Apple Readying New FaceTime Equipped iPads?

[Full of Win]

The only reason I would like facetime on my iPad is because they might change the focal length of the camera to something that is longer and more flattering, given that the device would be held farther away from the face.


Ask any pro photographer on what lens they favor for taking pictures of the human face, and I'm sure they will say something at or above 50 mm. The reason for this is simple, focal lengths below 50mm are very unflattering to the face and magnify objects to the point of making them clownish. I don't know the FL of the camera on the iPhone 4, but what ever it is, it makes for one ugly picture of the face, especially if you wear glasses.

 

[Nishi100]

• Faster processor
• More RAM
• Faster GPU
• Increased pixel density (when economically possible)

If all Apple does is hit those three points with each refresh, third party developers will do the rest.

let me add a few

Gyro
Front + rear facing camera
iMovie for iPad
Decent photo editing app (iPhoto)

 

[Cougarcat]

Excuse me for asking, but how does Skype not already do this ? It is available for close to everything under the sun that matters (iPad, Android, Linux, Windows, Mac). It does video over the Internet and I guess local networks (since I can video call my GF from the upstairs bedroom to the downstairs living room).

It doesn't seem much different than Facetime in a sense. In fact it seems better since it's compatible over a broader range of devices.

Skype doesn't support video on iOS yet, and given their glacially slow development cycle, it will probably be a while. FaceTime does have the advantage of having no configuration or buddy lists--you just call the person, they don't have to be online. But I agree, skype with video on iOS would be a great thing because of the wide userbase. Skype with support for the FaceTime protocol would be even better.

 

[Gaelic2]

I love my iPad 64mb but i've never used iChat on any of my laptops or desktops. It has no value for me. I have a great little Canon that takes all the photos I want, so none of this will effect how I use my ubiquitous iPad.

 

[notabadname]

a lesson to you all , NEVER BUY 1ST GENERATION APPLE PRODUCTS

as they haven't had enough real world testing and are too expensive with things missing that are later added by Apple (such as 3G to the iphone, sd card slot to macbooks/imacs, ios 4 to ipad, a working antenna to the iphone 4, blu -ray(?) and now a camera to the ipad).

Wait until 2nd Generation and look in amusement at the cool kids/wanna-be celebs lay down their rent money for the Apple product of the month.

Lesson to you: You, and others like you, can sit on the sidelines forever, in anticipation of the "next gen". As if iPad 2 wont be obsoleted by iPad 3's ability to do our laundry or something.

By the time iPad 2 is actually released, I will have had my iPad "1" for about a year. Even if I sell it for a $150 to $200 loss, that is no more than a cost of $16 per month after selling it on eBay. If you are worried about waiting so you can save $16/month, you have more to worry about than an iPad without a forward-facing camera. Really people? My weekly fill-up at the gas station is $60. My daily fill up at Starbucks is $4.00.

The enjoyment and functionality I have received from my iPad 3G has been worth every 1st Gen dollar. You go ahead, just continue to enjoy sitting on the sidelines.

 

[Cougarcat]

I'm assuming the iPad will be a top selling Christmas gift this year. Anyone cracking open a new iPad at the turn of the year might be a bit annoyed when Jobs gets on stage a month later to announce the brand new model.

Apple hasn't had any qualms with releasing new products in January. When they attended MacWorld, they did it all the time.

 

[bella92108]

Lesson to you: You, and others like you, can sit on the sidelines forever, in anticipation of the "next gen". As if iPad 2 wont be obsoleted by iPad 3's ability to do our laundry or something.

By the time iPad 2 is actually released, I will have had my iPad "1" for about a year. Even if I sell it for a $150 to $200 loss, that is no more than a cost of $16 per month after selling it on eBay. If you are worried about waiting so you can save $16/month, you have more to worry about than an iPad without a forward-facing camera. Really people? My weekly fill-up at the gas station is $60. My daily fill up at Starbucks is $4.00.

The enjoyment and functionality I have received from my iPad 3G has been worth every 1st Gen dollar. You go ahead, just continue to enjoy sitting on the sidelines.

You could not have possibly put this any better. It's like people who buy new cars thinking they'll never come out with next years model. We KNOW a new iPad will come out. We knew iPhone 3, 3GS and 4 would come, and they did. So is the guy who was "holding out for iPhone 3G" still set on holding onto that 3G since he waited so long for it? LOL ;-)

Great post tho

 

[kevinkt]

I and so many other 1st gen iPad buyers have no regrets. The iPad is a solid device. Those who assume that the addition of a camera makes the iPad suddenly and light years better than the current iPad are unaware and are ignorant of it's capabilities. This "Americanist" mind set that this device should have everything imaginable and then some! Is not justifiable no matter how desperate you are. This might not be an American value or it could be the mind set of pc users who expect their devices to have...... Gps, satellite tv, coffee maker, Swiss army knife, emergency flares, an Internet device, an 15 mp camera. Apple is minimalistic in design and it's their prerogative to put features into their device. Having said that, their products have more often then not made customers happy. Which leads me back to my earlier comment on how some people expect the world out of Apple. Be cool people and don't make blank statements especially if you sold your iPad and think that makes you knowledgeable on the subject. Lawl

 

[SandynJosh]

Face camera would be nice... but my big concern is how fast arm processor are getting... I want to buy an I pad and hold it for 4 years. If apple release a dual core a9 with 1.2ghz and 512MB on the 2nd generation Ipad, I will buy 2.

