iPhone 4's 5MP Camera Won't Fit in Current iPod Touch Design

[Small White Car]

My prediction is: Front facing camera for Face-Time, 64GB max.

I wonder...

If they "square" the edges for the camera, it will create extra space on all edges. You're correct that they won't go for 64 GB chips (and thus a 128 GB iPod ain't happening) but might they use the extra space for a 3rd chip and deliver a 96 GB iPod option?

 

[Brien]

I think the new iPod touch if far more likely to resemble the iPad than the iPhone 4. Apple also has a habit of forced product differentiation, which means no back camera is a possibility.

 

[Small White Car]

Absolutely.

Basing the possibility of the next-gen iPod touch based on last year's hardware dimensions is silly, especially in light of the fact that the leaked parts of the purported next-gen iPod touch look very, very similar to the iPhone 4.

I don't know why the author isn't clearly making this connection. If the next-gen iPod touch is the same thickness as the current iPhone 4, there is every possibility that the device could have the same rear-facing autofocus camera module.

Because I can not think of the last time Apple made a product BIGGER than a previous version. (Without drastically changing its form, that is. And I don't see how that can happen with an iPod Touch.)

Seriously. Has it EVER happened? You're the one going against history. I'm not saying your're wrong, but your idea is the longer shot. Not theirs.

 

[jb007clone]

Well if they really don't want to increase size they could always just put in TWO VGA cameras. One in the front for FaceTime and one in the back for video/stills. I'd take VGA stills over no stills any day.

More likely though, I think a slightly thicker design with a 2 - 3 megapixel camera. Doubt the back will be glass. Probably more like the iPad.

 

[Plutonius]

I wonder...

If they "square" the edges for the camera, it will create extra space on all edges. You're correct that they won't go for 64 GB chips (and thus a 128 GB iPod ain't happening) but might they use the extra space for a 3rd chip and deliver a 96 GB iPod option?

I doubt it. Any additional room will be for a bigger battery and a 3rd chip will increase cost.

 

[MacHiavelli]

This site
. . . http://technologme.com/new-ipods-coming-soon-with-micro-sims/1463/
says the iPod Touch is going to take on the iPhone body.

This seems likely, I think.

 

[deconstruct60]

well, the front facing camera for the iPhone 4 can take pictures. but only at 640x480.

As what the ultimate narcissistic camera ???? A camera without a view finder tends to suck big time. So not only will it have a crappy video oriented sensor, but you can't see what you are taking a picture of unless you have in the frame of the picture. Or just shot frames by willy nilly aiming the lens at something.


Front facing camera pretty much just have one use if the screen (viewfinder) is on the same side.

 

[Small White Car]

I doubt it. Any additional room will be for a bigger battery and a 3rd chip will increase cost.

Yeah, but the costs should be going down for Apple, too. They've been selling 32 GB x 2 iPods for $399 for a year now. They'd keep selling the top model for $399, I'm sure.

Might those 32 GB chips have dropped enough in price enough to do this? I don't know. I'm sure they have to be somewhat cheaper than they were a year ago.

 

[cmaier]

well, the front facing camera for the iPhone 4 can take pictures. but only at 640x480.

arn

As what the ultimate narcissistic camera ???? A camera without a view finder tends to suck big time. So not only will it have a crappy video oriented sensor, but you can't see what you are taking a picture of unless you have in the frame of the picture. Or just shot frames by willy nilly aiming the lens at something.


Front facing camera pretty much just have one use.

Deconstruct60 beat me to it. A front-facing camera is useless except for taking self portraits and videoconferencing unless there is some way to compose a shot even with the phone flipped around.

 

[baleensavage]

I'd rather take pictures than use FaceTime.

+1

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the new iPod touch has a retina display and rear-facing camera. I could care less about a front-facing camera or slimmer design. I also hope that they finally ditch the awful scratch-attracting polished metal and go with the form factor of the new iPhone. I'd love to not have to use a case on my iPod.

 

[sam10685]

Apple, just make the ipod touch bigger to fit that cam in, i wouldn't care...

Agreed. Some people need to use a case anyway just to make them easier to hold on to... That wouldn't be a bad thing at all if they were 1mm bigger. Although something tells me Apple has something pretty insane up their sleeve.

 

[na1577]

I'm surprised, I expected the iPhone 3GS camera and no front facing camera. I'm glad I didn't wait for the new touch!

But this proves Apple doesn't really know what to do with this product line. First it was a music player, then it was a pocket computer, then a gaming device. What is it now, a videophone? I wish Apple would differentiate it from the iPhone and give it some exclusive features instead of giving it gimped iPhone features.

