CoM Readers Revolt Over iPod Touch Camera, Threaten To Buy Zune
2:12 pm, September 9th, 2009, Leander Kahney
While it’s great news that Steve Jobs is “vertical,” CultofMac’s readers are in revolt over the lack of a camera in the new iPod touch. One reader is even threatening to buy a Microsoft Zune.
“That pretty much seals the deal for me to go to Zune,” says reader Joan. “Darn, and I thought that Apple would have blown Zune’s top off today.”
Reader Miguel writes that he will not be upgrading his iPod Touch. “Big disappointment from Apple,” he says. “Hopefully they include it next year or before that.”
Why didn’t Apple upgrade the iPod touch with a camera? Here at CoM we suspect it’s the last-minute manufacturing glitches that were rumored to have delayed the new devices. After all, convincing photographs of a prototype, camera-equipped touch have been circulating, and case manufacturers are betting heavily that the iPod would get a backside camera.
CoM writer Giles Turnbull suspects it’s only a temporary manufacturing delay. Apple will add cameras as soon as the factories are ready.
Says Giles: “I think it’s coming, possibly sooner than people think. It’s madness to have a camera at the top end and bottom end and not in the middle, so common sense suggests it will be added to the touch as soon as manufacturing facilities can be secured for it.”
Posted by Leander Kahney in Apple, Opinions, iPod Touch | Comment on this article
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eikonklast, on September 9th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
I don’t buy it. Apple wouldn’t dare sell a product only to have it obsolete before its normal product cycle. Perhaps in six months. It seems like they are trying to differentiate the products by making features limited to certain models (FM, pedometer, etc). Meaning one would need to buy multiple pods. I don’t find these that attractive that I would need multiple devices. They could have easily added a camera to the Touch. It really seems like that have some kind of chart that will allow them to stretch out the fife of each product line. Speed & memory bump now. Camera in six months.
Why not enable the HD viewing on iPhones/Touches. I would not buy a Zune, but the newest model is pretty cool. Being able to plug the phone into a TV and watch a movie in HD would be sweet.
Mike, on September 9th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Seems Apple would have to wait a long while to introduce the iTouch with camera. Imagine its release next month, all those millions of new iTouches sold already whose owners would be royally and rightfully pissed. If the iTouch camera was slated for release but delayed because of a manufacturing issue then Apple should have held off its intro. Seems weird that it has enough non-camera new iTouches ready for sale if that rumor was true.
I would never ever buy a Zune and be tied to MS’s software. Bad enough I have to use Word. Perhaps on the next Pages update I can make the transition there, too.
Handsome Smitty, on September 9th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
You’re right on target Mike…but you missed what I think is the primary reason for the lack of a camera, i.e. Apple wants to differentiate the touch and iPhone enough to ensure that they don’t cannibalize their smartphone market. Video recording and editing, along with GPS, are now the killer “exclusive” apps on the iPhone 3GS which you need to “upgrade” to if you want or need. I see Apple’s marketing reasoning, but I think it sucks from a consumer’s perspective.
YukonDawg, on September 9th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
p.s. for the reason I explained above, I don’t see camera’s coming to the touch until the iPhone get it’s next upgrade and way to differentiate itself from the iPod lineup. The touch will always be Apple’s “red-headed stepchild” in this regard.
YukonDawg, on September 9th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
I think it’s ridiculous to speculate that a manufacturing problem is why there’s no camera – they released new models today, which means that they were designed and manufactured without cameras. If they’d meant to release models with cameras, I can’t believe they’d go to the trouble to produce a stop-gap model without one because of a last-minute glitch…
Seems to me that the reason they did this is obviously highlighted by the people who are upset about it — people who want the functionality of an iPhone but don’t want to pay for it. Apple wants you to pay for it.
Gene, on September 9th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
I think Apple wants at least 1280×720 recording for a video eqipped touch.
Waiting until they can put out an HD camera with hi-res OLED screen. I doubt it has anything to do with the 3gs.
James
James, on September 9th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
I bet the camera Ipod Touch will be out within weeks. Its to bad they couldn’t have a touch with a camera and no camera released at the same time but it isn’t the end of the world. Some companies will not let you have a camera in the office. At least in these companies you can bring your new Ipod touch into the office to play with.
Bainbridge, on September 9th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
WOW
This is the buggest dissaapointemnt
Steve Jobs REALLY screwed up this time, and i HOPE people are smart enough not to buy this new ipod piece of crap
Camen, on September 9th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
You can see the slot where the camera “would” have been on Apple’s own website, in the store where they have a picture of the back side of a touch for the free engraving!
Lou, on September 9th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
this is the biggest disappointment from apple. touch screen is the new thing now but instead they upgrade their nanos instead of the ipod touch. apple could have AT LEAST changed the lowest end ipod touch; the 2nd generation lowest end ipod touch (the 8gb) and the 3rd generation lowest end ipod touch (another 8gb…) are EXACTLY the SAME! i waited a whole fucking year for this only to find out it’s just 20 dollars cheaper; AT LEAST MAKE IT 16GBS YOU FUCKING JEWS! i find it completely ridiculous they are the exact same, it’s been a year technology advances A LOT, yet they are the same. don’t buy the ipod touch you guys, go with the zune HD, at least that’s what i’m going to do. OLED SCREEN > IPOD TOUCH ANY DAY!
apple SUCKS, on September 10th, 2009 at 1:37 am
@ Lou
That’s the WiFi antennae. It’s been there since the rev2 ipod touch.
Camperton, on September 10th, 2009 at 8:23 am
also, I think apple should have included a camera on the touch. jobs is a very bad liar.
Camperton, on September 10th, 2009 at 8:25 am
I think it will be a long wait for the iPod Touch camera. If it were a matter of weeks for them to solve a technical problem and launch they would have announced it.
Stephen Macklin, on September 13th, 2009 at 7:33 am