Apple job posting hints at iPad 2G with iSight

Apple job posting hints at iPad 2G with iSight

My original theory that Apple ruled out a camera in the iPad because they couldn’t figure out a way around the double-chin dilemma is starting to look sillier by the moment. Apple clearly intends to put a camera in the iPad… in the second generation. First-genners looking to video conference? You’re just out of luck.

Need more proof? Here’s the latest Apple job posting looking for a software quality engineer to exclusively work on video and image capture for the iPad Media Group.

The Media Systems team is looking for a software quality engineer with a strong technical background to test still, video and audio capture and playback frameworks. Build on your QA experience and knowledge of digital camera technology (still and video) to develop and maintain testing frameworks for both capture and playback pipelines…

Familiarity with and interest in photography, video as well as media file formats is highly desirable. Experience with tuning of and image pipeline, including, but not limited to AWB, Color Correction, AutoExposure, FrameRate adjustments is a plus.

DON'T MISS
Apple Is Hiring iPad Camera Engineer

At this point, the iPad’s lack of an iSight camera seems downright cynical: the addition of a camera to an iPad 2G makes it an easy upgrade over the first model for anyone hoping to video conference. There’s already space in the guts for an iSight camera module, and Apple clearly intends to put one in: they’re just hedging their bets and holding back a feature they could just as easily introduce now so they have something to entice people to upgrade later. Capitalistically understandable, perhaps, but it still leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

About the author

John BrownleeJohn Brownlee is news editor here at Cult of Mac, and has also written about a lot of things for a lot of different places, including Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, Gizmodo, Kotaku, Lifehacker, AMC, Geek and the Consumerist. He lives in Cambridge with his charming inamorata and a tiny budgerigar punningly christened after Nabokov's most famous pervert. You can follow him here on Twitter.

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Posted in iPad |

  • Alfred

    Hi John, I always enjoy your posts. Here’s a thought:

    Remember that Mr Jobs emphasized the low-cost of the iPad — which is certainly an uncharacteristic way to promote any Apple product. So, perhaps they left it out for the same reason Mr Jobs claimed they omitted it from the last iPod Touch model — namely, to keep costs down, and to get it into the hands of as many people as possible.

    Thus, maybe it’s omission may be more to do with cost strategy, than deliberately withholding something to “reveal” in a future update?

  • John Brownlee

    Alfred, thanks for the comment (and I always enjoy yours in particular). I realize this is a justification of the omission… but camera modules cost pennies these days. Pennies indisputably add up, but there’s no way the addition of a camera to the iPad would have raised the price even ten dollars. In fact, I’m skeptical it would have budged a buck.

  • Eric

    I too am disappointed that the camera is missing from the iPad but here’s a thought. Unlike the iPhone and iPod Touch, this camera would face towards the user making it good for things like video conferencing but not very good for taking pictures. Given that Apple has never released a version of iChat for the iPhone/iPod Touch, this may have more to do with software than adding some relatively cheap hardware. I wouldn’t be surprised if they just didn’t have a compelling iChat application ready to go for launch and therefore decided to hold off on the camera. I think a front facing camera would have limited value if a video conferencing application wasn’t included.

    Steve always talks about the importance of software and I’m betting that’s the issue here, not the hardware. Let’s hope a new iChat sees the light of day and maybe we’ll get video conference functionality on the other mobile devices as well if they decide to include front facing cameras on those too.

  • David S.

    Um, maybe the fact that they need a software QA engineer shows they’re not yet ready to put a camera in the iPad. If they were ready and able to put one in the 1G iPad they wouldn’t be looking for a QA dude now, they’d already have one.

    Clearly it’s not just Apple being tricky and putting off to the 2G model something they could have put in the 1G, unless you would have preferred to wait another 6-12 months for the 1G model iPad of course…

  • shaunathan

    my own personal opinion is that perhaps, and this is very Steve Jobs, perhaps he wants a unique camera software for the ipad, and the software isn’t ready yet (hence the job posting), so Steve would never release hardware that didn’t work perfectly, so, we chop off the camera until the software is perfect. Again, another speculation and defense, but hey, that’s what comments are for :)

  • Bob W.

    Just asking here. Could it have anything to do with bandwidth for video conferencing, besides the software issue? I got the impression that the 3G network was already burdened with data and video conferencing would not work well on 3G. I thought that possibly Apple was waiting until all were on board with 4G cell network before allowing video conferencing on the iPhone or the iPad. I know it could easily be done on WiFi but I would think that having it both on WiFi and the cellular network would be the best situation.

