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Next-Generation iPod Touch Parts Reveal Hole for Front-Facing Camera?

guitargoddsjm said:
HOWEVER, I don't know about all of the other features people have been pushing around (e.g., A4 chip, Retina Display, high-res back camera, iPhone4-esque design). Implementing too many of these features would most definitely cause iphone cannibalization (the iPad form factor differentiates itself enough); however, I could see a couple of these being implemented:


I'd like to think there won't be a rear camera. Although it would be really awesome (the iPhone 4 camera is absolutely stunning), it's highly unlikely. That would be a bit too much luxury for the iPod line.
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I fundamentally disagree that Apple is terribly concerned about cannibalization within the iOS devices. A user is a user is a user and I anticipate them to be incredibly aggressive with the features this year for the iPod touch.

From my perspective the whole game versus Android is keeping developers paid and happy and by having traditional subsidized phones, iPads and iPods all using the same platform, this goes along way towards staying in it.
 
Last year I saw my first Hitler video on Youtube about the iPod Touch without a camera. Is was so funny I am just hitting myself for not saving it off after they took it offline. I wonder what Hitler will say this year about the iPod Touch that will be a disappointment.
 
guitargoddsjm said:
HOWEVER, I don't know about all of the other features people have been pushing around (e.g., A4 chip, Retina Display, high-res back camera, iPhone4-esque design). Implementing too many of these features would most definitely cause iphone cannibalization (the iPad form factor differentiates itself enough)
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I agree that too many features will cannibalize iPhone sales. However, if the only difference between the iPhone & iPod Touch was the phone equipment / 3G, that would be a big enough distinction for me to know which one I wanted. If the iPod got the gyroscope, cameras, A4 chip and everything else, I wouldn't care. If I want to make telephone calls, I'd get the iPhone. If not, the iPod touch. Everything else, IMO, should be the same.
 
Sooo... what's negative about adding apparently cool features to a future release of the iPod Touch? I think some folks are right. There are trolls out there who consider it a part of their morning routine to visit MacRumors and vote things negative simply because they have made a personal stand against Apple...
 
guzhogi said:
I agree that too many features will cannibalize iPhone sales. However, if the only difference between the iPhone & iPod Touch was the phone equipment / 3G, that would be a big enough distinction for me to know which one I wanted. If the iPod got the gyroscope, cameras, A4 chip and everything else, I wouldn't care. If I want to make telephone calls, I'd get the iPhone. If not, the iPod touch. Everything else, IMO, should be the same.
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The actual cost of an iPhone is much more then what people pay (it's subsidized). A touch with the exact same features of an iPhone except the phone part would be considerably more expensive then the current touch.

For everything you add, the cost goes up.
 
I really don't see this as being FaceTime compatible.

Apple has made it very clear they want to abstract the video calling process as much as possible. No usernames, no ID's, near same as a phone call. Afterall, FaceTime is initiated through the Phone app on iPhone.

Would they give iPod Touch's a phone app for the sole purpose of video calling? How would you even receive calls back? Seriously, think about it. How would say, an iPhone 4 calling "you" know how to connect to you?? There's not a unique identifier like a phone number that you are associated with.
 
chrisk1250 said:
I really don't see this as being FaceTime compatible.

Apple has made it very clear they want to abstract the video calling process as much as possible. No usernames, no ID's, near same as a phone call. Afterall, FaceTime is initiated through the Phone app on iPhone.

Would they give iPod Touch's a phone app for the sole purpose of video calling? How would you even receive calls back? Seriously, think about it. How would say, an iPhone 4 calling "you" know how to connect to you?? There's not a unique identifier like a phone number that you are associated with.
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Maybe Apple will create a facetime app for both iphones and ipod touches. It would be nice to have a facetime app for mac os x as well; something that can communicate with the ipods and iphones from the mac.
 
Tech-Minded said:
Maybe Apple will create a facetime app for both iphones and ipod touches. It would be nice to have a facetime app for mac os x as well; something that can communicate with the ipods and iphones from the mac.
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So would you be required to get a username? That's the only way I see that scenario working out.
 
Plutonius said:
The actual cost of an iPhone is much more then what people pay (it's subsidized). A touch with the exact same features of an iPhone except the phone part would be considerably more expensive then the current touch.

For everything you add, the cost goes up.
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You're definitely right about costs going up, however I was referring to the iPod Touch cannibalizing iPhone sales. I just meant that, all else being equal, just the basic phone / 3G in the iPhone would be a big enough distinction for me.

Also, don't forget that while the iPod's cost would go up if Apple included all the other features, the iPhone's cost will still be higher due to the phone equipment, plus (in the US at least), people have to sign 2 year contracts, adding several hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
 
chrisk1250 said:
I really don't see this as being FaceTime compatible.

