Apple looking to hire camera expert, iPad Camera Kit to support USB audio?
By Donald Melanson 
posted April 15th 2010 1:59PM
posted April 15th 2010 1:59PM
We know it's been hard to deal with the comparative lack of iPad rumors now that the thing has actually be released (in some places, at least), but we've got a bit of a treat today: not one but two camera-related iPad rumors. The first comes courtesy of an Apple job posting for a Performance QA Engineer for iPad media who, among other things, must rely on their "knowledge of digital camera technology (still and video) to develop and maintain testing frameworks for both capture and playback pipelines." While anything to result from that may have to wait until iPad 2.0, Apple software engineering manager William Stewart has dropped another interesting detail on an Apple mailing list concerning the soon-to-be-available Camera Connection Kit. Apparently, in addition to accommodating your digital camera, the USB adapter will also support class-compliant USB audio devices -- although that is yet to be confirmed by Apple itself. Of course, you'll also need some apps to take advantage of that, but Stewart seems to also imply the necessary functionality is at least already built into the OS, which would seem to make apps only a matter of time. We'll let you take the speculation from there.
@DrDr
The camera kit includes both the USB and SD adaptors. So technically it's only a $15 USB port and a $15 SD card slot... and I'm sure LOTS of people would gladly pay $15 to have each of those built in to their iPads.
@DTJ Yeah, maybe to have it built in, but I agree with another commenter that this thing is pretty ugly.
@DrDr A friend of mine has an iPad and it's pretty nice, but one of the main reasons I wouldn't want it (excluding multitasking which is on the way) is how much you need to pay to get some good functionality out of it.
Would be nice if the USB port was just built-in, but this is a promising development... perhaps USB printing is not too far off.
Apple: Screwing consumers takes a good year of planning.
@sweet greggo
Consumers have the option of not buying, thus sending a message to Apple. So far 500,000+ consumers do not feel Apple is screwing them over.
@sweet greggo Well, at least it's not like Microsoft, that don't do any planning and has nothing to screw you with.
@DTJ
plenty of people get screwed over without feeling it. It's called Rohypnol.
It's funny how apple does intentionally try to scale back on their hardware so they ensure themselves that "annual update" would be a big news. It's not beyond their engineering capacity to design and include all these at launch. And the same could be said about WP7 and computers as well.
@tkedch And cameras too.
@tkedch Exactly. We all should know how Apple is. They just throw something out there at high price, then lower the price and sell attachments and such or a whole new iPad that could have been the first one to begin.
Apple loooves money. =O
@Atkins
What I meant was, the same could be said about all tech toys we see today. And I know this first hand. HAHAHAHA.... The main difference is that people sort of expect apple to do things like this, because it's the apple way....
@tkedch That's what I don't get - when the name changed from business to "the Apple way".
@EggoEspada I love money too!
@Atkins
Not trying to make it unclear. I meant, as far as hardware goes, things like the on-board cam or cpu speed, etc... they will intentionally try to scale back a bit then slowly release as they go. The difference is apple do it annually, others do it maybe every 3-4 months. However, what i meant by apply's way was referring to the fact that they always have an excuse for not including things like USB, HDMI,... you get my point. They expect you to use their product the way they think you ought to.
@tkedch Actually, the HP Slate will have all these features at launch. USB support, bluetooth, 3G, two cameras....Why would I wait for IPad version 3 to get cool features when I can get them all in the HP Slate? I honestly don't see why anyone would buy an IPad when it is so terribly lacking.
@hutch2509
That is what i was saying. They all hold back as far as hardware goes, such as CPU, ram and blah. But connectivity options, even though these count as hardware I know, such as usb, hdmi should not be left out. That is one thing I never understand with apple.
Maybe a Flight of the Conchords-esque camerapad?
http://dailymarauder.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/flight-camera-phone.jpg
Build a camera into the damn device or GTFO Apple
So it's alright when Apple releases a product without seemingly obvious and core functionality in order to streamline the user experience and still ship in a reasonable timeframe, but not when WinPho7 plans to do the same? Mkay, just making sure.
@schismal
With Apple, a USB port is not a feature. Being able to add an adapter to give you a USB port is.
@schismal
by the time WP7 ships, it will be nearly 4 years since the iPhone was announced - and all the features Apple got slammed for lacking (multi-tasking, copy&paste) will STILL be missing from WP7. So, yes, it is OK to criticize microsoft for lacking "core" functionality.
Just what exactly have they been DOING for the past 6 years?
@TomSawyer Implementing all those features into WP6.
I really don't think the ipad will ever have a USB it's not meant to replace a lap/desktop
@Macace
It's not meant to do much of anything..
