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Next Generation iPod Touch to Have Built-in Microphone and Camera?

Camera and MIc would be fine, but not if it makes the casing more bulky.

I would much rather see GPS and improved battery life. Would be so cool to have turn by turn navigation in ones iPod.
 
Considering every E- or N-series Nokia phone is a WiFi hotspot, this means you can have a cheap iPhone by simply carrying an iPod and packing a Nokia phone hidden in a bag! Very nice!
 
jjrv said:
Considering every E- or N-series Nokia phone is a WiFi hotspot, this means you can have a cheap iPhone by simply carrying an iPod and packing a Nokia phone hidden in a bag! Very nice!
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I'm worried that this will snatch marketshare away from the iPhone due to the increasing popularity of the iPod Touch. :(
 
Built-in Microphone and Camera for iPod Touch would allow more applications to to work with both iPhone and iPod Touch

-Twitter JosUK
 
I'm happy with that. I'm happy with the only difference between the devices is that the iPhone has a communication chip and the iPod Touch having extra space for another block of memory.

But the camera is a very good idea.
 
Well, this is neat

Such a device could certainly function as a phone, but only within Wifi range, and even then only if the Wifi bubble is unsecured (or the user has the password) AND the device can connect (which can be hit or miss) AND the bubble has to have sufficient bandwidth.

That being said, I'd buy one. DAY ONE. My cell phone sucks and can't get reception worth crap where I live, and I can't afford the iPhone plan. But, I have Wifi!
 
This Camera/Mic addition is defiantly happening. Adding a GPS may be getting put off till next year. That way, it gives Apple a new thing to advertise about the Touch.
 
Chundles said:
Apple receive no money from contracts, the revenue sharing model ended with the release of the iPhone 3G.

They keep the iPod touch reasonably close to the iPhone in capability to drive up sales of the much cheaper device. 32GB iPod touch is $549 whilst the 32GB iPhone 3GS is $1040.

People who don't want to spend as much money and people who don't want to buy into a 2 year contract will snap up the iPod touch knowing that it can do pretty much the same stuff as the iPhone.

I'm certain that the majority of the 40 million+ iPhone OS 3.0 devices Apple have sold have been iPod touches because they are significantly cheaper than an iPhone and have no requirement for ANY ongoing fees.

It's a fantastic idea to throw a camera into the iPod touch, it opens up camera apps to many more users, introduces a new revenue stream and provides a whole new world of content.
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Though I doubt the iPod Touch makes up a "majority" of those 40 million+ OS 3.0 devices, I completely agree with your other points. Well said. :cool:
 
i don't think apple will put a camera in at least because then a lot of iphone customers and wanters of iphones will probably get the ipod touch then their iphone market will suffer and so on so it's not a smart move
 
As they said in the article, adding a microphone seems kind of obvious if they are adding a video camera.

I'm more interested if they add a GPS and digital compass. GPS seems unlikely, if only because it'd be too good to be true. The digital compass though would seem to be more directly useful since it can complement the accelerometer as an input source. I wonder if the new iPod Touch will also receive higher clock speeds than the iPhone 3G S like the 2nd gen iPod Touch did.
 
jazzmmaverick said:
i don't think apple will put a camera in at least because then a lot of iphone customers and wanters of iphones will probably get the ipod touch then their iphone market will suffer and so on so it's not a smart move
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I'm not following the logic here. How does a camera tip the scales from getting an iPhone to an iPod Touch? More connectivity options for the Touch or the ability to make "pseudo" phone calls, yes, but a camera?

For me, the inclusion of a microphone would be a deal MAKER since I'm in the market for a VOIP phone right now anyway, and the inclusion of a microphone essentially turns it into a VOIP phone.
 
I don't really understand why they're adding all of these features to a MEDIA PLAYER.

I enjoyed having the iPhone cause it had all the features that no one else could get in a similar product. I think Microsoft is actually doing the right thing by not making it anything that it isn't and keeping it basically to the core of what it is.

It no longer even is an iPod, they should really stop calling it one. iPod is just a piece of software integrated into the PDA device.
 
emulator said:
as the ATT exclusivity expire sometime, sooner or later there will be essentially one device, the high end model that can make/receive GSM calls, and the other device, that cannot; all sold by apple. you can stick in the high end model whatever SIM you want.
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You clearly have no undertanding of the current smartphone market or business in general. Do you honestly believe Apple is going to turn down that gargantuan pile of cash AT&T is willing to shove at them just to "show them" and to make some iPhone owners who feel bad about AT&T happy?
 
commander.data said:
As they said in the article, adding a microphone seems kind of obvious if they are adding a video camera.

I'm more interested if they add a GPS and digital compass. GPS seems unlikely, if only because it'd be too good to be true. The digital compass though would seem to be more directly useful since it can complement the accelerometer as an input source. I wonder if the new iPod Touch will also receive higher clock speeds than the iPhone 3G S like the 2nd gen iPod Touch did.
Click to expand...

I wonder still if it will have a design change.
 
commander.data said:
I wonder if the new iPod Touch will also receive higher clock speeds than the iPhone 3G S like the 2nd gen iPod Touch did.
Click to expand...

All processors in the iPhone and iPod Touch have higher processing speeds but they run at low speeds. The 2nd Gen iPod Touch runs at 532Mhz while its actual processor speed is higher at 600Mhz. Similarly, the 3GS is at 600Mhz while its actual speed is at 768Mhz.

They run at low speeds because they are optimized to run at those speeds without compromising the battery life and heat generated in the device.
 
Problem...

There is just one problem with this whole scenario. Most people think that the microphone will enable it to be a better Wi-Fi VOIP Phone in essence and while this is true, wouldn't you want to also add an ear speaker to the iPod touch?

If this weren't the case, you would have to either have an ear bud on to listen anyways or have it on speaker phone for everyone to listen to with you. And while I understand the point of a mic for a video camera, I think that it also has to have an earpiece speaker too.

Thoughts?

- Jay
 
lyngo said:
There is just one problem with this whole scenario. Most people think that the microphone will enable it to be a better Wi-Fi VOIP Phone in essence and while this is true, wouldn't you want to also add an ear speaker to the iPod touch?

If this weren't the case, you would have to either have an ear bud on to listen anyways or have it on speaker phone for everyone to listen to with you. And while I understand the point of a mic for a video camera, I think that it also has to have an earpiece speaker too.

Thoughts?

- Jay
Click to expand...

I think if people really want to use it for skype, they will buy the headphones with the mic in the cord. The other option would be speakerphone. Apple is not going to put an ear speaker in it, it would look like a phone!
 
With copy and paste and video recording on the iPhone, the sky is the limit!

Apple must be the slowest company that claims to be a trend-setter (whilst it lags behind the competition). Actually, the iPod is a decent product range, but hell, a price-comparison ad campaign would be welcome in the shocking little world of music players.

Apple, how about some decent camera in the 3G? or better batteries? Everybody else can do it...

But at least nobody wants Blu-Ray in an iPod Touch. Right?
 
I think the main reason for them to add a microphone built in is to allow users to take advantage of the new In-game Chat feature of 3.0. This would definitely help boost sales of these new games. The camera would be a nice feature, but I'd say they will only put the 2MP one in to keep cost down.
 
I don't see Apple adding a microphone to an iPod unless they plan to use it themselves. They aren't going to boast about Skype. So, this sort of smells like iChat over Wi-Fi if you ask me :) *fingers crossed cause he thinks that'd be kinda cool*
 
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