Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

OmniVision to Provide Front and Rear Cameras for Second-Generation iPad?

I wonder, though, how AirPlay would impact the desire for Apple to add a Mini Display Port out?

I'd like to see an SD card slot built-in, freeing the 30 pin connector for other uses. The SD card slot could also make it easier to deploy business apps across an enterprise of many iPads.
 
Excellent news as far as I'm concerned.

I of course, hope the iPad will be able to take HD Video and have a enhanced Video editing App on the iPad2.

Will be excellent to shoot video and edit it all on the one device on a reasonably large screen.

I guess all the people on these forums that have posted before that they don't want a rear camera will be sticking some tape of their's when they buy one so they can't ever use it.
 
Stevie Jobs, you crazy cat, first you give us a Facetime-less iPad (probably for use in a Corporate environment). Next comes the spiffy MacBook Air with Facetime for double the price of the low end iPad. Hmmm, which gizmo do I spend my recession limited cash on? You know, I like all the bells and whistles so maybe I'll just hold off until iPad rev 2 rolls out early next year. Nah, what the hey, I'll buy something tomorrow.....
 
RodThePlod said:
Exactly. Apple (Steve Jobs) likes to keep features 'in sync' as much as possible even if they're in different devices. Look at how they're changing the orientation lock on the iPad to be a mute switch in iOS 4.2 - so the 'mute' and 'orientation change' features work the same on iPad/iPhone, etc.

They will want Facetime on iPad to work in the same way as Facetime on iPhone and iPod touch - which means front and back cameras.

I'm still hoping they introduce a camera 'dongle' that connects via the dock connector for us first gen iPad users. Wouldn't see it being too expensive and would sell like hotcakes...
Click to expand...

What about with the mac though? That hasn't got a back facing camera and facetime will be coming shortly too it.

I personally won't use the back camera but a few people might want to use it
 
iPad angle of shooting for front camera

Steve said that touch is really useful only when used on a flat, lying surface, right.. which is why Macbooks (and macs by extension) are very unlikely to bear touch panels.

Now we're talking bout Facetime on the iPad... so, lets stay coherent :
- either people will have to hold the (still quite heavy) 'Pad to communicate using a front facing cam
- or the cam will be shooting with an angle like, say, 45°, assuming you're using the ipad flat on a tbale
- or the cam will be some sort on ingenuous external gizmo that'll let you chat comfortably without holding the ipad with both (or worse, one) hand. maybe a new accessory, like an iPad stand, will include the new camera...

anyway the paradox of Facetime + using a touch device on a flat surface VS holding it vertically merits imho some debate... doesn't it ?

cheers
o.
 
the lack of a front facing camera was the deal breaker for me on the first gen. I knew that Apple would add the camera to a second gen device and act as though its the latest greatest innovation in the world. That said, I will be purchasing one when they come out.
 
If it were up to me, I'd skip the back camera and make the front camera slightly better quality. Holding the thing up to take a picture is going to be awkward and also look strange...

And, why didn't Apple just release it with a camera in the first place? I mean, they had the room, they had the technology, they had the motive...

How many people are going to be flocking to the Apple store to plunk down a huge chunk of change (after the GOP gets started ravaging the country again) for the latest toy this time.

Sooner or later, as the economy is bound to get worse and not better, it's going to have a pronounced negative effect on Apple and for that matter many other companies. There is no way, even with their massive tax cuts saved, that the rich alone can support Apple and the economy in general. Especially if the extremely regressive National Sales Tax being discussed in hushed tones on the right comes to fruition...
 
PinkyMacGodess said:
If it were up to me, I'd skip the back camera and make the front camera slightly better quality. Holding the thing up to take a picture is going to be awkward and also look strange...

And, why didn't Apple just release it with a camera in the first place? I mean, they had the room, they had the technology, they had the motive...

How many people are going to be flocking to the Apple store to plunk down a huge chunk of change (after the GOP gets started ravaging the country again) for the latest toy this time.

Sooner or later, as the economy is bound to get worse and not better, it's going to have a pronounced negative effect on Apple and for that matter many other companies. There is no way, even with their massive tax cuts saved, that the rich alone can support Apple and the economy in general. Especially if the extremely regressive National Sales Tax being discussed in hushed tones on the right comes to fruition...
Click to expand...

You know exactly why and it's been said so many times on many forums

Apple leaves things out they COULD have done to give you more reasons to upgrade to the next model.
 
What I would love is the ability for the front facing camera to record in 720p and the rear facing camera to record in 1080p (but, obviously, Apple doesn't believe in the full HD experience.)

I think that 720p over the air, using FaceTime, would be fantastic and showing people things (as FaceTime is a show and tell application in full HD woudl be nothing short of magical.

