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0.1-megapixel -> chessboard FaceTime
1-megapixel -> clear image FaceTime
3-megapixel -> clearer image FaceTime, right?

Almost...

0.1-megapixel -> chessboard FaceTime
1-megapixel -> clear image FaceTime
3-megapixel -> video quality takes up too much bandwidth to squeeze down an internet connection. Have to degrade video to 1-megapixel, thus more processing required.
 
This fixation on MP is totally useless for the ipad. Think about the usecases where you would use the iPad for quality snapshots... Exactly.

Don't expect tourists, pro's and schoolkids suddenly starting to use ipads to take pictures on the go. The form factor just isn't usable for snapshots. Everyone that owns an ipad most likely owns an iPhone4 or some other smart or dumphone with a camera.
 
I think you need to read a bit more about how pixels work.

3 megapixels gives you a "2048×1536" resolution. Too much for conferencing and would require more power to reprocess the image down to a reasonable size ready to encode for facetime. It's all down to the CCD quality more than the megapixel value as well.

I wish some people would use their common sense more. Apple aren't a specification beater to gain sales. It's how the tech is used and the way it's marketed/sold.

It's not the end of the world if it's 1-megapixel. I'm sure you'll end up still buying an iPad 2 and saying it's the best thing in the world :).
Target audience is younger children/adults. None of them are pro photographers. Last thing they're worried about is picture quality.

More on fact, a 5MP camera would put the price of the iPod Touch up. Not good when you are marketing a multimedia device at a very competitive market.
Ok, with your posts, I think I'm slowly getting it. And yes, I do hope I still end up buying one and thinking it's one of the best things. :)
 
For what it's worth I even find the iPhone's picture taking to be terrible. I had an iPhone 4 but switched to an HTC G2 at T-Mobile and find the picture quality from the camera to be better than the iPhone. Just my two cents.

Having a camera on the iPad 2 is simply pointless apart from the front-facing camera. Who is really going to hold this thing up to take a picture of the Eiffel Tower?
 
You know the thing that really amazes me, more than what Apple do.

It's Apple fanboys who will actually and genuinely post that they think it's good to have something poor fitted.

I can accept some people may go, "oh, well, it's better than nothing I guess" but to actually want and/or be happy that something of very low spec has been deliberately fitted is quite stunning.

If the component costs were very high, then fair enough, perhaps a case could be made as you need to watch costs.

But, the 5 megapixel camera unit in the iPhone4 has been widely reported to cost Apple just under Ten Dollars.

Even if we took a wild guess that the iPod Touch camera unit costs say only $4, then for the sake of $6 we are going to be offered a very poor camera unit.

How can anyone with a shred of common sense actually stand up and say, yes, this is the right decision and I'm happy about it?
 
720P is 1280 x 720 pixels = 921,600. 1mp camera is plenty to do 720P. Further, if you have ever done any video conferencing, you know that the larger the video file, the harder it is on the processor. Further, if you have ever done any video editing, you know that the higher the pixel count, the more processing power you need to do editing and the longer it takes.

Would I have preferred a 5mp camera, sure, but do I see the limitations of the ENTIRE system as a reason not to go 5mp? Yes. I can just see how many people would be pissed off that their brand new iPad and it's iMovie editor is so "slow" because it couldn't handle 5mp videos. Apple builds these things for your average user who won't care if it is 5mp camera or 1mp camera. They do care whether or not it takes a good video and can be readily/easily edited.
 
Some people might be tempted to mount the iPad on a tripod and shoot a VIDEO of their family's Christmas party, child's birthday or just an evening with friends.
After consuming large amounts of alcohol presumabley? iPad on a tripod, seriously?
 
.... and I was going to replace my $4000 camera with the iPad2! D*** you Apple!

Me too. But thanks to the cool idea of the iPad on a tripod; I can do this now.

I'm going to go list my DSLR in the marketplace!
 
720P is 1280 x 720 pixels = 921,600. 1mp camera is plenty to do 720P. Further, if you have ever done any video conferencing, you know that the larger the video file, the harder it is on the processor. Further, if you have ever done any video editing, you know that the higher the pixel count, the more processing power you need to do editing and the longer it takes.

Would I have preferred a 5mp camera, sure, but do I see the limitations of the ENTIRE system as a reason not to go 5mp? Yes. I can just see how many people would be pissed off that their brand new iPad and it's iMovie editor is so "slow" because it couldn't handle 5mp videos. Apple builds these things for your average user who won't care if it is 5mp camera or 1mp camera. They do care whether or not it takes a good video and can be readily/easily edited.

I think your Average consumer Does Care about megapixels.

The Camera magazines have again and again complained about camera makers who keep ramping up the megapixel number without any regards to video noise etc with the small sensors.

They even explained, the reason they do this is that the general public, who don't understand this stuff ARE driven by the megapixel counts, and in a store, they will be more lightly to buy the higer megapixel model as they naturally assume higher is better, which we know is not always the case.

So I don't accept that.

If they know nothing About tablets, and are in a store with an iPad and Xoom next to each other and they are just reading the spec comparison sheets.

They see iPad 512MB Ram, 1024x768 Screen, 1 Megapixel rear camera.
and Xoom, 1GB Ram, 1280x800 Screen, 5 Megapixel rear camera and flash.

