Few outside Apple can be quite sure what the consumer tech giant is up to, but rumor sites continue to post intriguing speculation, thanks to clues provided by Apple itself. The latest involves new versions of the iPhone and iPod Touch.
The Web site AppleiPhoneApps noticed an Apple job listing for a Camera Project Manager. The original job post last month said Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) was looking for “a Camera Engineering Project Manager (EPM) to drive the design, development and integration of camera modules across iPhone and iPod.” That detail has since been removed from the ad.
The job listing goes a long way toward confirming rumors that Apple plans to include a camera with the next model of the iPod Touch. The rumor puts the camera at a 3.2-megapixel model that would also end up in the next iPhone (an improvement over the iPhone’s current 2-megapixel camera).
Late last year, there was speculation Apple would introduce an iPhone with video recording capability at the January Macworld Expo. That didn’t happen, but the possibility of video recording is still very much in play.
Video has emerged as a popular application on the Web, with millions of user generated videos on YouTube and other video-sharing sites. Several phone makers offer video recording, including Nokia, Research in Motion and now Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO), which recently acquired Pure Digital Technologies, makers of the popular FlipVideo line of inexpensive handheld video recorders.
A chase to uncover possible new features and new Apple models has heated up since last month when Apple released a beta of the software development kit (SDK) of its iPhone 3.0 software. Apple plans to detail features of the new operating system software in depth at its annual World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) this June in San Francisco.
Apple has a standing policy of not commenting on new releases ahead of time and did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
Better Wi-Fi for the next iPhone also is said to be on tap. A number of Apple rumor sites expect Apple to include the latest 802.11n wireless radio that has a better range and faster data rates than earlier versions. The same improvement is expected for a new iPod Touch. The speculation is based on information in the beta release of the iPhone 3.0 firmware which shows support for a new chip enabling 802.11n.
