US doesn't understand video calling on 3G phones?

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Wednesday, 11 June 2008 13:57

Opinion and Analysis

It’s odd because almost every 3G phone on the planet has a small VGA camera on the front, while having a nicer camera, usually up to 5 megapixels, on the back, and doesn’t make phones look ugly at all. iMacs and MacBooks don’t look ugly because they have a tiny webcam on them, do they?

And why would anyone expect to Apple ever remove the camera from the back of the iPhone and bring it to the front? Everyone was expecting Apple to improve the camera on the back to 3.2 megapixels or 5 megapixels and put a VGA camera on the front for video calls as is common.

It’s a clear sign that 3G networks are still so new in the US that we’re seeing these kind of odd comments, and it’s a clear sign that in 2009, when 3G is much more pervasive across the US, that Steve Jobs will ensure the next iPhone has this feature.

However, the US is about 25% of the world market. Is Apple being a little short sighted holding back iPhone innovation while the US catches up with the rest of the world?

Only in America, as they say! :-)