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ApfelKuchen

macrumors 601
Aug 28, 2012
4,334
3,010
Between the coasts
I agree that Apple should have considered the the rack facing camera an add/on instead they people like us subsidize those that want the camer but
Pay for it at fair market.
Yeah, and I'll bet there are features you use that others "subsidize."

Not everyone knows exactly how they'll use their iOS devices before they buy them.

Part of the delight of these things is that we keep finding new ways to use them - sort of like unearthing buried treasure. Include the camera, and somewhere down the line we learn that we can deposit checks without going to the bank, or we get turned onto the possibilities QR codes, or a far-off relative says, "You have an iPad now. Do you know how to FaceTime?" Who knows what situation or app will unlock unexpected possibilities?

I happen to have exactly what the original poster desires - an iPad without back (or front) camera - an original iPad. Who at the time thought a camera was necessary? After a while, though I think a fair number of folks wished for it (I know I did) - they got tired of putting down the iPad, taking out the iPhone, taking a photo, and sending it to their iPad (well, Photo Stream has made that last bit painless). One of the big criticisms of iPad 2? The camera wasn't good enough.

Ya know, you can save a whole lot more than $5 by purchasing a used iPad 1st Gen. You may wish it was faster, lighter, and trimmer. You may wish for a Retina display, and that it could run iOS 6 and iPhoto... but at least you wouldn't be bothered by that "useless" camera.
 

taedouni

macrumors 65816
Jun 7, 2011
1,117
29
California
Apple catered the iPad for the masses, not for a person. Just because you don't see a use doesn't mean that Apple should get rid of it.

It makes no sense to offer another model of an iPad simply based on not having the rear camera. There are a lot of features in iOS that a lot of people have no use for but others do. Please, quit thinking that the world revolves around you. I use the rear camera all then time when on Skype or FaceTime.
 

davidinva

macrumors 6502a
Question: Why does Apple not offer a version without back-facing camera? I have never talked to anybody about it who has ever used this camera. It seems a complete waste of resources. I'd buy a $5 cheaper iPad without this camera without hesitation.

I also wonder this: how much do the 16 GB extra in the 32 GB storage version cost Apple compared to that camera? Most people I know (myself included) would much prefer having getting that upgrade for free in return for losing the camera.

There surely must be a reason why Apple is still putting the camera in there I fail to see. Please enlighten me.

I use mine often as a scanner. Use app(s) that scan to pdf or email.
 

ditzy

macrumors 68000
Sep 28, 2007
1,719
180
I've not used the back camera on the iPad, other than on the first day when you have to try everything out, which doesn't really count. Yet I still don't understand the OP view. If the cost difference would be say $50, then that would make a difference. But for $5 I'd still want the camera, just in case. It seems like a crazy thing for apple to do.
 

jimHdk

macrumors regular
May 10, 2010
105
0
I use the back-facing camera all the time. Why must people assume that just because they don't use something that it must be useless? They lack imagination.
 

T5BRICK

macrumors G3
Aug 3, 2006
8,313
2,387
Oregon
Question: Why does Apple not offer a version without back-facing camera? I have never talked to anybody about it who has ever used this camera. It seems a complete waste of resources. I'd buy a $5 cheaper iPad without this camera without hesitation.

I also wonder this: how much do the 16 GB extra in the 32 GB storage version cost Apple compared to that camera? Most people I know (myself included) would much prefer having getting that upgrade for free in return for losing the camera.

There surely must be a reason why Apple is still putting the camera in there I fail to see. Please enlighten me.

Apple includes a camera because so many people complained that the first iPad didn't have one.

Also, like everyone else has pointed out, the cost of leaving it out doesn't justify the increased cost of making yet another version of the iPad. Three capacaity choices, two color choices, 3 carrier choices and a no camera option? You go from 18 different models to 36. That would be a nightmare. I have a feeling most people would opt for the camera version unless there was a HUGE price difference.
 

Baklava

macrumors 6502a
Feb 1, 2010
569
53
Germany
I used the iPad cam on the back just ONCE in my life to take a video/picture. The reason was the empty battery of my Sony Cybershot and I had no storage on my iPhone 4.
 

D.T.

macrumors G4
Sep 15, 2011
11,050
12,460
Vilano Beach, FL
Also, like everyone else has pointed out, the cost of leaving it out doesn't justify the increased cost of making yet another version of the iPad. Three capacaity choices, two color choices, 3 carrier choices and a no camera option? You go from 18 different models to 36. That would be a nightmare. I have a feeling most people would opt for the camera version unless there was a HUGE price difference.