Just remember... "Speed kills"...battery life.

Apple is building their iDevices to optimize the "power-cord free" experience. When you need a burst of battery-draining graphics-demanding tasks the software is getting better at adjusting the hardware for that. However it is far better to have software written for a portable iDevice that is energy-use sensitive. Too much of our thinking is geared toward the old brute-force, speed-and-power solves everything, suck-the-wall-power-dry paradigm.

For that reason Apple will not likely win the old spec-wars of CPU speed, cores, and available RAM, but will win the portability battle by iOS that is controls hardware speed and consumption by throttling back the hardware when possible and by nixing applications that will impact battery consumption unnecessarily.

The latter is what will impact the wide-open Android market the most. One energy-vampire app on a portable device will impact the whole experience negatively IMHO.

 

[HelperMonkey]

Give me retina display and 512MB of RAM and I'll buy one immediately. (That's assuming there's not an Android tablet in as slick a form factor with better specs)

Still happy with my decision to return my iPad after two weeks. I just didn't need it enough to deal with the shortcomings.

 

[chanerz]

ipad with facetime...sweet!

 

[eye]

Nobody uses FaceTime? Sorry, but just because you never use it, doesn't mean everyone else doesn't, either.

Just wait when FaceTime is linked into iChat, everyone will be using it.

Ok, like five people use it. Seriously, I'm betting you don't know anyone who uses it either. On a recent MacWorld podcast, all of the speakers said they don't use it, and we know those folks know a lot of iPhone 4 users. Looking at people when you talk on the phone will always be fringe because when you think about it, why would anyone want to do that.

 

[iKimm]

I bought on day 1 & LOVE my iPad . I use it EVERY day for personal & work.

Absolutely NO regrets!!!

 

[eye]

What data are you basing that statement on? I'm going to assume you have no data and are just forming that statement out of rarefied air. But please prove me wrong w/ some scientifically obtained data from a large pool of respondents, say 1,000.

That's too much work. How about we just use common sense.

 

[BC2009]

a lesson to you all , NEVER BUY 1ST GENERATION APPLE PRODUCTS

as they haven't had enough real world testing and are too expensive with things missing that are later added by Apple (such as 3G to the iphone, sd card slot to macbooks/imacs, ios 4 to ipad, a working antenna to the iphone 4, blu -ray(?) and now a camera to the ipad).

Wait until 2nd Generation and look in amusement at the cool kids/wanna-be celebs lay down their rent money for the Apple product of the month.

Your examples are a bit weak considering many of them are NOT first-gen products. For example, the iPhone-4 is a fourth-gen product. The Macbook and iMac each saw many generations before getting an SD-card slot.

By your reasoning it makes sense to never purchase any electronics since there will always be a better one next year. Do whatever you like with your money -- certainly tech toys are not a necessity in anybody's budget, but when you eventually commit and make a purchase, I promise you that next year there will be somebody who will be able to tell you that you should have waited for the next revision.

 

[thesmoth]

I think the first generation ipad will not see much in the way of buyer's remorse. Worst case scenario is that someone purchases a new one a year later for new features. The old one is a quality picture frame if not used for anything else. Yet I think it would still see use for watching movies.

I'm guessing early adopters who want face time would consider a new ipod touch instead of replacing the current ipad. The buyer then has two devices to choose from depending on the current needs. People see these fancy tech demos on the iphone 4, but remember the fancy tech demos on the iphone 3gs? Where are those games in the app store?


**************




You will. You're just being stubborn.

I just wrote a massive response that took me about 30 minutes, and this piece of **** forum made me log in again when I tried to post, and it was lost.

I hate this forum now.


My basic message was that due to the nature of the app store ecosystem, developers try and follow trends and maximize profits based on reaching the largest number of iOS devices possible. The best games are NOT graphically intensive, like Angry Birds, doodle jump, run, monkey island, lux touch, etc... Your 1 or 2 generation old iOS device will NEVER be obsolete for this reason.

iOS games do NOT push the limit of technology, and my 2g ipod touch still can run anything on the app store well. I say WAIT until you actually cannot do something on your iOS device that you want to do, and when that happens upgrade.

 

[Djlild7hina]

I'm ready for this 2nd gen iPad... Want one now but I'll hold out... If it has facetime, 512 ram, and 128gb count me in

 

[technicolor]

There is nothing wrong with buying the 1st gen iPad. People decided that the item was worth their money at the time and they wanted it. There is nothing wrong with that.

With that said I can't wait for the 2nd gen. I did not and could not bite the bug on this one, but I will on the 2nd one. I did get the first gen iphone and it was well worth it to me.

