Steve Jobs Speaks: Why There’s No Camera in Third Generation iPod touch
Following Apple’s It’s only rock and roll, but we like it special music event, CEO Steve Jobs, fresh from his return to the keynote stage, sat down with the New York Times, and while several topics were discussed, here’s the “big question” (and answer):
POGUE: You put a camcorder on the iPod Nano. Why not on the iPod Touch?
JOBS: Originally, we weren’t exactly sure how to market the Touch. Was it an iPhone without the phone? Was it a pocket computer? What happened was, what customers told us was, they started to see it as a game machine. Because a lot of the games were free on the store. Customers started to tell us, “You don’t know what you’ve got here — it’s a great game machine, with the multitouch screen, the accelerometer, and so on.”
We started to market it that way, and it just took off. And now what we really see is it’s the lowest-cost way to the App Store, and that’s the big draw. So what we were focused on is just reducing the price to $199. We don’t need to add new stuff — we need to get the price down where everyone can afford it.
So Apple would rather have cheaper third gen iPod touches than more feature-complete ones. Interesting strategy, given what the Zune HD will soon bring to the market (that, admittedly, Apple owns 73% of….) Is Apple’s 30% cut of App Store profits suddenly more enticing than their traditional ~30% margins on hardware? Because here’s the thing, not many people will see the 3rd gen iPod touch as much of an upgrade path from the 2nd gen, so Apple’s leaving that money on the table. Add a camera and mic, and, well, there’s that hardware upgrade gravy train that usually runs so regular-like from Cupertino Central. Or maybe they just think the cheaper entry price will get more than enough new buyers interested to make it worth Apple’s while…
Other questions asked and answered include Jobs’ opinion on the Kindle (people prefer integrated devices), why the new iPod nano doesn’t shoot stills (VGA quality stills aren’t good enough), and how’s he feeling (enjoying the ice cream!)
Check out the full interview for the full Jobs…
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
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Ummm obviously he’s been asking the wrong ppl wat they want lol cuz that camera on an ipod touch would have ben the BIG thing for an mp3 geeshhh im still upset… smh
It is really odd that the new Nano doesn’t take still pictures. The only thing I can imagine is that the camera truly is a cheap 640 x 480 camera and people would scoff at a VGA camera with all of the megapixel talk these days…
Sounds like Apple is more worried about what they want rather than what the customer wants. I guarantee when they see the lack of people upgrading they’ll be sure to add the camera next year. They really disappointed this year.
@Miles:
“Customers don’t know what they want until you give it to them.” “Henry Ford said if he asked his customers, all they ever wanted was faster horses”.
Two of Steve Jobs’ favorite quotes…
I’m not convinced… telling the device is focused on one thing doesn’t mean it can’t have an extra feature. I’m still with the “we had a huge problem and my decision was to strip the camera out for now”.
And I’ve heard from a person that will only upgrade his first generation iPod Touch when there’s a camera involved.
I am beginning to believe the Camera Delay issues were real, and Jobs is just telling a lie to cover for a defect that will take several months to fix.
Then he can come back and magnanimously “Give” us a Touch with a camera, with some nonsense about the customer having spoken at some future event.
@Wesley:
I agree.
But I wonder, what could that huge problem be? The touch shares the majority of its parts with the iphone, and the software is largely the same too, and the cam works in th iPhone just fine?
This is a stall of some sort, but for what? A Google-Phone?
The Touch as a game machine? I don’t know who Apple’s polling company was talking to, cause a gaming machine on par with a PSP or DS the Touch isn’t. I see the Touch as more a mini multimedia machine that does a lot of things reasonably well rather than games really well, and a camera/ video camer would have just solidified that.
I think this is a Christmas marketing ploy. No camera on touch right now so that people wil by any iPod they can get thier hands on. Then aroud Xmas augmented reality apps start poring out, and BOOM! Camera on touch.