Yeah, the cost of supporting an additional line of products and parts (we'd need a different rear assembly without the camera cutout) and packaging and sales/support/warehousing, etc., is easily offset by the cost of just sticking a small camera part in all iPads (especially since the optics are the same for Mini, iPad3/4, iPhone 4S ...[I believe, anyone feel free to cross check me on that]).

Those variants of products with carriers and colors really compound the issue!
 

cruzmisl

macrumors regular
Nov 10, 2012
229
24
It would actually cost Apple more to create another SKU without a camera. The complaint ignores scale of production.

- Another aluminum back mold
- Another box
- Another configuration on the website
- More stock space at Apple stores for new and refurb (warranty replacement) iPads
- People buying the wrong version and returning it
- The list goes on...
 

WhiteIphone5

macrumors 65816
May 27, 2011
1,182
2
Lima, Peru
I was watching the Pro Bowl last night, and during one of the interviews there was a fan in the background that lifted up her iPad to take a picture.

I wouldn't use it, but other people do.

Haha I remember this. Adrian Peterson was getting interviewed. I too, was laughing
 

osofast240sx

macrumors 68030
Mar 25, 2011
2,539
16
There surely must be a reason why Apple is still putting the camera in there I fail to see. Please enlighten me.
if I needed to take a picture of a document and fax it.(image to text app or genius scan app)
Scan a bar code.
Cardmunch app allows me to take a pic of a busniess card and put into my contacts.
 

ericrwalker

macrumors 68030
Oct 8, 2008
2,812
4
Albany, NY
I use it to show relatives abroad around my place, and stuff outside too....It serves no other function for me though.

Similar situation here, with my in-laws abroad. My wife uses when she facetime/skype's with her family in Japan. Usually our daughter starts off on the chatting with them, then she starts running around and my wife chats and keeps the rear came on our daughter while she plays.

So just because the OP doesn't see a purpose for it, I am sure there are many people who use it for different purposes.
 

TyroneShoes2

macrumors regular
Aug 17, 2011
133
3
...There surely must be a reason why Apple is still putting the camera in there I fail to see. Please enlighten me.
Because a lot of people do use it. I see no use for the front-facing camera. But there are a lot of people that use that.

But I use the back-facing one all the time, at home and at work, for quick snaps of stuff I need to have temporarily. I take a series of snaps of equipment I take apart to service so it is easier to put it back together. I may snap a pic of a serial number or model number that I can't otherwise see with the unit installed in a rack, but is still being requested by tech support. Just today I held my iPad in the freezer so I could get a closer look at where the mounting screws to my icemaker are (will be replacing that tomorrow). I replaced a DVR and took snaps of all of the setup info screens to aid setting up the new one, and have snaps of the signal strength screens for reference in case my dish becomes misaligned. A guy T-boned my car; I took snaps of the scene and the driver on the spot for insurance purposes (and to intimidate the other driver into not balking or not changing his version of events). I use it all the time.

Twitter users send pics all the time; I'm sure they would scream if the iPad didn't have this capability.

Apple rightfully wants to make the iPad a universal tool, and to make it one-size-fits-all. Including niche features that many may use but not all is a smart way to do that. But then I don't see this as a niche feature; I see it as a must-have for me, and a must-have for a lot of users.
 

Cptnodegard

macrumors 6502
Jan 17, 2013
393
34
I love the camera on my iPad mini and it's been a true pleasure to finally have a good camera in my tablet, as my previous iPad was an iPad 2. Why? I open Scanner Pro, point the camera at a piece of paper that someone has handed me, and then I have a scanned copy. I use that feature all the time in lectures, digitizing paper so quickly that people often asked me how the heck I got a document that was handed out 20 seconds ago into my iPad.

I also use it to take pictures of complicated slides on the projector, as a "look at this" for video chat, and for quick photo notes. MS' Photosynth app is also a lot of fun, and something I don't have on my Android phone. I also use the camera to make videos where my phone is in the shot. Then you have augmented reality apps, contact photos, and not to mention barcode and QR code scanning.

I think a person's inability to see the usefulness of a back facing camera speaks more to that person's imagination and ability to imagine usage scenarios outside his or her own than it does anything else. I hope we'll see an 8 megapixel shooter with LED flash in the next generation!
 
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