Rumor Roundup May 15, 2009

Ah yes… each day moves us a day closer to WWDC (Profound aren’t I!!) And each day brings its share of new rumors.

There were a few juicy ones today that build upon other information we’ve been receiving. All of which adds up to one key point — there are some exciting things brewing in the iPhone and iPod world but few actually know what actually IS brewing. Still, watching the rumors fly by is good fun.

Here is my favorite..

According to AppleInsider there’s word that future iPods might include a camera. The surprising thing to my mind is that the rumor isn’t just about the iPod touch. No, this rumor suggests that  the iPod Nano will get a camera too. It just might, however, be a smart move for Apple to add value to the iPod Nano and continue its market dominance.

One of the questions this rumor does raise, however, is whether Apple would add camera functionality to the iPod touch. Here’s why. Apple has been rather careful in maintaining a degree of distinction between the iPhone and Touch so as to avoid competing with itself. The iPhone is marketed as a phone and handheld computer while adds push the Touch as a gaming/entertainment device. And this even though the two devices run the same OS.

Even the hardware reinforced this somewhat artificial distinction. For the iPhone 3G sports cell connectivity, a camera, GPS and (crippled) bluetooth. Thus, if you wanted those things you needed to go iPhone rather than touch. At the same time, the touch goes up to 32GB of capacity. If you wanted more than 16GB you had to go touch.

Now we KNOW that iPhone OS 3.0 unlocks stereo bluetooth in the iPhone and activates the buried Bluetooth in the 2nd Generation Touch. As a result, that distinction is off the table.

It is also rumored (and IMO likely) that the new iPhone will have up 32GB of storage. Unless the next Touch goes up to 64GB THAT distinction is off the table.

If the Touch gets a camera THAT distinction is off the table too and the two devices begin to look increasingly similar. That isn’t a good thing for Apple. UNLESS, of course, the next gen iPhone will have something the Touch won’t… like video? or voice control? or… who knows.

WWDC isn’t far all so we’ll know soon enough…
 

OH, and the first reader to correctly identify the music video from which the above image was taken in the coments gets a free "I want that" the next time we run a contest for an app he or she wants…