There have been rumors that Apple will add a video camera to the next version of its smartwatch, but that may not be a good idea. Indeed, it seems impossible to pack a camera that can take even halfway decent pictures into such a small device. And then there are the issues of just trying to take a picture using a camera that’s strapped to your wrist.
It’s no wonder that some are suggesting to Apple that it just isn’t a good idea.
Apple Watch 2 with a video camera?
Mark Gurman of 9to5 Mac is known for circulating Apple rumors that turn out to be true more often than not. He’s the source of the camera rumor for the Apple Watch. More specifically, he said last week that Apple was considering adding a FaceTime camera to the next version of the watch so that users could make and receive FaceTime calls directly on it.
If Apple did add a camera, there would have to be a tiny lens integrated with the digital crown.
Apple pressured to make its watch great
Josh Valcarcel of Wired makes the argument against putting a camera in the next Apple Watch. He notes that Apple is under pressure to make the Apple Watch into a big product that could more than offset slipping iPad sales. One way to do this is to significantly boost the smartwatch’s specs, but adding a camera just doesn’t make sense.
His first argument is that adding a camera to the Apple Watch is “antithetical to why you made the Watch in the first place.” The main reason Apple made the smartwatch was to save users time by preventing them from having to check their iPhones. The watch also keeps people who usually put their smartphone on the table while eating from doing that.
Why a camera isn’t a good idea for the Apple Watch
Valcarcel points out that putting a camera on the watch simply doesn’t fit in with the main reason Apple made it. Some analysts have pointed out that while users are meant to spend minutes on the iPhone and hours on the iPad, the Apple Watch is designed for use in seconds only.
The sheer size of the camera would also make it difficult to use. It would also be quite awkward to figure out how to position the camera during a FaceTime call. And why use your watch to make a FaceTime call when it’s so much easier to use your iPhone?
He also notes that Samsung has included a camera in a smartwatch already but has been criticized for this move because it’s much easier to use the watch to take candid photos. Privacy pretty much goes out the window when people are strapping cameras to their wrists. Certainly NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden would rethink his praise for Apple as a privacy pioneer if the company added a camera to the Apple Watch.