Apple has made it very clear they want to abstract the video calling process as much as possible. No usernames, no ID's, near same as a phone call. Afterall, FaceTime is initiated through the Phone app on iPhone.

Would they give iPod Touch's a phone app for the sole purpose of video calling? How would you even receive calls back? Seriously, think about it. How would say, an iPhone 4 calling "you" know how to connect to you?? There's not a unique identifier like a phone number that you are associated with.
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Email address? Apple already put "Contacts" on the current Touches. You just find a contact and hit the FaceTime button on their contact card.

For iPhone 4 users dialling in, they select "Bob" in their Contacts app, to which bob's email is associated, and hit the FaceTime button.
 
thoughts

ok maybe i'm wrong (which is totally probable) but isn't face time essentially apple's answer to skype? in which case one wouldn't need any type of phone number, only a "front facing camera" (read: web cam included on a mobile device) and a wi-fi connection.

again feel free to correct this assumption i'm just going off of what my mbp with the isight can do.

also I think the 4G touch will be getting the gyroscope and A4 chip since it is apple's gaming device similar to the psp
 
Ambient Light Sensor? Maybe not.

I was thinking ambient light sinsor too at first, but now that I look at it, it looks like an actual hole. The Ambient light sensor is behind the glass. Not an actual hole in the glass. I'm not sure that the camera would be a hole either. I would be more thrilled by the prospect of this being a speaker for placing it to your ear and making VOIP calls. Making it a hole and not a slit would visibly differentiate it from the iPhone. I wouldn't think that the camera would need a hole and from the pics, it looks more like a hope than just clear glass.
 
Plutonius said:
I'll be sure to quote this once September rolls around. I love it when things people quote as absolute, never happen. It tends to make the people look very foolish :).
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It sure does, and I anticipate the deadline! Maybe you should look into my track record! Around 90% accuracy isn't too shabby ;)
 
chrisk1250 said:
So would you be required to get a username? That's the only way I see that scenario working out.
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Probably since there needs to be some sort of identification of the user.

Most likely this would be your Apple ID or another method like Facebook Connect. Apple probably needs to provide several options to verify identity if they are to make this a robust open standard.

Right now it appears that it is keying off your mobile phone number. Ultimately, it can't be tied to a phone number if they are going to make FaceTime work on iPods, WiFi-only iPads, and computers of many flavors.
 
chrisk1250 said:
I really don't see this as being FaceTime compatible.

Apple has made it very clear they want to abstract the video calling process as much as possible. No usernames, no ID's, near same as a phone call. Afterall, FaceTime is initiated through the Phone app on iPhone.

Would they give iPod Touch's a phone app for the sole purpose of video calling? How would you even receive calls back? Seriously, think about it. How would say, an iPhone 4 calling "you" know how to connect to you?? There's not a unique identifier like a phone number that you are associated with.
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That is why mobile me integration makes the most sense. For example, on the sliders for contacts, bookmarks ect... there could be one for FaceTime. The choice of user name would be removed from the user.
 
boss1 said:
Sorry to rain on everyone's parade.

Face Time, even over wifi, needs a phone number to reach in order to facilitate a connection between of device to another remote device.

Unless Apple plans on distributing iPod's with SIM cards and purchasing large blocks of phone number's essentially turning itself into the business of "carrier", it's not going to happen.
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I think you are unders-estimating Apple's ability to provide alternate addresses for FaceTime. I have not seen the specs, but I am going to expect that there is an Apple server somewhere that binds various addresses into IPv6 addresses for FaceTime. Right now, it is a telephone number that does this. For other devices, I fully expect that you'll be able to use your mobileme account name as a key into that database, etc.

iChat ==> FaceTime for the iPod Touch, iPad, Mac, and eventually Windows!
 
At the rate things are moving, the poor old iPad will be drawing it's pension soon :(
 
If the iPod Touch does come out with a 128gb version, I kinda wonder if that will be the end of the Classic or if the Classic will be bumped up to 250gb or that ball park......
 
MacFly123 said:
Haha, there is no way a whole right in the middle of the front that big is just for an ambient light sensor! Especially when Steve pretty much comes right out and says they will ship 10s of millions of FaceTime devices THIS YEAR! It is pretty obvious.



No offense but that is ridiculous lol!

If it gets one camera, it will get both PERIOD! FaceTime = BOTH CAMERAS! Flipping the camera around is part of the user experience and features of FaceTime!

The new iPod Touch will have to be a bit thicker and have a new design, but it will still be very thin I am sure as it doesn't have near as many components as the iPhone.
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Ridiculus? There were a lot of phones back in '04 that had a camera you could spin around for use with video calling, granted that they had a clamshell form factor but still the idea is not ridiculus
 
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