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iPod touch Touch 4G - 0.7 megapixel camera??
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Agreed. I think Tubemonkey is doing a little bit too much of that tube, if you know what I mean.
R&D = Research and Development. You do realize that there are teams of people who design these devices as well as iOS which runs on them, right? And those teams of people do indeed get paid for their work, right? The money to pay these people comes from the profit made from selling these devices. These devices don't suddenly make themselves which is why none of them are sold at cost.
Ex: Netbooks are sold with very thin margins and thus the lower quality of the $300 models, as well as the fact that the manufacturers are making nearly no money from selling them. Thats bad business.
Why is the markup on a retail version of Windows 7 Ultimate 50,000%? Could it be that the price of a product has very little to do with the cost of the materials used to create it?
The question was why the huge discrepancy in markups for two very similar devices.
Nintendo DSi has a 0.3 megapixel camera, 2 of them. The new model 3DS will have the same. Nintendo's camera doesn't do video either, at least right now. Apple is not the only company rolling out a low quality camera in 2010, besides Apple's camera should be good for video.
And the answer is that people are willing to pay a higher price for an unlocked iPhone than an iPod touch at a sales volume that is acceptable to Apple. It has nothing to do with the bill of materials.
I don't think we should be complaining about the camera here unless we know for a fact that the quality will be atrocious, which we don't know and I don't think apple would put out an atrocious quality camera that barely works.
Guys, we could have gotten another iPod touch with NO cameras and just hardware upgrades and retina display and it would have sold just as well because people will buy anything new that apple puts out. Instead we got TWO cameras, which is a huge huge upgrade from last year's model and not to mention the 32GB and 64GB's stayed the same price. You are getting a device that is worlds better than the previous model for the same price as last year's model. I think we should be very thankful that apple put 2 cameras in this thing and kept the price the same aside from the 8GB model which was only raised slightly in price. I plan on buying the 32GB so I get the same price as last year.
I have no cellphone with a camera, so I am extremely thankful for this, as this will be my first truly mobile camera.
Guys, we could have gotten another iPod touch with NO cameras and just hardware upgrades and retina display and it would have sold just as well because people will buy anything new that apple puts out. Instead we got TWO cameras, which is a huge huge upgrade from last year's model and not to mention the 32GB and 64GB's stayed the same price. You are getting a device that is worlds better than the previous model for the same price as last year's model. I think we should be very thankful that apple put 2 cameras in this thing and kept the price the same aside from the 8GB model which was only raised slightly in price. I plan on buying the 32GB so I get the same price as last year.
I have no cellphone with a camera, so I am extremely thankful for this, as this will be my first truly mobile camera.
I agree, it uses a backlit sensor which puts it ahead of most lower resolution cheap phone cameras, provide the lens is a fair quality it may well take quite respectable photos for its size and 960x720 is a pretty good resolution for uploading and printing.
GREAT NEWS! Apple says it's a 5MP camera!
hey forum members, my 1st post!
to begin with, allow me to thank you for calling my attention to this question around the outward-facing camera on the new iPOD Touch. the current Apple spec sheet at this time does indeed appear CONFUSING with regard to photo quality, and upon reflection, I figured it must be misstated/misleading.
so, i just spent about 30 minutes with the Apple Tech support for iPODS/Touch, and after they checked at length with several experts at their end, they were able to ASSURE ME that the OUTWARD-FACING camera is indeed a 5MP sensor! YEAH!
what i think is happening is that someone in charge of mktg communications (incl spec sheets) is confusing the two cameras on the Touch, and also confusing video vs photo/still resolutions.
eg, the reference to "VGA quality" is terminology usually applied to video quality. in this case, i believe it is meant to describe only the video quality of the forward-facing camera. This camera is used by Facetime, which is bandwidth-limited to operate only over wi-fi at this time - not a 3G connection. I believe Facetime can only process VGA quality (correct me if that is wrong).
on the other hand, the outward-facing camera claims "720p-HD video." and what i struggled with here is how a sensor that is capable of HD video can only capture a 0.7MP photo, as some have suggested here. that does not make sense to me.
now overlay this issue with the new iOS version announced yesterday which builds in the HDR feature - an image capture and algorithm technique intended to boost image quality. this feature suggests a dedication to image quality, which would be at odds with supplying only a 0.7MP sensor for the outward-facing camera! a cheap sensor would produce horrible results and undermine Apple's messaging around the Touch's emphasis on image quality (eg, HD video, retina display, etc).
therefore, I am convinced that the Apple techs are correct in assuring me that this is a 5MP sensor (outward-facing camera).
