Blowout Specials ends 2/28“Apple released a third beta of the iPhone OS 3.2 SDK on Tuesday afternoon, the version of the iPhone OS that is exclusively for the upcoming iPad. Apple later pulled beta 3, but not before several developers had downloaded it,” Chris Foresman reports for Ars Technica.

“The new SDK also includes a Photos application for testing via the iPad Simulator. That app can automatically access camera hardware if it is present, and offers an interface like that previously uncovered inside the Contacts app. Though Apple didn’t show off an integrated camera when the iPad was introduced, the system-wide capabilities to use a camera suggest Apple either is keeping the feature to reveal when the iPad ships or plans to build one into a future version,” Foresman reports. “Furthermore, numerous references to video chat capabilities have been discovered in the SDK’s telephony frameworks.”

Full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Apple changing specs after showing an iPhone OS device just before shipping is not without precedent: On Monday, June 18, 2007, eleven days before the first iPhone began shipping, Apple announced that they had significantly upgraded iPhone’s battery life and its multi-touch screen to optical-quality glass. Could the same sort of thing happen with iPad?

Related articles:
Apple’s latest iPhone SDK suggests iPad nearly had video conferencing – February 24, 2010
Apple job posting suggests still and video camera capabilities for future iPads – February 09, 2010
Repair service finds camera slot in iPad replacement parts (with photo) – February 02, 2010
Apple iPad to ship with webcam? – February 02, 2010
Apple significantly upgrades iPhone battery life, multi-touch screen to optical-quality glass – June 18, 2007