Apple's next-generation iPod Nano could be regaining an in-built camera, if a leaked image of its chassis proves accurate.
The seventh-generation redesign of the ultra-compact Nano has yet to be announced by Apple, but an image leaked from an unknown source to Taiwanese fan site Apple.pro suggests it will be restoring a feature last seen in the fifth generation: an in-built camera.
Apple added the low-resolution camera to its fifth-generation iPod Nano, but the feature didn't get much use. With no flash indoor images were poor in quality, and many iPod buyers already had smartphones with significantly higher quality cameras - including Apple's own iPhone range.
Subsequent redesigns saw the camera module ditched in order to reduce costs, but the leaked image suggests that Apple could be bringing the technology back into its ultra-small Nano line.
Sadly, the leak fails to include technical details - but using the specifications of the cameras included in the company's iPad 2 tablet and working on the principle of economies of scale it's easy to make some informed guesses. The camera is likely to be a1.3 megapixel model, although a higher-resolution 3 megapixel unit is a possibility if Apple wants to impress with larger numbers.
The small lens size will have a deleterious effect on quality regardless of resolution, however - and the casing lacks the space for a flash, suggesting that the seventh-generation design will, sadly, replicate one of the failings of its predecessor.
Apple has yet to announce when its new iPod Nano design will launch.
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