gdgt

Just a note, the MacBook Airs do not have a Facetime HD camera.

I always felt like tablets didn't need cameras, but one of the monks here at work recently used the iPad 2 to shoot, edit, and post to YouTube a video documenting another monk's new soap making gig. This monk used to do high end video editing with real cameras and Adobe Premiere. He hasn't touched that stuff in years because it is just such a drag in terms of time commitment and mental baggage. With the iPad 2, he found it so easy that he is now getting ramped up to start doing a whole lot more video work for our communications efforts. Go figure! So, if they add a really nice camera, this could be huge for people who are too busy to get into real editing (i.e. most people) but would still like to create. There was a time when Apple was very focused on creating tools for creation. Granted, they have been less focused on that for the last several years right up to the point that they started bringing creation tools to the iPad, but I am hoping they are returning to those roots now.

I used to think the same thing, the cameras as so bad no one's going to really use it, but I think most people don't really care all that much. My nieces and sister are perfectly happy with the cameras on the iPod touch for shooting video and photos. I tell them to use the real camera they have, but it's just so much easier for them to use an iPod touch to shoot video and then just share it rather than hook the camera up to a computer, convert the video and upload it.

There is no reason to settle for poor performance on any device. Obvioulsly the point and shoot separate camera is doomed as are vinyl records, printed books, telephones, etc. Let's keep thinking outside the box for everything and anything is possible. Personal assistants, clouds, talking devices are not in the future, but actually here now. We just haven't seen them introduced in a mass way, ala Apple.