Future Apple Watches could have a built-in camera to take photos, but the company’s implementation of the idea could leave a lot to be desired.
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Last week, a patent granted to Apple by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) describes a smartwatch with a camera on the device’s bottom surface. The document also includes information about how the wristband can be detached from the bottom of the watch to enable users to click photos with the built-in camera. While that doesn’t sound like the most convenient or practical way of taking pictures, it could be handy for people who do not have their iPhones with them but want to take a photo anyway.
Apple Watch With Camera
While some of the technologies patented by Apple are at least interesting, a camera on the bottom surface of the Apple Watch makes no sense. First, the photo quality of a small image sensor included with a smartwatch is likely to be much worse than anything taken by smartphones. Secondly, placing the camera under the Apple Watch will make it highly inconvenient and impractical, compared to simply whipping out a smartphone to click an image.
With or without a weirdly-placed camera, the concept of a camera-infused smartwatch has been proven to be a failure. Samsung tried the concept with the Galaxy Gear smartwatch a decade ago but quickly abandoned the idea after getting a lukewarm response from consumers. That said, if Apple wants to turn its smartwatch into a wearable iPhone, an integrated camera would likely be part of the plan. The company would be better off placing the camera anywhere but the bottom surface of the Apple Watch, in a way that makes it possible to take a photo without detaching the device from the strap every time.