apple is really pushing the envelope with your camera department and plans to add cameras, at least one, to its range of smartwatches. Apple recently filed a patent to integrate a camera into the crown of the Apple Watch of the future.
The thing about patents is that, even when filed quietly, they eventually get exposed, especially if have been filed under the name of Apple and corporate brand. Imagine using the Apple Watch itself to take a photo. It’s a different concept from how some smartwatches do cameras now, where they let you use the wearable as a sort of camera remote for your smartphone. Currently, most smart watches, including the Apple Watch, can be used as a shutter button to take a photo with the phone’s camera. As revealed in the patent, Apple has been researching how to put a camera into the actual chassis of the Apple Watch. The idea would be to point your wrist outward and let the watch’s camera take the photo instead of reaching for your phone in your bag or pocket. The summary of what the patent entails is quite simple: “A watch having a camera is disclosed. The watch may include a case having a front side, a back side, and a connection interface configured to engage a watch strap. A camera can be mounted on the housing and configured to capture an image of a scene through the back of the housing. A screen can be seen through the front of the case and configured to display the image.”
The camera schematics in the crown that Apple is working on, as filed with the US patent authorities. The Apple Watch camera mechanism would not be just a point-and-shoot solution, although it would be capable of doing that too. An accessory with a “release mechanism” would allow you to remove the camera from the chassis or body of the watch and move it around to take photos. You’d still use the digital crown to navigate the Apple Watch interface. The patent also mentions a circuit that would make room for “a camera flash to illuminate the scene” while a photo is being captured, though whether that would be a practical decision remains to be seen. Given the dimensions of the watch, a flash that would be integrated into the system has to be very small, and can only be used in macro photography. Via: FirstPost
