What if this camera ran iOS instead of Android?
I like Samsung HDTVs and refrigerators, but the company’s latest Android-running Samsung Galaxy Camera makes me laugh. For $500 you can get a mediocre camera that runs Android on a big screen on the back. You can also buy it from AT&T and use a monthly data plan with it, too.
It smacks of something conceived back in 2009 that finally made it to market.
The idea is that there are shutterbugs who want to take photos and video then edit them via apps and share them online, all from within their camera. I know it’s a social world these days, but it’s still hard for me to imagine the kind of person who has $500 extra bucks to spend on a camera, perhaps sign up for a data plan, and then pack this thing around, most likely alongside a smartphone.
And then be happy with the results.
I can understand picking up a Zoom Lens for an iPhone or smartphone, even one that runs Android, but spend the money for this sort of device? Not happening anywhere near me.
Why not simply buy a digital SLR and get an outstanding photographic experience? The processors are smart, wicked fast, the quality is fantastic, and you can upgrade your lens with dozens of options. Or, if you don’t want to pack that, go with a compact point-and-shoot that offers something different from your smartphone, like a waterproof camera.
To be fair, Nikon beat Samsung to market with an Android-based camera, the not-so-fantastically reviewed Nikon COOLPIX S800c. At just over $300, it’s still hard for me to get interested.
Of course, I’m sort of a snob here, because once you own a digital SLR camera, it’s tough to use anything less.
Still, What If Apple Made It?
The question for me is, “Would I still be laughing if Apple produced this camera and it ran iOS?”
No.
I’d be crying.
Unless it was truly a fantastic camera that could replace a digital SLR — that is, if it:
- could accept a wide range of awesome lenses
- was wicked fast
- had truly excellent photographic skills (took sweet, accurate photos, low noise, etc.)
- had a long battery life
- was priced competitively
- was at least as durable as current digital SLRs from Canon and Nikon
If that’s the case, some version of iOS would add to the experiences I’m looking for in life. Otherwise, it would just be another gadget.