Lastly, i encouraged them to ask their contacts in the mktg communications dept to clearly rewrite the specs sheet on video/photo resolutions, distinguishing between the outward-facing and inward-facing cameras.
hope this helps everyone!
hey forum members, my 1st post!
to begin with, allow me to thank you for calling my attention to this question around the outward-facing camera on the new iPOD Touch. the current Apple spec sheet at this time does indeed appear CONFUSING with regard to photo quality, and upon reflection, I figured it must be misstated/misleading.
so, i just spent about 30 minutes with the Apple Tech support for iPODS/Touch, and after they checked at length with several experts at their end, they were able to ASSURE ME that the OUTWARD-FACING camera is indeed a 5MP sensor! YEAH!
what i think is happening is that someone in charge of mktg communications (incl spec sheets) is confusing the two cameras on the Touch, and also confusing video vs photo/still resolutions.
eg, the reference to "VGA quality" is terminology usually applied to video quality. in this case, i believe it is meant to describe only the video quality of the forward-facing camera. This camera is used by Facetime, which is bandwidth-limited to operate only over wi-fi at this time - not a 3G connection. I believe Facetime can only process VGA quality (correct me if that is wrong).
on the other hand, the outward-facing camera claims "720p-HD video." and what i struggled with here is how a sensor that is capable of HD video can only capture a 0.7MP photo, as some have suggested here. that does not make sense to me.
now overlay this issue with the new iOS version announced yesterday which builds in the HDR feature - an image capture and algorithm technique intended to boost image quality. this feature suggests a dedication to image quality, which would be at odds with supplying only a 0.7MP sensor for the outward-facing camera! a cheap sensor would produce horrible results and undermine Apple's messaging around the Touch's emphasis on image quality (eg, HD video, retina display, etc).
therefore, I am convinced that the Apple techs are correct in assuring me that this is a 5MP sensor (outward-facing camera).
Lastly, i encouraged them to ask their contacts in the mktg communications dept to clearly rewrite the specs sheet on video/photo resolutions, distinguishing between the outward-facing and inward-facing cameras.
hope this helps everyone!
The moment I heard there are two cameras on the ipod touch, I went straight to apple online store and ordered a 32BG ipod touch. Why are people complaining about the camera quality, No one is forcing you to buy an ipod touch. NO ONE! I'm not an Apple fanboy, if Microsoft Zune HD is better than iPod Touch, I would buy it right away.
Yes, believe it or not, this is a deal-breaker for some of us. The camera on an iPhone 4 makes carrying a point-and-shoot redundant. .7mp doesn't.
I own no Apple products but I was looking forward to this after seeing the great images coming off iPhones. I figured the new Touch could act as a media player, PDA, and point-and-shoot camera without having to get a data plan or deal with AT&T. As it is, I'll pick up a Canon s90 once the prices drop (with the introduction of the s95) and stick with the media player I have.
I own no Apple products but I was looking forward to this after seeing the great images coming off iPhones. I figured the new Touch could act as a media player, PDA, and point-and-shoot camera without having to get a data plan or deal with AT&T. As it is, I'll pick up a Canon s90 once the prices drop (with the introduction of the s95) and stick with the media player I have.
No, it doesn't.
My 5 yr. old Kodak 6.1mp camera blew the doors off the camera on my iPhone 4 every time. I spent a couple days taking pictures with the iPhone when I first got it, and I wished I'd been taking the pictures with my Kodak, because it's a LOT better. Not even comparable. Clarity, and color accuracy are far superior.
Cameras on portable devices have a long, long way to go before they can realistically even begin to compete with real cameras.
It all depends on your definition of "real camera", but if you compare the photos from the iPhone 4 to those of other camera phones, it is leaps and bounds ahead of them. Is it similar to a micro 4/3 or 1.6x crop chip? No, but it is a great leap forward. The Touch's camera is... well, it's a video camera, but it ain't much else.
so, i just spent about 30 minutes with the Apple Tech support for iPODS/Touch, and after they checked at length with several experts at their end, they were able to ASSURE ME that the OUTWARD-FACING camera is indeed a 5MP sensor! YEAH!
I would trust the posted spec sheets before I trusted someone on the phone
.The spec sheets indicate that the still photo resolution is 960x720. Multiply the numbers together and you get a number much less then 5 million (5 MP).