Other reason for leaving out the camera right now? Easy! ZuneHD is coming like now, and by droping touch to $199 they beat Zune right out of the gate. By Xmas zuneHD should be in full swing and making an honest effort to realese good games that compete with touch enough to swing a few customers. What does apple do? Camera on touch with augmented reality wham!
Need more you say? The touch camera had a wiring issue which caused a energy leak coupled with overheating which could lead to drive damage or fire pew pew pow!
I’m on fire here so while I’m making semi plossible guesses. I’ll go on a limb and say it was Colonel Mustard in the apple R&D Facilty with an E.M.P.!
Apple won’t refresh the Touch until next year, they never do.
Augemented Reality apps are for use when you’re out and about, probably without a Wi-Fi connection (especially here in the UK) so would be useless on a Touch anyway.
All these people saying Apple shot themselves in the foot because it’s not much different from the v2 Touch so people won’t upgrade, yeah, I remember the same thing being said about the 3GS which by all accounts is flying off the shelves…
Why do we need a camera in the touch? Most people with a touch also have a mobile phone. The mobile phone probably has a camera anyway (probably better resolution than touch could have managed).
I think setting a lower price point is a smart business move but also a good move for us appleholics (face it we have been in a minority for far too long). Opening up a wider market with lower price point makes sense, it can only encourage the development of better games if more people buy the product. Who knows maybe Apple can begin to compete with Nintendo and Sony in the Hans held gaming market!!
I’m definitely with Mr. Jobs here. The people I know use their touch for music and playing sudoku or diner dash…ie: casual gaming…and email/web access. These people are INCREDIBLY price conscIous. Bringing the price down to $199 was really really really smart IMHO.
Well Simon, You’re right that people would already own a camera on their phone to use instead of one of the iPod Touch.
But then again, the iPod has the internet feature. Computers have internet so why don’t we just remove the internet function off the iPod?
It’s like that. That’s why we want the camera. It doesn’t matter if other devices already have this feature.
OMG APPLE! Host a world poll or something! Not just ask some random customers! for all you know the customers might of wanted a camera feature too, they didn’t say they didn’t want it! I see it as an iPhone without the phone function, not as such a “game machine”.
…I hope they add a camera before Christmas >:l
I’m glad he left it off the iPod Touch. You want a camera? Get a frickin Zune HD or an iPhone! There has to be some product differentiation.
Or better yet… want a camera? Buy a frickin’ camera!!!
u want a camera get a freakin iphone or camera. enough complaining already!
Jobs has a point, put a camera in it there Is no need for a classic or a nano, and that would Also give the iPhone problmes cause like he said it would be just minus the phone, they have to keep products relevant and have ups and downs for all of them
I can’t believe some of the comments on here griping about Apple not being in tune with customers and doing a world poll. Come on… obviously they don’t have their heads in the sand. They obviously hear & read what people have to say so there is no need to get nasty about it.
You want a new feature, express it & give good reasons as to why. That will be much more appealing to Apple than just ripping them… Don’t think so? How many people do you listen to and do things for that rip you vs. those that ask politely & make good arguments.
If you still don’t think Apple has a clue… watch the keynote from yesterday & pay close attention to the stats. A company doesn’t sell over 50 million (iPhone & Touch) devices in just two years, get a brand new developer body to write over 75,000 programs in just over a year, become the world’s largest retailer of music, & before long likely the largest retailer of movies, tv shows, & applications in the world (& probably some day college courses & e-books) by not understanding consumers better than any other company.
There are a number of good reasons for the camera to not have been included in the Touch…yet. I won’t recount what’s already been stated here. There’s also great reasons for including it.
One thing we can count on from Apple in the past number of years, is that they are not always going to give us what we think we want, but they are going to continue blowing us away with great innovation & superior quality. What’s truly more important… have a product/feature that granted you have, you complain about cause it’s lackluster in quality or performance; or, having a product/feature that works amazingly well AND considers so many other factors in its construction such as battery, weight, size, input/output methods, etc. We all know from jailbroken devices that video was possible with the 1st & 2nd iPhones but why was it only rolled out for the 3Gs, especially when it would have been just a software update to enable it in the previous models… well, because video doesn’t meet the performance & quality standards that Apple wants for THEIR device.
