AppleInsider Staff
Apple is said to have "greatly reduced" orders of Philips LED flash components in the last one to two months. This person, who has provided accurate information on Apple's iPhone in the past, said the change "may" be a sign that Philips LED flash will not be used in the upcoming fifth-generation iPhone.
Rumors among Apple suppliers have led to claims that the new supplier of LED flash for the so-called "iPhone 5" will be a firm based in Taiwan. However, that bit of information was characterized as "highly unconfirmed."
LED flash first appeared in last year's iPhone 4. Six months before the device was unveiled AppleInsider revealed that Apple was shopping for LED camera flash components, and that Philips' Lumileds Lighting sector was the front-runner.
In May, an alleged iPhone 5 case from a third-party overseas accessory maker showed the LED camera flash moved to the right on the rear side of the device. Separating the camera lens and flash can result in improved picture quality with reduced red-eye effect.
In addition, a camera component claimed to be for the anticipated iPhone 5 also revealed in May showed the lens without an attached LED flash. That's different from the iPhone 4, in which the camera lens and flash are part of the same component.
Numerous reports have indicated that Apple's next-generation iPhone will sport an 8-megapixel camera, improving on the 5-megapixel shooter found in the current iPhone 4. One recent report claimed that Apple would turn to OmniVision for 90 percent of the 8-megapixel camera sensors in the fifth-generation iPhone.
Apple's deals with component suppliers have come later than usual this year, as the company is operating on a new, later timeframe to launch its next iPhone. Some reports have suggested the next iPhone may not be available until late September, or about three months after the iPhone has gone on sale in the U.S. in years past.
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Amber Neely
Malcolm Owen
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
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27 Comments
I just hope to goodness Apple don't get embroiled in a megapixel war with Android manufacturers in the coming years. 8MP is plenty for this calibre of optics. I'd even say 5 was. I'm glad Steve Jobs is a photographer himself and probably knows this.
And yet, Philips' flash still provides better performance than Adobe's...
I just hope to goodness Apple don't get embroiled in a megapixel war with Android manufacturers in the coming years. 8MP is plenty for this calibre of optics. I'd even say 5 was. I'm glad Steve Jobs is a photographer himself and probably knows this.
He does know. Have you never watched the keynote where he was talking about megapixels?
I reckon that the fact that apple is finally allowing the volume up button to take pictures gives the rumor of a seperate flash on the opposite site some credit.
It will allow people to hold the iPhone on it's frame and therefore away from both the camera and flash. I imagine quite a few people covering the flash otherwise.
What do you guys think?
I just hope to goodness Apple don't get embroiled in a megapixel war with Android manufacturers in the coming years. 8MP is plenty for this calibre of optics. I'd even say 5 was. I'm glad Steve Jobs is a photographer himself and probably knows this.
And yet how the iPad 2 camera was acceptable by Apple standard remains a mystery to me. I don't mind the low pixel count, but my 5 yr old 2MP Sony Ericsson phone took much better pics than the latest gadget from Apple.