back to article iPad nearly had video conferencing?

Developers pawing over the latest iPhone SDK have found references to a front-facing camera, and controls to manage video calls, despite the lack of announced hardware. The latest iPhone SDK, which is also used to develop iPad applications, has references to a hasFrontCamera variable - so applications can check if the hardware …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Alien

    iPad Nearly

    That is a great name for it!!! Why didn't Skeletor think of it??!

  2. Euchrid

    iPad internal bezel

    According to photos of the iPad's internal bezel, there is space for a camera and some have speculated that the model shown off by Jobs had a camera - e.g. http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/02/apple-ipad-may-ship-with-webcam/

  3. Shell

    iPhones

    I can see iPhones getting front-facing cameras, but it doesn't seem an iPad type of thing. I imagine the beta SDK is likely to cover 4th gen iPhones as well as iPads, so finding reference to video conferencing isn't a shock.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Up

      It is useful...

      I have found that it is very useful to use iChat to talk to my sons in college and colleagues at other universities - on other continents. If the iPad had this feature, it would be an easy replacement of my phone... basically having a computer and phone etc all in one package.

  4. CardPaymentGuy

    Video Calling

    The last para of this article is daft - was it written in 1998? Of course people want 'video calling' - how many people have webcams? How many people are using Chatroulette?

  5. SlowBloke

    USB webcam?

    Will the iPad have USB ports to allow a webcam, amongst other things, to be connected?

    1. Brian 62
      Thumb Down

      no

      No way in hell it would have something like that.

    2. h 6
      Thumb Up

      USB port

      You will be able to connect USB devices through its dock connector. I'm sure there will be many add-on devices from the likes of Griffin available when the ipad arrives.

    3. Mad Hacker

      USB?

      The iPad will use Bluetooth to connect to peripherals, not USB. Personally I'd like it to have FW800 but netbooks aren't meant for real computing tasks anyway.

    4. John Blagden
      Thumb Up

      Cases

      Given the many 3rd companies making a living supplying accessories to the iPhone/iTouch who see a huge market for the iPad, what's the betting that someone will design a clip on case with a webcam in it and connection/power via the docking port? Put a pull-out stand on it and voila, instant video conferencing with no nasal passages dominating the proceedings.

  6. The Vociferous Time Waster
    Troll

    It will be on the RTM version

    It won't be on the fanboi version that's soon to be shipped, they'll add it on later along with the bugfixes. As with all things apple the fanbois get the crappy early version and then something a little more robust comes along with an added feature that means the beta testers ^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h early adopters have to buy it all over again.

  7. Simon Buttress

    wow, not like Apple to withhold features is it?

    Title says it all, no surprise that Apple milks its user base for all the cash it can as it introduces features 'as new' as selling points and reason to upgrade that other companies bundle as standard.

    Don't like it myself but Apple are in it to make money. Kudos to them for buggering the gullible.

  8. uhuznaa

    Hmm

    This was found in the third beta version of the iPad SDK and was obviously not there in this form in the first and second beta. I can't imagine Apple adding things to the OS and SDK at this stage which may be needed only in some later version of the hardware. My guess is that either the 3G version of the iPad will have a camera or all iPads will have one when delivered. Or there will be some kind of support for external webcams.

  9. Alastair 7

    Re: Video Calling

    People don't want video calling, that's been pretty much proven. But video calling != webcam chat.

    I webcam chat from the comfort of my living room, on my laptop. The concept of video calling had people peering into tiny screens while on the bus, gurning to their friends. The form factor of the iPad suggests that it might be more of the former than the latter, but as others have suggested, I suspect we'll see this in the new iPad model released next year.

  10. IR

    Add-ons

    A forward facing camera was the omission that turned what would have been a "I can see how some people might find the iPad useful" into "What is the point?".

    Of course, you don't really need a forawrd facing camera on a phone if buy the add-on known as a "me-roar" which uses special light manipulation technology to make your rear facing camera point in any direction you like. You can even use it offline to get a hair status update.

  11. dave 93

    Skype not popular?

    I just checked, and there are 22 million Skype users online. Admittedly a lot will be voice only, but if your computer has a camera, Skype sets it up automatically, and nearly all new computers ship with a camera.

    I also suspect that the iPad will ship with a camera. Web class cameras costs pennies, and let users 'spread the word' which is all good for Apple.

  12. Insane Reindeer
    Happy

    Well I can see a LOT of use for phone based video chats...

    ...It involves people who, otherwise would be unable to communicate via voice in the usual way. I am of course referring to people who use sign language. Have seen it a lot on my travels, and it always makes me feel good that these people have the chance to use it. Yes texts are quicker and what have you, but sometimes you just have to "speak" to someone...

  13. rcdicky
    Stop

    I feel sorry for...

    the people who don't get excited enough about something new and would rather wait a year or two before buying a product...

    This is no diefferent. Who cares if they release a newer model next year with more features.

    Don't most companies operate in the same way?

    Don't point the finger at Apple just because you can.

    I'll probably buy one and I don't count myself as gullible, but then I've no use for a front facing camera so it doesn't phase me much

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