I’m sure we’ll see a cam in the Touch… it’s only a matter of time. Even if Apple’s focus for the device is on gaming now, they’ll need to include a camera w/GPS & compass for augmented reality… & no, internet access is not needed for augmented reality gaming, just augmented reality info/search.
Thing is, there’s a mini HD camcorder market out there. Kodak, Flip, etc. Add video to ipod touch, and boom, you’re in that market too. Make it HD video and double boom.
There’s a GPS market out there. Add a GPS chip & compass and boom..you’re in that one and full featured gps apps are available.
There’s only so much they can do to further iphone sales on the same carriers. A full featured ipod touch isn’t the culprit. Heck, they’re already doing what they can to keep the iphone 3gs in stock because of demand.
I’m sure apple knows they could unleash the ipod touch so to speak…
I’ve owned two Touches and an iPhone. With respect, Mr. Jobs, your gaming idea for the Touch is off base for many customers. Gaming is a nice feature, but it’s HARDLY the primary function of the Touches that I’ve purchased. Add a camera, and that equals Touch number 3 for me.
I can’t believe the number of people basically saying “the might Jobs has spoken, and he knows all so this was a smart move”
No camera on the Touch was a bad move on Apple’s part, period. The touch is their hottest selling iPod to date, they even said so at the keynote yesterday. If there is value in the Nano having a camera then there is value (probably more) in the Touch having a camera.
I agree with the statement that they were going to do it but there were issues so they had to scrap the idea for now. I’m sorry but the argument of “we’re marketing it as a gaming machine and so it doesn’t need a camera” is idiotic. If that was true Nintendo (who you know, makes GAMES and GAME DEVICES for the last 20-30 years) would have NEVER added a camera to the DSi. Job’s argument is so badly flawed it’s sad.
@cardfan Are you kidding me? So Apple adds a camera, video (HD like you say) and it competes with the Flip and other devices? No – because now you’re talking a $300+ device rather than a $180 device. Remember, those devices simply record video, the iPod Touch does a TON more so to add the video to it increases the price. If Apple is serious about taking on Flip and others then it’s doing the right thing adding it to the Nano. Similar price point with a few extra features – doens’t compete with the Touch or the iPhone. Apple has to protect its other products. Make one super Touch with all these features and there is no reason to buy a Nano or for a lot of people an iPhone. What good is that to Apple?
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@Kris
The iphone is a phone. The ipod touch is a media player/pda device. They do not compete with each other.
You yourself say make one super ipod touch and no reason to buy a Nano. Bingo. So quit making Nanos. Get the 8gb ipod touch with camera at 200. It’s a gateway to the app store as Apple said even if it squeezes profit margin on that particular model.
Since I have an iPhone, I wouldn’t have purchased one anyway, but to me, I would rather the touch remain at $229 and get that awesome 3GS camera than get the price knocked down to $199, the apparent “magic number”.
@cardfan You make a great point about killing off the Nano – except I think there is still a big market for it.
Also, if Apple were able to add the camera to the Touch and keep it at $200, it’s still more expensive then the Flip which is dropping in price. I think the consumer may not care about the added featueres of the Touch – but a cheaper Nano than the Flip that has more than just video recording – that grabs a lot of consumers attention.
Sure the die hard Apple fans would pay the litte extra for a Touch with camera, put Apple is trying to always attract new customers, and as I said, something cheaper than a Flip that has more features grabs attention to the new customer in that market.
As for the iPhone – yes, it’s a phone and that’s a difference, but with more and more WiFi zones in the world and apps such as Skype – why buy an iPhone if the cheaper touch can do the same thing and you don’t have to pay that cell contract? There has to be some protection for the iPhone.
@Pinny:
Touch owners? Are yee Daft mon?
Its a 300 dollar device!
FAIL!
Sounds like aneccuse to me. If they want a lowef entry price the answer is simple: keep the cheaper 2nd gen model, load os 3.1 on it and sell it for the $199 price and add two new models at the old prices. Seems to have worked for the iPhone.
