Apple is apparently buying up all the 3D camera component components it can for its next-gen iPhone.
The current rumor has it that the upcoming handset will feature a 3D camera with facial recognition capabilities and that LG Innotek has been acting as the supplier of these parts.
The rumor also coincides with a report that LG Innotek has invested $238.5 million in a facility just for Apple’s orders. Apple’s initial order is worth about $177 million.
Even with the hunt to find the missing fourth-gen iPhone over, some cool stuff may still be around the corner. Per MacRumors, new evidence in the iPhone OS 4 SDK suggests the camera in Apple’s next-generation handset could record 720p high-definition video.
Preset values for video capture in the latest beta of the software development kit show a supported resolution of 1280×720 pixels. That’s the same progressive-scan resolution used for high-definition 720p content.
Last week, a report claimed that the iPhone would have a 5 megapixel camera supplied by LG Innotek. While the megapixels account for the size of still images, the they offer no clear insight into the video recording capabilities of the handset.
In its hands-on with the obtained next-generation iPhone prototype, Gizmodo noted that the camera on the device’s back side was “quite noticeably larger” than the one on the current-generation iPhone 3GS. The prototype device also had a forward-facing camera, but neither lens could be tested and picture quality could not be determined, as the hardware had been deactivated.
Previous rumors had indicated the new iPhone would be known as the “iPhone HD,” and would feature a double-resolution 960 x 640 pixel display.
In addition to a 5-megapixel camera with possible support for HD video recording, this year’s iPhone model is also expected to gain a camera flash. Camera flash functions were also found referenced in pre-release builds of iPhone Software 4.0.
The next-generation iPhone is expected to be unveiled at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference keynote. The conference is scheduled to kick off on June 7th, and runs through June 11th at San Francisco’s Moscone West.
If you were curious about the exact components to go into the fourth-generation iPhone, a report from The Chosun reported Wednesday that Korean electronics giant LG Innotek will supply 5-megapixel camera sensors for the upcoming handset.
Per the article, LG Innotek began “producing the sophisticated cameras at its plant in Gumi this month and will mass produce them starting in the second half of this year.”
The report contradicts a rumor issued this past December, in which it said that OmniVision, the supplier of CMOS image sensors for the current iPhone, expected to see demand for its sensors in iPhones grow as high as 45 million after it secured a deal to supply a 5-megapixel camera for the next-generation iPhone.
In addition to the camera upgrade from 3.2 megapixels to 5.0 megapixels, the fourth-generation iPhone model is also expect to gain a camera flash. Sources close to the story stated that Apple had been shopping around for LED camera flash components and may have settled on Philips’ LUXEON LED camera flash technology.
Since then, there has been substantial supporting evidence supporting those claims, such as the presence of camera flash functions in Apple’s pre-release builds of iPhone Software 4.0.
The fourth-generation iPhone, is also expected to ship with a front-facing video camera that will work with a mobile version of Apple’s iChat video conferencing software set to debut at the same time.