More Proof of Video Chat for Next-Gen iPhones
Recently during a big Apple event, Steve Jobs announced details of the new iPhone OS 4.0 but left out what some bloggers feel is a big detail: the next-gen iPhone devices will have video chat. At least, more hidden details have been uncovered that suggest this will be the case.
For example, MacRumors shows a snippet of code that quite clearly includes the words “video chat” in a variety of application status messages for iPhone OS 4. Why have that in a brand new OS if it’s not going to be used. Not too long ago, TUAW found a process named iChatAgent in the OS 4 SDK that was installed onto an iPhone for testing.
Of course, to achieve video chat on an iPhone, it’ll need to have a front-facing camera. But given that there are also countless apps that rely on the existing back-facing camera, my guess is that the next-gen iPhone –which rumors suggest will be announced in June — will have two cameras. For the best video chat experience, its also going to need a higher resolution screen, which is more than possible for Apple given that several of their competitors already offer phones with more screen real estate than the iPhone’s 320×480. Now whether or not the iPad will eventually have video chat remains to be seen, though there’s already speculation that future generations of the device will have a front-facing camera.
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