3G iPhone: What Has Apple Got Against Cameras? 24 comments
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Has Steve Jobs lost the plot? Although details are vague, it seems like the new Apple (AAPL) iPhone has the same sub-grade 2MP camera as the original one. That was already obsolete a year ago, when most top-end phones already had 3MP cameras. Now, most mid-top tier devices have 5MP and many have xenon flashes.
This isn't just me talking either - a Nokia (NOK) keynote speaker at the Handset World conference this morning singled out camera capability as *the* most important purchase decision criterion for many customers.
GPS is a nice-to-have. WiFi is a nice-to-have. A decent camera is a must-have.
So, I've reluctantly already added the device to my list of also-rans of phones that look good, but fall down on a deal-breaker element. It doesn't make the grade as a potential day-to-day "personal" phone for me, although it might be a good business device.
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This article has 24 comments:
"Hmmm, I need a PHONE, one that can do other things.....but a PHONE is what I really need. OK, there is this this one, WOW all the nice features, and that one, WOW...more features...but I want a PHONE.....now I want a Computer too, and toss in a GPS...and a MP3 player, a Game console, and it all works together...yeah, that is cool...but WAIT, it isn't a full blown CAMERA TOO?"
"Forgettabout it then, MY PHONE/GPS/GAMER/BROWSE...
is GONE....cause I really REALLY wanted a camera, so forget those other things..."
Suggestion,
Get some VELCRO, and buy the best camera you can find, and stick your Cell phone on the side.
....target to shoot at?
or the one and lonely target to shoot at, while competitors may put another sweater on while trying to sell their "innovative" phones to penguis....???
Who ever paid for this "ingeniously" article should have saved his money for some research and focus on his own junkyard products!
priceless, brainless?
take your own decision!
seekingalpha.com/artic...
Seeking Alpha has sunk to new lows in its effort to down Apple.
try answering these questions:
does your current phone have a camera?
do you own a digital camera/SLR too?
would you go on a vacation without your digital camera/SLR and with just your phone?
if the answers are: yes, yes and no... well, you know what I am talking about....
Look at it this way: decent cameras cost a couple hundred dollars. You get what you pay for.
I'd trade camera functionality for longer battery life any day.
The quality is not bad at all and it's good to take snapshots at your drunken friends..
I own a very nice compact Nikon and there is not one cell phone on hearth that can take quality pictures like my camera, I have used the Nokia N93 5mp phone the picture quality is average to low compared to a 5mp camera of 1/3 the price although it is a cool do it all phone it's hard to use and even with a 5mp camera built in I found myself using my own camera to take serious shots simply because the quality is better , vibrant rich colors, low noise, overall much better than the camera on the Nokia
so again personally I would never replace my $100 camera with a $500 phone
lololololololololololo...
(2) I own an iphone
(3) I have ALWAYS thought the camera on the iPhone was pretty poor. I believe this is mostly doe to the small lens size, in low-light conditions it is difficult to not get a photo that is not blurry. In good light, the photos are actually VERY good.
But here's the deal.
Cellphone cameras are for little "here and there" snapshots only and are best used to snap a photo and then email them to someone else's cellphone. That's about it. I primarily have used my cellphone cameras to take notes - I take photos of things like prices instead of taking copious notes.
But if this is an INVESTING site that is to be taken SERIOUSLY then this "article" has no merit, is written by a technological neophyte, and will just make me consider other sources of information more seriously for my morning reading.
That being said, even though the iPhone is amazing, how about giving guys like this one last thing less to bitch about and make the camera better? Just a thought.
BLAME THE CELL PHONE CARRIERS. The US cell phone carriers refuse to sell phones with >2MP cameras. Period. They do not want the bandwidth usage.
That is why the iPhone, and every other phone in the US, is stuck with pathetic 2mp cameras. Even though the rest of the world is far past 2mp. You can't even buy a Sony K-line phone here. Or a high end Samsung or Nokia unless it is unlocked.
WHY DOES NO ONE KNOW OR UNDERSTAND THIS?
That said, the iPhone camera leaves much to be desired. Upping the MP alone isn't going to make it "better".
In the countries I travel to, including Western Europe and East Asia, people have long replaced their camera with their cell-phone cameras for casual usage. Of course they still have a big SLR DC when they take pictures at weddings or traveling, but for most of their pictures taken on a daily basis it is cell phone camera.
I personally only uses my N95 for pictures since my brother has his SLR. My friends uses their iPhone only for pictures most of the time. Honestly speaking the picture quality of iPhone is not bad at all considering the lack of flash.
First of all, note that I do not write it for SeekingAlpha. This site syndicates content from my own well-read (wireless industry) blog at disruptivewireless.blo... , which is not primarily intended for investors but mobile industry insiders. It is a mix of industry analysis & some of my own personal views on matters mobile. I seldom read & respond to comments on here. SeekingAlpha doesn't pay for my articles, and neither does anyone else.
This particular post was a follow-on to one a few weeks ago, in which I'd discussed a range of recent top-end devices as part of a narrative with my readers about my own, personal choice of devices & my personal criteria for choosing them. I'd ended it with the comment that the 3G iPhone could well have been one which ticked all the boxes. For reference, my current main personal phone is a Sony Ericsson K800i, on which I've taken over 1500 photos, many in low light & with some remarkably good results - and many on occasions when I wouldn't have had my normal camera with me. If you're reading it out of context, this may not have been apparent.
The fact remains that many individuals *are* choosing phones on the basis of the camera. You may not like it, and you're right that megapixels=quality is a very simplistic equation, but it's a fact of massmarket buying behaviour. People stand in stores and say "Oooh, that one's got a 5MP camera!". Often that's on the basis of seeing a plastic model nailed to the wall - they may not even see the UI & software until they buy it. Apple is ignoring it at its peril, especially in Europe & advanced Asian markets. I think Jobs has made a bizarre error in not upgrading the camera (and also still no memory card slot either).
However, looking at the details of the iPhone I am indeed more convinced by its benefits as a business phone, and may get one to replace my current HTC email/web device. (Yes, like most people in the UK, I have two primary phones & have no desire to "converge" to a single device).