Nope it’s just an excuse to save that upgrade for next year.
The iPod touch and the iPhone are like chevy and gmc. Same but different. And I would rather own a gmc anyway. Lol
my sister works at best buy and they already got the ipod touch 3rd gen and it DOES HAVE A CAMARA!!
I think apple are slowly trying to kill the touch offbecasue they want to add features which they cant add e.g. a gps or camera, that would be taking consumers away from the iphone which is want they want to sell which im sure has a higher profit margin. Then they will kepp the ipod touchs going for kids toys because of the price cut. But really apple you should be bloody cutting the price of the iphone get a clue £350 is way to much for a pay as you go fone with a taouchscreen and only a 3mp camera you can get 5mp camera atouchcreen fones for a third of that in the uk THINK!
According to Steve Job his company want to market ipod touch as Gaming Device, Then Y not a gaming device can have a digital camera.
In computer field world wide Apple has only 3% market share whereas Microsoft Window has hopping 95%. I M Indian, and in India Large number of people working in computer field dont know what is Mac and Apple.
With iPod Touch without phone as most of the people cannt afford iPhone, Apple could have reached more n more people whoever unware of the magic Mac.
Hope Steve Job & Apple will learn from the Mistake, and increase their market share in computer field.
All The Best to Apple
People can be really simple sometimes! I’m a U.S. Verizon Wireless customer who uses ALL Apple products… Except for my cell phone; which is a crappy BlackBerry Tour. I’ve owned almost every BlackBerry there is & my problems are all the same: they DO NOT sync as well as an iPhone/ iPod Touch. Therefore, I always end up losing some vital information from my Contacts, Calender, and et cetera.
If my iTouch (64GB 3rd Gen) had a camera & microphone, I could save myself a lot of headaches while STILL having great call connections over using my Verizon Mi-Fi & a company like Skype. WTF, Apple?!? No matter what, Apple is gonna make a massive fortune. Who gives a rat’s patootie about a ZuneHD? I want one of two things to happen:
(1) Apple/ Verizon/ AT&T– STOP SCREWING YOUR UNHAPPY CUSTOMERS & simply let it go! (a) Apple makes an ALL-SYSTEMS iPhone & allows consumers to be free to chose the cellular/ data service company of their choice; (b) Verizon realizes that the Apple Apps Store is GREAT & people simply love the Apps available, thereby cutting the need to argue over VCast Ringtones/ Games prices and allowing for the production of the Verizon iPhone; (c) AT&T just let’s it go… PERIOD! They know their ENTIRE list of services absolutely SUCKS in most of the WORLD… No matter how many great iPhones/ iPads they provide super-cheap 3G services for; their cheap prices aren’t worth it. They’ll always be able to carry the iPhone because of the original exclusivity; however, they would no longer be allowed to force people like me to suffer w/ sub-par iPhone wanna-bes (aka the “Droid/ BlackBerries” which only PARTIALLY sync w/ Macs) when all we really NEED is the perfect syncing capabilities we get when using an iPod Touch… And Verizon’s reliable MiFi Mobile HotSpot+Skype– which is what I am about to start doing! (Víola! Say “Hello” to my cameraLESS/ microphoneLESS iPhone3GS! Hahaha)
(2) Apple just says: “Screw it… WE LOVE OUR CUSTOMERS’ MONEY– so, let’s just give them what WE KNOW they really want & STOP LYING/ PLAYING GAMES!” At which point, they would kindly either: (a) put a darn camera & microphone in the 4th Generation iPod Touch; AND/ OR (b) Release the iPhone 4G/ iPad 2G with CDMA capabilities…. Thereby opening up the WORLD’S Consumer Market to an actual pure FREEDOM OF CHOICE!
I’m an American, so FREEDOM is big on my list of “NEEDS.” I’m about to have to cancel my Verizon Wireless cellular plans & go to AT&T so that I can finally get an iPhone. X-(