Another thing to think about is that the Touch is much thinner then the iPhone and that the camera detector in the iPhone 4 does not remotely fit in the new Touch. Even if the people on the phone were correct that it is a 5 MP camera (though it conflicts with the printed specs), it is definitely not the same camera that is in the iPhone 4. Someone will publish a teardown of the Touch in a few days and you will get a true answer on the back camera.
I have no problem with the camera, I don't really see why a few are complaining.
The camera is pretty much perfect spec for teens, just like me. Most of us only want to maybe record a few videos and take a few quick shots for YouTube or Facebook or whatever, just having it in 720p is a bonus, most people my age wouldn't even know what it means. I'm no expert, but I would say that Apple's age market is around mine mainly, seeing about a 1/3 of every class I'm in have an iPod touch. My family has a 12mp camera, with all the flashy features, that I don't need, and is hopeless for social networking sites: having to resize everything just so it'll upload.
The camera is pretty much perfect spec for teens, just like me. Most of us only want to maybe record a few videos and take a few quick shots for YouTube or Facebook or whatever, just having it in 720p is a bonus, most people my age wouldn't even know what it means. I'm no expert, but I would say that Apple's age market is around mine mainly, seeing about a 1/3 of every class I'm in have an iPod touch. My family has a 12mp camera, with all the flashy features, that I don't need, and is hopeless for social networking sites: having to resize everything just so it'll upload.
The only pictures I took with the optics on my iPhone 3G were those of whiteboard sketches in my office that I wanted to "save" for future reference. The pictures were simply horrid for almost any other purpose, especially with the famous iPhone 'halo' effect that showed up in every shot.
For years, I've carried one of a number of Canon pocket digicams. The most recent traveling companion is a PowerShot 870. The pictures I'd take were most often used as photoshop overlays for combining 'before' pictures of existing architecture with 'to-be' sketches and drawings....it would give us the ability to show a customer what their requested changes would look like when we were done. So the source image quality had to be good enough for a lot of resizing efforts and other manipulation efforts. I had migrated to the 870 from an older 5MP model.
That 870, or its 5MP sibling, still take better pictures than my iPhone 4. But I have to say that for casual use, the iPhone 4 is actually a very serviceable camera for snapshots and the like. I have found the pictures it takes are more than usable for the purposes I _USED_ to require a stand-alone 'real' digicam.
To me thats why having a camera of any decent quality on a multi-purpose device is so handy. Having a camera that takes really crappy photo's that are only usable in "optimal lighting" and serviceable only for Facebook postings all but necessitates carrying a secondary, real camera with me. With the iPhone 4, I now have a choice and that choice has very few tradeoffs.
When the camera is of lesser quality than that found in your average childrens toy digicam...why the hell did Apple even bother with including it? I'd rather they included something like a real GPS chip as a useful swapout instead.
For years, I've carried one of a number of Canon pocket digicams. The most recent traveling companion is a PowerShot 870. The pictures I'd take were most often used as photoshop overlays for combining 'before' pictures of existing architecture with 'to-be' sketches and drawings....it would give us the ability to show a customer what their requested changes would look like when we were done. So the source image quality had to be good enough for a lot of resizing efforts and other manipulation efforts. I had migrated to the 870 from an older 5MP model.
That 870, or its 5MP sibling, still take better pictures than my iPhone 4. But I have to say that for casual use, the iPhone 4 is actually a very serviceable camera for snapshots and the like. I have found the pictures it takes are more than usable for the purposes I _USED_ to require a stand-alone 'real' digicam.
To me thats why having a camera of any decent quality on a multi-purpose device is so handy. Having a camera that takes really crappy photo's that are only usable in "optimal lighting" and serviceable only for Facebook postings all but necessitates carrying a secondary, real camera with me. With the iPhone 4, I now have a choice and that choice has very few tradeoffs.
When the camera is of lesser quality than that found in your average childrens toy digicam...why the hell did Apple even bother with including it? I'd rather they included something like a real GPS chip as a useful swapout instead.
so, i just spent about 30 minutes with the Apple Tech support for iPODS/Touch, and after they checked at length with several experts at their end, they were able to ASSURE ME that the OUTWARD-FACING camera is indeed a 5MP sensor! YEAH!
I think the tech specs would be more accurate than the tech support.. like how come iPhone 4's tech spec clearly says "5MP still camera" and iPod touch says 960x720? Unless the still pics' resolution are downgraded... Well, we'll have to see it a week after
The cam is fine for a quick little snapshot to FaceBook or whatever, just the idea of a still camera on the touch is pretty cool, who knows maybe the quality is pretty good!