Apple prepping video-recording for iPhone and iPhone 3G?
By Will Park on Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 at 6:37 PM PST In Apple, Devices, Hottest Hardware, Rumors, iPhone, iPhone OS
iPhone users have been clamoring for proper video-recording since the original iPhone launched in 2007. It’s sad that the iPhone is going on almost two years without vid-recording support. But, there’s hope yet!
Recently published Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) patents apparently make reference to video-recording and conference-calling features as part of a mobile device. The references to still-missing features gives hope that Apple is working to bring enhanced video features to the iPhone community. We’d just about given up hoping for native vid-recording support on the iPhone and iPhone 3G when this little gem of a rumor trickled into our corner of the interweb, and we’re having a hard time not getting our hopes up this time around.
The patent mentions a “digital video camera application” among a list of supported applications that includes a “telephone application, a video conferencing application, an e-mail application, an instant messaging application, a blogging application…” and more. The reference to a video camera application might just mean that Apple is cooking up some legitimate support for recording moving pictures on the iPhone.
A closer look at the patent language reveals a reference to a “video conferencing application” in the above list of supported applications. While video-conferencing isn’t likely to ever work on the iPhone or iPhone 3G (what with their not having a front-facing video camera), Apple could endow the next-generation iPhone (4G?) with the right hardware for the job.
The Apple patent docs reference the “digital videoing” and video-conferencing features repeatedly, which might be Apple just legally covering all the angles. But, seeing as how the vid-recording and -conferencing features are listed multiple times among other applications that are already available for the iPhone, could mean that Apple is working to make those sought-after features a reality.
“In some embodiments, the functions may include telephoning, video conferencing, e-mailing, instant messaging, blogging, digital photographing, digital videoing, Web browsing, digital music playing, and/or digital video playing. Instructions for performing these functions may be included in a computer-readable storage medium or other computer program product configured for execution by one or more processors.”
It’s a waiting game at this point. Actually, it’s more of a “hoping that Apple flips the switch on video features” kind of game. Until then, iPhone users can jailbreak their iPhone or iPhone 3G and install their choice of video-recording applications from Cydia.
[Via: InformationWeek]
