New photos hint Apple may still have plans for new iPod nano with camera
The photos, which first appeared on the website apple.hs and were republished by Apple.pro when that site fell offline, show an iPod nano with a rear-mounted iPhone-style camera peering through a circular recess in its clip.
It appears from the photos as though a portion of the camera module sits outside the rear of the nano's casing, wedged between its backside and the clip, which would provide Apple with necessary real-estate to equip the player with a camera without compromising its tiny footprint.
Evidence that Apple has been exploring the possibility of returning camera functionality to iPod nano isn't new and dates back to last April when the same publication published photos of a prototype iPod nano casing with space reserved for rear-mounted camera but no clip.
A similar photo appeared a month later, appearing to show a completely assembled version of the nano with with what was claimed to be a 1.3-megapixel camera module, leading to speculation that Apple introduce such a model last fall at its annual music and media event.
Instead, Apple in October chose to introduce no changes to the existing iPod nano's hardware design, but equipped the players with new software and expanded fitness features while dropping the price of the 8GB model by $20 to $129 and the 16GB model by $30 to $149.
While its unclear if the latest photos are indicative of plans by Apple to bring such a device to market this year or simply represent the remains of an abandoned project, patent filings from the company published as recently as this past November on a new nano speaker design included diagrams showing the same circular recess in the nano's clip seen in this weeks photos.
A camera on the iPod nano wouldn't be a completely new concept. A couple of years ago, Apple introduced an elongated 5th-generation iPod nano with a low-resolution video camera but later removed the feature when it redesigned player with its current form.
38 Comments
I don't care about a camera on my Nano. I think I'd fall into the majority of people who use a Nano primarily for Some sort of exercising. How about Apple focusing on more Nike+ stuff instead of deciding what to do with their unused supply of iPhone 3G cameras (I know it's a 2MP but these are just rumors anyway)?
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How about GPS? Or 3G OTA syncing for run tracking? Speaker could work but would never be loud enough. and Bluetooth could be cool to hook up for bike rides.
Craziness. What's the point? Everyone uses these as watches. Even Apple acknowledged that. You can't use a camcorder when you're using it like that, much less NORMALLY. How would you even hold it?
I just want Bluetooth 4.0 and the ability to act as a notification screen. Granted, I already have one of the current ones and won't be upgrading, but to see that be available to others would be neat.
I don't care about a camera on my Nano. I think I'd fall into the majority of people who use a Nano primarily for Some sort of exercising. How about Apple focusing on more Nike+ stuff instead of deciding what to do with their unused supply of iPhone 3G cameras (I know it's a 2MP but these are just rumors anyway)?
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How about GPS? Or 3G OTA syncing for run tracking? Speaker could work but would never be loud enough. and Bluetooth could be cool to hook up for bike rides.
Agreed GPS would be better then a camera, but battery concerns maybe the prevent that feature
My 5th gen nanos with video have been insanely useful. They've flown on kites at 100 ft., been mounted on bumpers, put on poles to look at bees' nests and high-up cactus flowers, and I have plans for more mounting schemes than I have time for. They still record for 1 1/2 hours after two years of more or less steady use, maybe a few times a week. Fantastic devices, with the proviso that the viewing screen be only so big. The iPhone and the touch are about right.
A wearable, square version would be far more useful. Easier to mount, so I hope this one is true. Been waitin' for it.
Apple knows we're headed toward wearable from portable.
My 5th gen nanos with video have been insanely useful. They've flown on kites at 100 ft...
So easy to strap two or three on the body of a rocket - light - and VERY durable