MacDailyNews - Where Mac news comes first

Feb 09, 10 - 09:04 am Comment from: breeze

you never know...

Build it; and they will come.

yea u never know but i dobut it but you know all the other tablets from other crap companies are gonna jump on the missing camera and make sure they put it so def apple if they dont put it on this one they will put it on the 2nd gen iPad. Apple online store is being updated!!!

Feb 09, 10 - 09:22 am Comment from: breeze

mac_kid:

It's all in the software....Software will be what integrates,functionalizes and ties the camera's integration all together...

Apple is the #1 Software company in the world - No contest.

Feb 09, 10 - 09:27 am Comment from: gregmills

Adding a near High Def. video camera to the iPad would be just like Apple. Imagine an iPad that is also a Video Camcorder that has a version of iMovie built in.... We know it will do video out so is Apple going to wow the market once again? I plan to buy one anyway but adding video would push me to buy the larger memory version anticipating storing video on the iPad to download later into my Mac.

They better add it now or miss out on early adopters big time! I disappointedly expect it will be in G2!

Feb 09, 10 - 09:39 am Comment from: hardmanb

Remember....

With each new product, Apple brings out a version 1.0 that propels sales and excitement.

Then there is version 2.0, then 3.0, then 4.0. Just look at the original iPods and the iPod touch now. Look at version 1.0 of the iPhone and then look at an iPhone 3GS.

Constant improvement on an annual or more frequent basis...to stay from 1 to 3 years ahead of the copiers and commodity producers competition. Plus, you get Apple design, quality, consumer service and the ecosystem.

Blood in the water.

I'm so not interested in a camera on my iPad. For what? How many of us have ever video chatted, and what good is a mediocre quality Webcam on a computer? If needed I'll use my dedicated HD digital camcorder, it's far better.

I'd like to know how many people actually regularly use the integrated cameras on their Macs. My bet is well less than 10%. But if Apple were to drop the Webcams from their Macs, you bet those 10% would scream to high heaven. Just for these twits we all have to pay for a piece of hardware we almost never use. If Apple dropped a $100 of the price of their Macs to make the camera optional, I'd jump on that in an instant.

I'm really glad they decided not to include it on the iPad!

Everything we hear on this site is how perfect, how magical, how life changing the device is.

It's so amazing that only a few really intelligent people know why they need it.

So, why are we talking about making it better before one is ever sold? Won't that further reduce the small number of geniuses who understand it?

Is this an admission that Apple screwed the early adopters yet again by NOT including the camera in the first place? There's no "consumer-friendly" reason that the camera wasn't put in. None whatsoever.

By introducing the iPad with no camera at $499, Apple can now easily include one at an additional price point. Renaldo is right to a degree. If there were two versions of the iPad -- one with vid cam and one with none at a bit less money -- the no cam version would most likely outsell the cam version. There are plenty of people that want and would use the camera, but there are just as many, and probably more, that not only wouldn't use it, but actually would prefer an iPad without one. Remember, cameras can be a liability in some locations.

On top of everything else, I'm not sure I believe that iPad spare parts story that sparked this iPad camera speculation.

Feb 09, 10 - 10:43 am Comment from: Cascadians

I bought a new iMac i7 around ThanksGiving 2009. 1st computer with webcam. I have used it constantly! Skype is absolutely awesome. Skype almost every day all the way to Belgium and France to see and talk with my new puppy and the breeder, both of whom are flying here in 2 weeks. Newfie!

To keep it short, I'd have to simply say that Skype has changed my life, opened up new opportunities that I've gleefully seized.

I am sure Apple knows the superlative value of iSight and may only be holding back because of carrier screeching about overload and live realtime videoconferencing bringing the whole system crashing down because carriers are not ready yet.

Feb 09, 10 - 10:44 am Comment from: RicMac

My family REALLY NEED to see my nose hair!

I regularly use my iSight, however I do wish more of my friends would use it. They are more useful than people realize. I hope that Win 7 will get more people using them. It was a total mess before. If Win people start talking about their video chats more Mac people will start using theirs and realize that not only is iSight better, but has been for years.

I think that it was smart for Apple not to include it on the first iPad, it will be enough of a learning curve without that. Early adapters should know that new features will come next year, but you will be able to teach the mass that will flock to G2 and G3.

Feb 09, 10 - 12:14 pm Comment from: Snow Leopard

@bildad

Companies like OmniVision Technologies (OVTI) are having a difficult time keeping up with demand for their camera components. There were additional QA/QC concerns leading Apple to drop the camera from the iPod touch launch last fall. This is a "consumer-friendly" decision. You either drop the camera or delay the iPad 6-months. It's a no brainer, even for someone named "bildad the accuser".

Feb 09, 10 - 05:00 pm Comment from: Jimithy

@Renaldo

Apparently YOU haven't used iChat to do video chats, as the camera is very high quality. I can full screen my video chat on my 20" iMac and it's like having a face-to-face conversation. Being able to do that anywhere on an iPad would be awesome for me, and a lot of other people as well.

Jimithy

I am using my iChat to do video calls to my sister who is living in the Philippines. While I agree that the camera is very high quality, it won't make sense if the bandwidth is not there to handle the iChat load.

Feb 09, 10 - 08:46 pm Comment from: Original Jake

Love the iPad, and will probably get one, but to make it absolutely HUGE, it should have the following (in this order of priority):
1) Stand alone functionality, OS updates and back up without connecting to a full computer.
2) Some type of third-party multi-tasking.
3) Camera would be nice.
If it can do at least the first, perhaps after iPhone OS 4.0 is released, it will absolutely DESTROY the netbook market.