 

[cvaldes]

Because I can not think of the last time Apple made a product BIGGER than a previous version. (Without drastically changing its form, that is. And I don't see how that can happen with an iPod Touch.)

Seriously. Has it EVER happened? You're the one going against history. I'm not saying your're wrong, but your idea is the longer shot. Not theirs.

The current iPod nano is bigger than the previous "fatboy" version.

I don't think Apple really is giving much up by making the iPod touch 4 as thick as the iPhone 4. We're talking about 0.8mm (8.5mm vs. 9.3mm) and it would still be thinner than the current iPod classic (10.5mm). It's less of a difference than you think.

Frankly, I think it was a judgment error on Apple's part to make the iPod touch so thin (I have the first and third generation iPod touches myself). They gave up the ability to put in decent speakers (on the iPod touch, the sound just leaks through the open dock connector port) and the autofocus camera part.

 

[nagromme]

I predict a front-facing camera only—more to save cost then to save space—but the current design tells us little. Whatever the design may be, it won’t be the exact current design.

 

[liamoblomy]

i think its time for apple to scrap the annoyingly scratch prone stainless steel back.

 

[Skoal]

Doesn't it stand to reason that they will make the new iPod Touch look like the iPhone 4?

Exactly! Why is this news?

 

[kernkraft]

I don't see the iPod Touch having glass back either. The Touch is popular with young people who would break them all the time.

But some colours and a basic camera with video capability shouldn't be too difficult. Yet, every time when there is an Apple product launch, something seems to be missing. The iPod Touch would be an excellent place to stop the usual arrogant exclusions and limitations.

Although, I already see the problem with that - the iPhone sucks as a phone, let's get an iPod Touch and a basic phone!

 

[PPietra]

iPod depth

On Apple’s site it states that the iPod depth is
0.33 inch (8.5 mm)
Here you say that: "iPod Touch "width" (at edges): 6mm"
It seems to me that there is some mistake in the analysis! Couldn’t it be that the actual usable space is 6mm, and not something smaller?
If you compare with the iPhone 4 depth:
0.37 inch (9.3 mm)
the difference is small

 

[whitingrj]

Logically, wouldn't Apple save costs and improve manufacturing efficiency by nixing most of the parts used in the current iPod touch, and by instead relying the majority of the components and enclosures that the iPhone 4 employs? You need not order two sets of materials for similar devices. Granted, I may be off on this, but it makes sense on my head.

Therefore, I predict only minimal differences between the two devices, however a 5MP camera in the next generation the iPod touch still seems slightly debatable. Apple may think its music-centric users would prefer a thinner design and increased storage, rather than the implementation of a high-resolution camera. For me, they'd be wrong in that claim, but I digress.

That said, I see both the iPhone 4 and the 4th generation iPod touch being almost identical otherwise, retina display included.

 

[Matt-M]

Easiest from a manufacturing point of view: Remove the GSM and UMTS radios from the iPhone 4, call it done.

Viola, new iPod Touch running iOS4 and with a bunch of new features. Virtually no design or engineering effort needed.

 

[Eidorian]

Easiest from a manufacturing point of view: Remove the GSM and UMTS radios from the iPhone 4, call it done.

Viola, new iPod Touch running iOS4 and with a bunch of new features. Virtually no design or engineering effort needed.

This is why we can't have nice things.

 

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

Well, we know Apple won't make the iPod Touch as thick as the iPhone. Just won't happen. And in fact, I hope they don't do it. There are plenty of people who very much like to have an iPhone like device which is lighter and easier to take around, especially to the likes of a gym. Some improvement to the camera, even a fair amount, absolutely is not reason enough to do this—and Apple knows better than to cater to the small tech minority (except in cases where it can be done reasonably) than the huge amount of people who actually make their company successful.

That said, there are different levels of miniaturization. I know the camera in the iPhone 4 is about as high-tech as a camera gets these days in mobile phones (spare me in advance, "Higher Mpx = BeTTa!H!" people), but can we dismiss the possibility of an even smaller camera which is engineered at a higher cost to maintain a smaller form factor?

 

[Consultant]

It's unlikely for Apple to make a thicker product in terms of iPod...

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

On Apple’s site it states that the iPod depth is
0.33 inch (8.5 mm)
Here you say that: "iPod Touch "width" (at edges): 6mm"
It seems to me that there is some mistake in the analysis! Couldn’t it be that the actual usable space is 6mm, and not something smaller?
If you compare with the iPhone 4 depth:
0.37 inch (9.3 mm)
the difference is small

Obviously you have never looked at an iPod touch in person. The curved body makes a huge difference. The thing is much smaller than an iPhone.

 

[cocky jeremy]

They won't add the 5mp camera too? Maybe they're just redesigning the iPod Touch to the new iPhone 4 design? Duh.