Apple planning to bring video-recording to the iPhone?

By on Feb 2, 2009 at 4:06 PM
Opinions February 2, 2009

From the time it was released until today, one of the many gripes about the iPhone is its lack of video-recording capabilities (and MMS and copy/paste, we know). For the time being, only those who jailbreak their iPhones can enjoy video recording with apps like Cycorder. While nothing has been confirmed yet, it would appear as though those iPhone patents that set the Internet on fire just a week ago reveal details that could hint at video for the iPhone. Alexander Wolfe of InformationWeek did a bit of digging into Apple’s patent documentation and has come up with some pretty interesting data that everyone else (including those who have done some serious analysis of Apple’s patents) seem to have missed. The patent states:

“The device supports a variety of applications, such as one or more of the following: a telephone application, a video conferencing application, an e-mail application, an instant messaging application, a blogging application, a photo management application, a digital camera application, a digital video camera application, a Web browsing application, a digital music player application, and/or a digital video player application.”

Does this mean that Apple is planning on bringing video to the next generation iPhone? Maybe. Or maybe it could be covering all their bases, just in case. One can hope, right? What the patent also reveals is that video-conferencing could be in store for the future as well:

“In some embodiments, the functions may include telephoning, video conferencing, e-mailing, instant messaging, blogging, digital photographing, digital videoing, Web browsing, digital music playing, and/or digital video playing. Instructions for performing these functions may be included in a computer-readable storage medium or other computer program product configured for execution by one or more processors.”

Right now, all anyone can do is speculate. The patent does show signs of potential for video-recording, video-conferencing and a host of other cool features; whether or not these features will actually come to fruition remains to be seen. We’ll just have to hope Apple doesn’t plan to sit on these patents and twiddle its thumbs.

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  • jazzyl

    I like apple and their other products but the iphone lacks many useful things like cut and paste mms and video recording well if apple is crazy they really need to listen to what the consumers want its either they include all those features on their next upcoming iphone. Or release a software update that will enable all those features on their first and second iphones. Because people won’t even bother buying the iphone but rather get palm pre or the Mighty BLACKBERRY (Of which I personally believe is the best amongst all the Smartphones).

    Sent via Blackberry

  • http://www.monsterandfriends.com drunknbass

    @celz,

    It’s actually not impossible to make it work through dock/serial port but it’s a decent amount of work and the app itself would have to be designed to tx, rx, to serial for it’s audio / video data so it prob won’t ever happen.

    Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone).

  • smokeonit

    the iphone, unlocked, is already perfectly capable of recording and streaming video;-)

  • smokeonit

    no, YOU suck balls… LOL…

  • http://facebook.com Eric

    I hope Apple will do something very soon! My partner and I have 4 cell phones: 1 iphone and Blackberry Storm and 2 Bold. We prefer using the Blackberry Bold..it has everything – MMS and Video Recording capabilities!

  • Tech_Terry

    (comment only intended to be funny)

    To video conference, no need for a front faceing camera, just sit in front of a Apple iMirror. Now generation 1

  • Sharmain

    Apple is definately getting on my last nerves. Its bluetooth sucks. They dont even have a stereo bluetooth headset for the damn phone! I have to buy a bluetooth adapter! I cant forward text messages. I cant send picture or video messages. I cant erase a single text message. I have to clear all conversation. If I wanted to do video and picture messages via email I would just use my laptop. Ringtones and ringback tones sucks! Even though I have wifi I still got to connect to a pc to buy videos. I cant begin to tell you how much simple stuff a cheap phone can do and this oh so HIGH iphone cant. Everybody should return them and stop buying them.

  • adambashari

    think about the people who paid 599 feel…

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