What do you think, assuming they knew nothing about tablets in general, they would more interested in?
 
The "I want more MP" crowd is ridiculous.

I have a 16.2 MP DSLR, Unless I want to sample a small portion of the image, or bloww a print upt ro some ginormous size, I'll shoot in lower resolution for particulary on conputer images. The file sizes are just too big. And that degree of video resolution would tax the processor durint live video.

The iPad is a compromise. It has not the best of anything, rather the (debatably) best compromise of many things. 99% of the people out there will care not one iota about a 1 MP camera. Just because you THINK you need to take prefessional quality pics on an iPad doesn't make you right. Shut up and wait for version 3.
 
They see iPad 512MB Ram, 1024x768 Screen, 1 Megapixel rear camera.
and Xoom, 1GB Ram, 1280x800 Screen, 5 Megapixel rear camera and flash.

What do you think, assuming they knew nothing about tablets in general, they would more interested in?

They'll probably think the same as someone faced with a PC laptop and a similarly-priced but comparatively underspecced MacBook Pro.

This game's been going on for years, and it ain't gonna change now...
 
"The back camera is useless because I lack the imagination to think of a use for it"

Yawn.
Exactly. There are lots of uses, and for some of them (scanning documents) a hi-res camera would actually be quite handy.
 
If they know nothing About tablets, and are in a store with an iPad and Xoom next to each other and they are just reading the spec comparison sheets.

They see iPad 512MB Ram, 1024x768 Screen, 1 Megapixel rear camera.
and Xoom, 1GB Ram, 1280x800 Screen, 5 Megapixel rear camera and flash.

What do you think, assuming they knew nothing about tablets in general, they would more interested in?

First, let's see if there are stores where there is a usable iPad sitting right next to a usable Xoom.

Second, let's see if the Xoom has a scalable pricing range that is contract free from $499 on up.

Third, let's see if the Xoom has any interesting software that will take advantage of all that hardware besides a browser running flash.

Fourth, let's see what the tablet on the other side of the Xoom that is running basically the same software but has different hardware features and what that does to consumer thought.

Hardware is really important, but to make it this zero sum game you make out to be is absurd.

I think it's reasonable to argue that the first big OEM to release the hardware equivalent (battery life, display quality, build quality) of the current $499 iPad that runs Honeycomb, properly markets it, and sells it for $399 wins the Honeycomb market - not a really expensive thing running 4G and tied to a 2 year contract.
 
doesn't everyone just love how things are immediately confirmed if a screenshot is posted with no way to confirm it. these are all rumors.
so to all the people getting their panties in a bunch need to chill out.
 
If it keeps the cost down of adding the back camera, I'm all for it. The only time I'd EVER use it is to take a photo of a white board at work for storage in Evernote, etc. Otherwise, I'd never use it.
Otherwise never use?

I'm sure I'm not the only one who can't wait to use iPad's camera with Art & Mobile's popular app called TiltShift Generator. Well, lemme tell you, a higher-megapixel camera would definitely come in handy and be much more exciting.
 
Fanboyz

I am a true Apple Fanboy, but if Apple doesn't put a decent camera on the iPad, its for 1 reason only, and that's to make the next model more desirable. It has nothing to do with cost and profits to them (except when it's new model time). The 5 MP camera on the iP4 was $9 a year ago, so its probably only $4 or $5 now. The 1 MP camera is $1-$2. $3 more for a decent camera....woopy!
So don't be fooled that if it gets a 1MP camera, it's because it's all it needs.
 
So don't be fooled that if it gets a 1MP camera, it's because it's all it needs.
I definitely don't think this way.

I still believe that all the rumoured iPad 2 internals can handle higher-res display as well as higher-megapixel camera for a much clearer image FaceTime juuuuuuuust fine. Seriously.
 
They see iPad 512MB Ram, 1024x768 Screen, 1 Megapixel rear camera.
and Xoom, 1GB Ram, 1280x800 Screen, 5 Megapixel rear camera and flash.


No they won't. Apple glosses over their specs for the iOS devices. About the only thing the average user ever sees is the amount of flash storage it has. Only Android users see the specs of their devices.

iPad will be listed as: Apple iPad XXGB, IPS Screen, Dual Cameras.

End of story.
 
If v3 has the iPhone 4 camera, I don't care if they scrimp out on the iPad 2.

That camera is freaking amazing.
 
I definitely don't think this way.

I still believe that all the rumoured iPad 2 internals can handle higher-res display as well as higher-megapixel camera for a much clearer image FaceTime juuuuuuuust fine. Seriously.

Clearer = More Pixels = Larger bandwidth needed and faster processor

Further, most video conferencing is done on (at best) 1080P displays. Anything more than 2mp is worthless because again 1080 x 1920 = 2,073,600, but I would venture to guess any ARM processor would choke trying to do video conferencing at 1080p (unless it had specific encoder/decoder chips built in).

Most video conferencing is completed using images that are 640 x 480. That's only .33mp my friend. Please stick to things you know.
 
It will have 0.3mp front camera and 0.7mp rear camera. I think it's enough, why more? It's not like if you were really going to take pictures with the iPad, it's not a camera!
 
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