More Evidence Next iPhone to Have Front Facing Camera, iChat, and More

[MacRumors]

Another SDK release from Apple means more hints to uncover about their future plans. Today's iPhone OS 4 release was no exception, though the hints it reveals seem to be familiar. The iPad SDK first revealed tons of evidence that Apple had, in fact, been working on support for video conferencing iChat as well as support for a front-facing camera.

While the iPad didn't implement these features, it seems likely that the next iPhone will. A report from John Gruber last week claimed that the next generation iPhone would carry the following features:

- A4-family CPU system-on-a-chip
- 960x640 double-resolution display
- second front facing camera
- 3rd party multitasking in iPhone 4

3rd party multitasking came true during today's keynote, and SDK 4 evidence continues to contain references to "front facing" cameras.

Meanwhile TUAW posts evidence of an "iChatAgent" process running on the new operating system (pictured above). Apple is expected to release a new iPhone sometime this summer. Rumors have also suggested that the next iPhone may make its way to the Verizon network as well.

Article Link: More Evidence Next iPhone to Have Front Facing Camera, iChat, and More

 

[thevofl]

Woo Hoo! A great time to upgrade!

 

[wbham]

iPhone 4s rumors are making it sound very appealing. Especially with OS 4.0, the double resolution, and hopefully improved camera with a decent flash. May be finally time for me to bite the bullet and buy.

 

[Jimmy James]

Wouldn't double the resolution make text on web pages twice as small? Currently, web pages are usable natively without zooming in.

Can someone explain the practical benefits?

 

[StuddedLeather]

Great!
Hopefully it's a real iChat App and not just something internal.

I really hope it's a new hardware design as well, that would be ice cream for this cake.

 

[Cabrewolf]

Duh

It's pretty obvious that iChat will be in the os and there is no reason not to have announced iChat unless doing so would hurt sales. New chat related hardware feature.

 

[Andrew K.]

Just when you thought the EVO 4G was gonna kill it, iPhone HD looks ready to fight back!

 

[ddrueckhammer]

It's pretty obvious that iChat will be in the os and there is no reason not to have announced iChat unless doing so would hurt sales. New chat related hardware feature.

Why would they announce it now without any hardware with a front facing camera?

RFIDs are coming eventually but I guess that might be iPhone 5G or 6G.

 

[usasalazar]

Sweet!

Plenty of time to get a facelift before Summer!

 

[MikeELL]

I wonder if the 2x pixels on the next model could possibly refer to that patent about having the camera elements incorporated into the display. I suppose it's impossible to have elements which are light emitting some of the time and light absorbing when needed? Either way, I'm excited to see what they do

 

[Friscohoya]

I appreciate that apple doesnt move until they are sure they can get it right but I want ipad video chat now!

 

[thedarkhorse]

Wouldn't double the resolution make text on web pages twice as small? Currently, web pages are usable natively without zooming in.

Can someone explain the practical benefits?

I'd guess everything will still be proportionally the same size, the letters(and all images/graphics) will render at double the resolution making them appear much smoother.

 

[Mooey]

Welp, I've waited for three years. It's safe to say that I'm finally getting an iPod Touch.

 

[jav6454]

Verizon? Lol, ain't happening. You won't get any data while on a call... and besides, Apple is pushing the whole 7.2Mb/s iPhone 3GS; I highly doubt that Apple would want slower theoretical speeds to advertise.

 

[paradox00]

Wouldn't double the resolution make text on web pages twice as small? Currently, web pages are usable natively without zooming in.

Can someone explain the practical benefits?

Why would it do that? Right now Safari fits the webpage to your screen, the only way the text would shrink is if you made the screen smaller.

 

[Mooey]

Wouldn't double the resolution make text on web pages twice as small? Currently, web pages are usable natively without zooming in.

Can someone explain the practical benefits?

I'm assuming the applications will be developed in the iPad's natural resolution and 'shrunken' to fit the iPod Touch. The text will remain the same but look sharper. That's the only logical thing I could think of.

 

[beebler]

If the second camera can be designed successfully in this period of time, that'll be great. But I know the iPad did away with it because of a software conflict. Hopefully Apple got it sorted out now.

 

[bloodycape]

I want to say a front facing camera is plausible, but this is AT&T we presumingly are talking about, which I doubt would have the bandwidth to cope with users trying to video chat. Only reason Sprint can do it with the Evo is the smaller user base, and the fact it can use 4G in certain areas to video chat.

 

[FrankieTDouglas]

"No thank you, I'd rather not have a front facing camera. LOLz just so I can look up someone's nose while talking to them?" -the typical Macrumors poster, between February and April, 2010.

 

[Stetrain]

Wouldn't double the resolution make text on web pages twice as small? Currently, web pages are usable natively without zooming in.

Can someone explain the practical benefits?

I would imagine that everything in software would be scaled up to the same relative per-inch scale we have now, just finer resolution at the actual hardware level.

 

[rhcpsteve]

I want to say a front facing camera is plausible, but this is AT&T we presumingly are talking about, which I doubt would have the bandwidth to cope with users trying to video chat.

You Americans do realise that there are other countries in the world, and therefore iPhone carriers besides AT&T, right? Granted, the US has the biggest user base, but still... there's others outside your paddock..

 

[Dammit Cubs]

The double resolution is really enticing!!!!!!

 

[Matthew Yohe]

"No thank you, I'd rather not have a front facing camera. LOLz just so I can look up someone's nose while talking to them?" -the typical Macrumors poster, between February and April, 2010.

I think those were all referring to the iPad, which of course still stand.

The iPhone however is very simple to hold at eye level, and this at least makes some sense.

 

[bloodycape]

You Americans do realise that there are other countries in the world, and therefore iPhone carriers besides AT&T, right? Granted, the US has the biggest user base, but still... there's others outside your paddock..

Yes, I did but I was thinking that you usually don't see them offer a feature in another country. I usually see them streamlining their product line across different countries. But, I could be wrong here.

 

[Thex1138]

Nostril cam...?...Probably not, but more likely face tracking to keep the viewers in the frame even though the camera is moving around...

I can't wait