 

[URFloorMatt]

Ok, like five people use it. Seriously, I'm betting you don't know anyone who uses it either. On a recent MacWorld podcast, all of the speakers said they don't use it, and we know those folks know a lot of iPhone 4 users. Looking at people when you talk on the phone will always be fringe because when you think about it, why would anyone want to do that.

Lots of studies have been done that show communication without facial cues is much more difficult than communication with facial cues (this is partly why driving while on the phone is about as dangerous as driving while intoxicated; your focus is substantially impaired).

Of course, you can't FaceTime while you drive, but other times you can see how this would be beneficial. One has to assume that with the growing adoption of smartphones with email/texting/facebook/twitter/etc. available that actual voice usage has declined substantially. It certainly has for me. FaceTime might be a way back to actual voice communication.

Like others have pointed out, Skype is very popular. FaceTime is after the same market.

 

[TheEvilZeppelin]

I'm holding off for a second gen.

 

[kernkraft]

There is life outside of that walled garden, but you don't have to choose another one

I certainly hope this is true. I would love to have FaceTime on my iPad.

An ordinary camera would have also done it... At one point, we come back to the argument that the iPad in its current state is missing a few essential features. I don't deny it that despite of this, the iPad is a great success. Good for you, iPad owners and good for Apple Inc!

I also accept that people can get an iPad and be happy with it. Many of us are cautious about first generation products from Apple Inc and when it comes to an undiscovered segment of the market, it is even more difficult to see that there won't be any disappointment when the new model comes out.

Personally, I would be extremely surprised if a new iPad came out before January. I don't know Apple as a company that likes to take risk before the festive season. They will be milking the first generation iPad cow until next year, in my opinion. Then a new model comes out with better specs, at least 512MB RAM instead of the current 256MB, at least with one camera, a higher resolution screen (with a definite move towards the so-called 'retina' display) and maybe a faster processor. I'd argue that some of these specs should have been included in the first place, but that would have required a more generous, more risk-taking and more cutting edge company.

After having used one again for a week, I can see that without some weight-shedding and a better screen, I won't want one. Maybe the iPad in a 7-8" version would be more appropriate for me, but I want my 10" tablet to be heavy weight in features and light in weight. Proper multitasking is still not present on the iPad and I truly believe that the internet is wider than what is currently available on the device (I am talking about the stupid Flash omission).

Strangely, I am not tempted to get a Chinese knock-off for quarter of the price either, although I like the idea of having basic features outside of this increasingly annoying universe built around iTunes and Apple Inc's version of having fun.

 

[chaosconan]

Why I think iPod Nano is short

I think apple will phase out iPod shuffle and replace it with iPod Nano product name.
Then bring back iPod Mini and here is a mock-up of it.

I personally believe they didn't want to introduce a longer version of ipod Nano because to maximize the sales of the current iPod nano 5G and the new 6G. Then bring out iPod mini in 2011 to have people upgrade from iPod Nano to iPod Mini.

=== iPod Mini =========================

 

[acidblue]

Re: NEVER BUY 1ST GENERATION APPLE PRODUCTS

This has to be the dumbest argument I have heard (repeated over, and over, and over in forums). I purchased 2 ipads and received them on release day. My wife and I love our iPads. Sure, having a camera could be fun. But would I have rather waited until next year and have been without my iPad this whole time? No fuggin' way! This is an awesome device. If I find the need for the camera, I'll consider a new one and either give mine as a gift, sell it, use it for development, use it as a back-up, a toy for guests, whatever. There is just nothing that they could add to the next gen that would ever make me regret getting this one, nothing at all.

Someday there will be terabytes of RAM, graphic resolutions which blow the current standards out of the water. I don't care! I also don't regret getting my first Atari 400 computer. It is called "value". This is the term people need to learn.

For those who have waited for the second generation, I hope you have enjoyed not having this awesome device this whole time.

a lesson to you all , NEVER BUY 1ST GENERATION APPLE PRODUCTS

as they haven't had enough real world testing and are too expensive with things missing that are later added by Apple (such as 3G to the iphone, sd card slot to macbooks/imacs, ios 4 to ipad, a working antenna to the iphone 4, blu -ray(?) and now a camera to the ipad).

Wait until 2nd Generation and look in amusement at the cool kids/wanna-be celebs lay down their rent money for the Apple product of the month.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

That's too much work. How about we just use common sense.

Sure, but WHOSE (bias/judgment/opinion) common sense do you want to use? That is why the scientific poll was developed -- to overcome bias.

Bottom line - you can't just impose your world view as fact. Opinion is opinion and fact is fact, and the only way to even get close to fact regarding your statement is a scientifically constructed and conducted poll, not relying on whispers from the unicorn at your local zoo.

 

[Rowbear]

The second generation iPad ...

I agree with everthing you said 100%. I too love my i-Pad; its the best electronic device I've ever had and I'm glad I bought it as soon as it became available here in Canada. When gen 2 comes along, if it has enough new goodies for my taste, I'll sell or give it to a loved one and get the new one.

Besides, the competition is not even close to releasing anything that matchs the i-Pad, Apple still can't meet with demand, so Steve won't rush it.