Just as we thought we’d heard every possible rumor and piece of speculation about the Apple iPhone 5, up pops another snippet of news to make us think again. The latest news is that there’s a possibility of 3D technology coming to the iPhone 5 camera but don’t get too excited just yet as this development may have come too late for the next iPhone.
It’s fascinating stuff though and many tech sites are now reporting that the iPhone 5 could sport a 3D camera and it all stems from an Apple patent detailing how depth-detection sensors such as lidar and radar and cutting-edge luminance sensors could be used to make 3D images when a picture is taken. The patent is for iOS devices so could also be used for iPads and does seem like a natural progression for iOS devices when considering the growth of 3D TV’s and the fact that some other smartphones now feature 3D capabilities.
The patent was revealed by Patently Apple as reported by Cnet and as well as 3D picture images the patent also means that 3D models could be created on the device simply by scanning objects and the technology could also bring facial-gesture recognition. Meanwhile this report also tells how Apple is working on a 3D camera and says that it’s apparently being developed for other electronic devices apart from iPhones, iPads and Apple computers, so wonders if an Apple camera might be on the way.
The important question that many of you will be wondering is whether this has come soon enough to be included in the iPhone 5 and that’s certainly possible but of course we can’t confirm this. We’re informed that the Apple patent application was made in Q3 of last year so the wait might not be too long but it’s a case of wait and see for now. Another consideration is just how popular a 3D camera on the iPhone would be. Although we think many would enjoy this capability there are plenty of people who feel that 3D is more of a gimmick so we’d like to hear what you think about this.
If the iPhone 5 appears with 3D camera technology would this make you more likely to purchase it? Maybe the feature doesn’t appeal to you at all but you’d like the next iPhone all the same? Let us know by sending in your comments.