just think it comes across desperate, and isn't smooth like Steve was.

Just my thoughts...

morphineseason · Oct 16, 2012

Is there really a need for it in an iPod? You don't hold it up to your ear to talk to someone, and auto brightness really isn't a necessity. I don't see much of a loss here.

Icaras · Oct 16, 2012

MasterHowl said:
I hate it how these days, the high profile Apple employees try to persuade you how good things are (I'm mainly talking about Schiller, Forstall and Cook here).

"It is a remarkable device!"

"Maps are SO beautiful"

"It's just gorgeous"

"We absolutely love this at Apple, absolutely LOVE it"

It just looks desperate?

Steve would have just gone "here it is, it's so cool", end of. Then of course, we would have opened our lovely new Apple gadgets and thought "yeah, this is pretty cool!".

But now it seems that the recent decline in quality of some Apple products (Maps, lack of light sensor on new Touches, no groundbreaking new features in iOS 6 that work properly) has resulted in the top dogs getting desperate, and trying to persuade us that Apple products are really cool rather than just showing us how cool they are. I just think it comes across desperate, and isn't smooth like Steve was.

Just my thoughts...

Steve said many of those same things on stage himself.

zbarvian · Oct 16, 2012

Aluminum213 said:
Classic example of making something thinner for no logical reason

iPhone 5 is thinner then the 4 but if they retained the thickness they could have dramatically improved battery life. I have never met or heard someone say the iPhone 4 was too thick or heavy.

Yeah, but the 5 is sexxxxyyy. Thin and light makes thick and heavy look so antiquated. I agree that they could've achieved some phenomenal battery life, but I like the design too much; I can't imagine having a thicker phone again.

appleguy123 · Oct 16, 2012

We shouldn't be sacrificing features just so that Apple can say that a device is thinner. When I held the 4th gen iPod touch, I already thought that it was too thin. Not very comfortable to hold IMO.

dethmaShine · Oct 16, 2012

One of the biggest examples why going 'thin' will reduce functionality in our devices.

Form over function Apple DROP IT.

MasterHowl · Oct 16, 2012

Icaras said:
Steve said many of those same things on stage himself.

But never appeared desperate or like he was trying to be persuasive.

Just watch the demo Forstall did at the last keynote. It was screaming "desperation"!

akm3 · Oct 16, 2012

Making "X" thinner is impressive.

Making "X" thinning by subtracting features is not as impressive.

Making "X" thinner while adding features? Blows our minds!

pgiguere1 · Oct 16, 2012

I wonder if one day they'll remove the 3.5" audio jack to make iDevices thinner.

No problem, just use our AirPods Bluetooth headphones!

Icaras · Oct 16, 2012

MasterHowl said:
But never appeared desperate or like he was trying to be persuasive.

Just watch the demo Forstall did at the last keynote. It was screaming "desperation"!

Perhaps, but just for giggles, here's a quick montage of Steve.

http://youtu.be/Nx7v815bYUw

ouimetnick · Oct 16, 2012

I would have either kept it the same thickness or made a slightly thicker (to fit the ALS and make the rear camera flush and not some fugly bulging thing.)

MasterHowl · Oct 16, 2012

Icaras said:
Perhaps, but just for giggles, here's a quick montage of Steve.

http://youtu.be/Nx7v815bYUw

Hahaaa that's pretty funny

ChromeCloud · Oct 16, 2012

They say the sensor has been left out because there is not enough room for it, but they found room for the silly "apple loop" plug that is like 10 times the size of such sensor.

Phil, Phil... Really? -.-'

nagromme · Oct 16, 2012

Aluminum213 said:
iPhone 5 is thinner then the 4 but if they retained the thickness they could have dramatically improved battery life. I have never met or heard someone say the iPhone 4 was too thick or heavy.

And you never will. Theyre trapped underneath the thing.

I for one prefer thinness over a light sensor... but I dont care that much.

samcraig · Oct 16, 2012

pgiguere1 said:
I wonder if one day they'll remove the 3.5" audio jack to make iDevices thinner.

No problem, just use our AirPods Bluetooth headphones!

Don't be ridiculous. Before they did that - they would create a new proprietary connector (like lightening) rendering every single wired headset useless so you had to buy their headphones. Now they might license the tech to a select few - but not for several months.

And oh yeah - the new headsets wouldn't come with the iDevice - it would be sold separately. Also available would be an adapter IF you wanted to use regular headphones

flashflooder · Oct 16, 2012

Aluminum213 said:
Classic example of making something thinner for no logical reason

iPhone 5 is thinner then the 4 but if they retained the thickness they could have dramatically improved battery life. I have never met or heard someone say the iPhone 4 was too thick or heavy.

I'm usually of a similar mind, but once you've used a 5 for a while there's no going back. The 4/4S really DO feel like bricks.

That said, it is kinda shocking they'd remove this feature from the iPod Touch.

Phil Schiller Says New iPod Touch 'Too Thin' for Ambient Light Sensor

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