  • http://www.signalblog.ca Darcy Fitzpatrick

    If Apple wanted a camera in the iPad 1G, they could have hired this camera software wiz kid last year. I don’t buy it.

    The simple fact is there is no competition for this product, so there’s no incentive to add features that can just as well be implemented in the next version before anyone has even come close to catching up.

    Leaves a bad taste in my mouth, too.

  • Tommy T

    I don’t know if some of that posted realize there is a camera on the freakin’ iPod nano! So I don’t feel like “cost” is such a big issue especially when they are saying that to produce an iPad it’s in the $250 range.

  • dave “the Apple Fanboy”

    If, as it seems clear, there will be no camera on the iPad v1 , I will wait the v2 and buy another tablet in the meanwhile, until Steve fixes it.

    No Flash…bad, but ok.
    No camera….too bad, sorry.

    Is sad for an Apple Fanboy like me, but for me a Tablet need browsing with no compromises and video chat.

    I can buy an ebook reader for 150$, don’t need a giant iPod touch, expecially having alrady an iPhone.

    Bad move Steve…bad move.

  • Michael Perry

    Seriously though how do we know that the 1st gen iPad won’t have a camera that will be announced at launch? I don’t know about you guys but the keynote for the iPad seemed like they were playing a chess game with the rest of the market and that things that people obviously care about were purposefully held back and it even looked like they were doing all they could to even avoid talking about these things like multitasking and cameras etc… I think this job posting along with the patent granted for the touch sensitive bezel doesn’t necessarily hint at an awesome iPad 2g but perhaps hints that they will blow us away at launch as well as when iPhone OS 4 is debut…

  • nomoremsbs

    Sometimes I wonder if you bloggers get paid by competitors of Apple to freeze sales by leading people to wait till next gen. The thing is, that if you wait till the next gen technology, you will never buy, because it is always better if you just wait a little longer.

  • Steve

    I agree with Eric above, there is no iChat app yet so what sense does it make putting a camera in when you can’t really use it. Next gen model, sure, when the app is released as well. Makes sense.

    I have a sweet flavour in my mouth now I have come to that realisation.

    cheers.

  • mark

    No camera-no me.

    Camera? Me in front of line.

  • http://twitter.com/tHoj101 Tyler

    Open the link below. This was found and briefly studied. If you look close, REALLY LOOK…you can see a “glint” of an iPad(iSight) camera in the top, center bezel. More proof an iSight capable iPad may be down the road.

    Link to iPad camera photo:
    http://www.humyo.com/10177493/Apple%20iPad%20Camera/applekeyboard01271080.jpg

  • Shadow

    Well Tyler if u acctually watch the vid of the ipad you see the he flips it over making the home button at the top. Making you iSight camera not real.

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  • Cisco Kidd

    I still contend that a camera in this device is neither wanted or needed … I deal with enough ugly bastards on a day to day basis, the last I actually want is to see them as well.

    I am actually in favor of no mobile device I own having a camera … granted it might be from a very paranoid place, but a reason I have all my own.

    No camera = perfect for me.

    Granted I really don’t think the lack of a camera is the issue at hand here. I strongly think you guys are seriously sipping the hater aid, and a tad too much as well. Put the cup down step a few steps back and stop hating.

  • Lengi

    You do know that it said “familiarity with MAC OSX”?!

  • Just speculating

    If you look closely at the iPad 1st Gens, you will see a little whole at the top. In addition to that, you hear stories that there is already room in the case for the camera. Just speculation: Maybe Apple will offer a program for the 1st Gen users to turn their iPads in to have one installed. Remember… Apple has done things in the past to appease early adapters after upgrades were available in future releases.

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  • Connor

    The job post never said anything about the camera in the ipad, it may be a huge update to the ipod shuffle, or classic but, probably the iPod touch. I am not saying the iPad 2g won’t have a camera, because I hope it does, and it probably will, but that has no proof to if it does or not. Maybe in the future think if it has actually proof of anything, in any device, including the iPad 2g, or iPod Touch 4g.

  • Connor

    Eric, hope you see this.
    First of all, you serve a great point. But even if they did put a camera in the front, with iChat and Facetime, the price of the iPad would go way up, and the price of the iPad 1g would go down, then, because im too young to have a job, it is a no brainer to buy the iPad 1g. And if they put a back facing camera, you couldnt get ichat or facetime, and that would suck! Then they would most likely put iMovie for iPad and the price of the iPad would go up, so I would get the 1st generation because it’s price would go down. And if Apple didn´t put a camera in at all, then everybody would buy the iPad 1g because the price of it would go down.
    Apple got themselves into a hole by not puting a camera in the original iPad.

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