Good ol’ Apple Insider, doing what they do best, has either deduced that an iPad without FaceTime is a serious hole in Apple’s lineup, or they have a sneaky Apple person who’s “close to the matter” dropping hints in their ears.
Allegedly, Apple’s been working on an iPad with FaceTime already, and the typical 12 month long cycle that Apple goes through before they introduce new iOS models might not hold up this time—FaceTime capable iPads have already entered the advanced testing phases.
It has all the makings of a PR catastrophe. Will iPad users revolt because their new iPad has become outdated in only six months? We won’t deny the voracious appetite of the Apple faithful, but we’re sure plenty of them are going to feel a little snubbed if Apple decides to release a fancy new iPad sometime this calendar year. A lot of people were pretty upset that the current iPad lacked a camera to begin with, and now that Apple’s planning on a releasing an iPad with a camera, it’s hard not to draw the conclusion that iPad version one was a cash grab. Personally I don’t mind the update, and believe it’s the logical next step for the device.
Just last week I took a conference call on my iPad, using Skype, and immediately found myself wishing for an iChat, FaceTime capable device. The iPad has become a major communication device during my office hours. I have it sitting in a nice Joule stand, running Twitter all day, and then periodically running Mail. Being able to use it with FaceTime or an iChat-like program could easily turn the iPad into a new age VOIP telephone for the office, along side our desktop machines.
Does the iPad “need” a camera? Probably not, and most people won’t see a need to upgrade, but there’s also a big market out there that can already see the benefits of a camera on the device, and having that option is something we’d be willing to shell out for.
Article via Just Another iPad Blog
Photo Credit: ?muxu
