Apple seeks iPhone camera manager, camera engineers

From CNET News I see that Apple is looking for an iPhone camera manager (see below).

According to Apple's job description, the company is looking for an "iPhone Engineering Project Mgr - Camera" (EPM).  Here's what Apple says about the position:

"[The EPM will]...drive the design, development and integration of camera modules for innovative cellular products.  The EPM is the interface between our internal engineering teams and the suppliers for sensors, lenses and camera modules.

"He or she will manage vendors during the project to ensure that all vendor schedules and activities are aligned with our projects.

"In this highly cross functional role the EPM will work closely together with the HW, SW and mechanical engineering team to coordinate all aspects of the camera module design, production and integration.

"The EPM is familiar with camera module technologies especially sensors, lenses and actuators.

"The Camera EPM works together with the module vendors during camera module builds to ensure the quality of the build and implementation of test procedures in compliance with Apple’s requirements.  The EPM will drive the analysis of test results, derive corrective actions and drive the implementation.

"During the concept phase the EPM will identify and communicate design tradeoffs between mechanical and electrical features of camera modules from different vendors and facilitate and drive the selection of a best in class implementation."

Is also looks as if Apple is looking for an iPhone camera engineer or two, if you enter "iPhone" and "United States" on the employment site.

Not outstanding camera

The CNET article notes, "But while Apple is looking to hire an iPhone engineering project manager for its camera feature, less than half a percent of the 6,187 News.com readers who responded to the poll listed that as an outstanding feature." 

Note:  As of early in the morning of January 15, that poll is up to 7,101 respondents, but it's 0.5 percent for the camera listed as the main feature (see left).

That's no surprise.  As I wrote in my fairly lengthly article on January 10, the two megapixel camera in the iPhone isn't a big deal in terms of the resolution and there's no flash or optical zoom.

Somewhat backwards "revolution"

As I also wrote in that article about the iPhone's wireless imaging capabilities, the handset doesn't include video recording capabilities.  It's a capability I consider crucial for any cellular phone that incorporates a camera, and the lack of it, as I wrote, is ridiculous.

Apple is "reinventing" the cellular phone by taking a step backwards when it comes to imaging.  Perhaps the company will reconsider adding video recording before the iPhone in launched in the United States in June.

Comments

[tychocat]

What the iPhone is selling isn't features - as pointed out, nothing on the phone is new or revolutionary - what Apple is selling is ease-of-use through a hot interface and a slickly-designed box. It's priced and positioned like a premium phone, though, which I think is skewing expectations and commentary. On a feature-for-feature basis, I think the Nokia N95 (has GPS and a 5-MP camera) beats the pants off the iPhone, and the iPhone is only incrementally more functional to me than my current SE S710a (nicer display, 2-MP camera vs. 1.3-MP, better browser but I don't surf on my phone all that much since ATT/Cingular has an expensive data plan). I however concede the iPhone design is hands-down, no-contest, 'way cool, and I think the iPhone should be looked as not a better cell phone, but a better-designed cell phone.

[Alan A. Reiter]

If you took the time to read the first, lengthy article I wrote (and to which I linked), you'll see that Apple's analyst relations manager confirmed to me that the iPhone does not have video recording capabilities.

Is that sufficiently "official" for you?

Also, "The New York Times' technology columnist wrote that iPhone doesn't include video recording, but might include it by the time the handset launched in June, as I also posted.

[Josh]

When did anyone with any official information say that the camera wouldn't control video?

Too much speculation being stated as fact.