According to an article on Engadget, Samsung is working on an Android-based camera. This in and of itself is not that much of a shocker; I’ve been clamoring for such a gadget for years. Having each camera with its own user interface, as well as each new iteration from the same manufacturer do the same, makes for a decent amount of hassle. Not to mention that installing a full-blown operating system onto your camera could greatly enhance the user experience in all the ways that are now almost impossible to imagine. Aside from the obvious everyday applications – uploading and downloading photos, geotagging, light editing, etc. – this kind of powerful user interface could really revolutionize the professional and especially prosumer photography. Right now even the most advanced digital cameras are limited to just a handful of shooting modes, and getting the right exposure, ISO number, and the depth of field can be extremely difficult. With the right kind of software soem of the guesswork that goes with this could be eliminated or at least radically reduced. And if it could be possible for photographers to share their shooting settings in an easy way than maybe all of us will have to suffer through fewer badly focused and lit pictures.

Another thing that comes to mind after reading the above article is the possibility of an iOS camera. Apple will never license their OS to any other manufacturer, so the only way we’ll ever see such a camera is if Apple builds it. None of the Apple rumors out there are even remotely considering such a prospect, but it wouldn’t be inconceivable. Apple likes to shake up and redefine industries, and the digital camera world could be ready for a shakeup. Plus, the camera in the latest iPhone is already one of the best cell phone cameras out there, and if Apple continues to improve on those then they’ll acquire the foundations for the competitive camera technology. Furthermore, this would not be the first time that Apple has launched a stand-alone digital camera. The iSight camera was introduced a little over five years ago as a webcam peripheral. Most of the time when Apple kills a product line it never revisits it, but as the example of Newton teaches us there are counterexamples to this rule. Apple’s handheld tablet was a concept that was about a decade ahead of its time, and a venerable predecessor to iPhone and iPad.  Apple would face an extremely tough competition in the seemingly over-saturated camera market, but they don’t necessarily have to aim for the market dominance in order to become very successful. Just take the look at the PC market – Apple’s share there has never really been a threat to the WIntel duopoly, but its computers have found a very lucrative and successful niche. They are just one plank in the overall Apple ecosystem, and that would be all that an Apple camera would need to accomplish. I think that it can be done, and it should be done.