@cardfan But it does not much so well
@Macace - Apple TOLD you it's not meant to replace a desktop...there's a difference. Given the right ports and functions, it very well could. They don't want to kill off their MacBook line, $1,700 laptops provide good profits.
I would never want it to replace a desktop I would want it as it is + a few updates in time
@cardfan
Haha yes true.
@Plazmic Flame Why at-Macace? You just re-stated what he said in his reply to his own comment.
@Macace If they put a "Real" USB port on it people would be sticking everything into it, and nothing would work anyway (for example, people asking why they can't use a "mouse" on it... As if the OS even has a mouse pointer). They aren't trying to support the hundreds of devices that a laptop supports...
@darksharpie Yeah. But there's probably no hardware reason for any usb device to not work, see my last post for an impassioned plea.
@cardfan
Except browse the web, email, manage photos, listen to music, watch tv shows/movies... you, know, about 95% of what an average computer user does.
ports come and go. with this all you need to do is buy the right connector. pretty good idea on apples part.
@doozy Yeah because USB ports are so new and magical and revolutionary but will probably be gone tomorrow. Just like Mini DisplayPort.
@doozy
Hmm usb ports...I was clearly under the mistaken impression that they had been around for years built-in to just about everything! Forgive me for my stupidity!
We're in a transitional period where USB and even bluetooth might soon be replaced by something that the iPad then wouldn't have. It's more future proof for it to just have wifi and/or 3G instead. They shave $some off production costs and some ounces off weight, and give consumers something cheaper and future proof. How can you argue?
@killplay
Hmm interesting...problem is we're in the present, and presently usb is everywhere. So your argument is just ridiculous isn't it? Ya.
@killplay - In the future, machines will take care of you. So why don't you lie down in your sofa and just stay there until the future is here. See just how long it'll take before you get your next meal.
@evolutionofnonsens if not having a usb port on your ipad is a problem for you, right now, then you're doing something wrong.
You don't have to buy some cheesy dongle or wait for the future.
Presently, most cameras over $150 will have wifi syncing. The ipad is the other high priced gadget currently. Minimalism, if it doesn't absolutely need ports, you won't get them. Doing things their own way, that's Apple And if you don't like it then keep walking. Same as always.
Why not jsut realease the iPad+ that has a Camera in it? Who'd really use this when you can just take a picture with your camera and then transfer it to the iPad? No reason these days for any handheld electronic not to have a camera built in. The Nintendo DS has a camera built in. We all know how behind the curve Nintendo can be sometimes,I love Nintendo BTW, but they even got that right.
@Pookiewood
So you're saying that you'd rather it didn't have the ability to upload pictures from your camera to the iPad, just use the built in one? I don't know about you, but the built-in camera that's in my MBP and in most other handheld devices like you mentioned are POS compared to my DSLR.
@FanClerks Well yeah most of them are a POS and I'd hope your DSLR has a better camera than a DS. The point of my comment wasn't to use the same camera the DS uses or anything similar for that matter. This is Apple, anything they release is supposed to be the BEST quality. The EVO 4G has an 8MP camera why couldn't they at least went with that? Not saying that's the best handheld camera. Also Apple should've included an SD reader from the jump instead of making you by another cable just to get functionality that is standard in EVERYTHING nowadays.
Would somebody please take one of these Camera Connection Kits apart and see if it's passive? All the teardowns and no CCK teardown anywhere on the Googles.
@tmzt
I'm assuming you're trying to see if you can use the iPad as a USB host or to power something off of? I do believe I'd read that it can't act as a USB host or power anything off the USB connection.
@FanClerks
He wants to see if you can get it for 50 cents on monoprice.
@DrDr
Does monoprice even have adapters that use the dock connector? I haven't seen any of those but I guess I wouldn't be surprised.
@FanClerks
Not sure about monoprice, but I have seen them around the net.
I'm looking forward to being able to use an iPad to pull pictures off of my camera, tag them, caption them, and push them to flickr (something I use a netbook for now; the iPad would be an improvement screenwise, at least...) but as far as I can tell, there *aren't* any apps for this kind of thing now? Lots of browsers/viewers, Photo.app itself can't do any more than email a picture (and it doesn't even have full-res pictures)... or have I missed something?
I'm not asking for Lightroom (or Aperture) (well, OK, I *am* but what I actually need is a lot less than that) but there doesn't even seem anything that syncs useful changes with iPhoto, let alone directly manage an online gallery...
@eichin If you look at the HP Slate commercial, it comes out of the box flickr ready. Just buy a slate.
@hutch2509
Except the slate has absolutely no USB connectivity except for the port, that's used to charge it. It doesn't have anything to download pictures off a camera and upload to Flickr, just to surf the site afaik.