But, I have a funny feeling that SJ will use the same camera's that they used in the iPhone 4 in the iPad 2 and then update the iPhone 5 camera's to better than the iPad (720 from the front facing camera).

As well as FaceTime, AR apps are fantastic and would be even better with the big screen of the iPad. (Shooting aliens in my back yard)

I think that the occational snap with the iPad would be OK, for that random moment.

But, with a good version of iMovie for the iPad, a rear facing camera that can record 720p or 1080p (and a better mic:D), need I say more.

I would use the cameras (if it ships with two) mostly for:
Skype (maybe for FaceTime)
Recording home movies - IF it has a GOOD version of iMovie, that can do good stuff not the rubbish thats on the iPhone now. (Greenscreen, overlay elements, scale, rotate videos, distort videos etc. I can dream cant I?)
 
pwolfe said:
the lack of a front facing camera was the deal breaker for me on the first gen. I knew that Apple would add the camera to a second gen device and act as though its the latest greatest innovation in the world. That said, I will be purchasing one when they come out.
Click to expand...

+1

I want the 7" model if they offer it. But will definitely buy one of the 2nd gen iPads. I may even buy both a 9.7" model (for home use) AND a 7" model (for mobile use). Both fully-loaded with as much flash memory and other features as they offer. I hope the cameras have LED flash, autofocus, and HDR photo capabilities (all missing on the iTouch) and the iPad should get most other iPhone features too (except retina display, not expecting that). They shouldn't worry about price; I'm willing to pay.

I'm only disappointed they said late in the 1st quarter of CY11. I want it now.
 
Merthyrboy said:
What about with the mac though? That hasn't got a back facing camera and facetime will be coming shortly too it.

I personally won't use the back camera but a few people might want to use it
Click to expand...

The use case for an iPad is very similar to an iPhone or iPod touch, which is why Apple will try to unify these devices in their implementation of Facetime. The Mac is used in a different way - and so I wouldn't be surprised to see a different implementation.

For example, if Apple decided to do Facetime on Apple TV via a camera system similar to Microsoft's Kinect it would obviously only have a front facing camera too.
 
If Gen 2 of :apple:iPad has Facetime cameras I'm in. I'm holding out right now. If it has dual facetime cameras. Even :D
 
chaosconan said:
Can someone tell me why you need a rear image sensor on an ipad? I can understand about having one in the front. But does it really make sense to have one in the rear especially when the iPad is 9.7 inches.

Now, if you had a 7 inch or 5 inch ipad, having a rear image sensor does make sense. But not on an iPad 9.7 inch.

I personally think OmniVision will be producing the image sensors for the 7 inch ipad and not the 9.7 inch.
:)
Click to expand...

I think you answered your own question. Since major competitors (like Galaxy Tab) do have two cameras, it does not look good on the spec sheet that iPad does not have any (or just one) cameras. perhaps Apple decided to put it there just for that even though it really makes very little sense.
 
likely will support Apple's FaceTime video chat software
Click to expand...

I love how they says "Likely will support". I think at this point its pretty much a guarantee they will support it.
 
I can see the front facing camera for all the facetime etc apps but the back facing camera IMO will be a bit pointless. For one simple reason. I bet every person who are carrying an iPad have a newish mobile phone with a camera already on it so will use that.
 
Small White Car said:
Uh... You really want something that's 2.5 times larger than a Blu-Ray video frame?

And forget whether or not that's needed or not...do you think any network would actually be able to transfer it?
Click to expand...

Dont get smart xD I was just saying my opinion. Facetime on my iP4 is pretty good quality.. but really there is no point in a rear camera on an iPad (that I can think of!)
 
Full of Win said:
I'm still slightly shocked it did not come with a camera in the first place.
Click to expand...
The answer to that, to me, is evident. Remember when Steve presented the iPad and there was polite applause rather than "Wows"? And tablets weren't selling that well.

While Apple may have been sure that there was a market for the iPad, they may not have been sure if the public would go for it. So why waste loading it with extras to drive up the price and add more things that could go wrong? Also something that not all people want or need? I think they wisely slimmed it down, made it as streamlined as possible. Both to keep price down, and also keep down mishaps and confusion. Then they tossed it out to see if it would fly.

Meanwhile they also tested out facetime on the phones to see if that would fly.

The iPad did fly. And the iPhone made everyone familiar with Facetime. Now people who didn't buy the iPad will, and those who are new to the iPad will better understand the purpose of those cameras. And those who see no use for a camera can either hold onto the iPads they have or buy ones from those trading up.

We can debate on whether this was a good idea or not, but I think why is clear.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back