Backs likelihood of camera-equipped model

A new Apple job listing strongly indicates that cameras are coming to future iPads. The company's Cupertino headquarters is hiring a QA engineer for its iPad Media division, with the specific intent of testing still and video camera capture, as well as playback. The first-generation iPad, which has yet to ship, lacks any form of camera.

The listing may mark a second and unusually open admission that cameras have long been planned for the iPad. The first was discovered in a shipment of iPad replacement parts, with frames clearly showing a slot for a MacBook-style camera. Even prior to the device's announcement, rumors regularly suggested that the tablet would have at least one camera, and possibly a second, whether inward- or outward-facing. The technology could theoretically enable features like face recognition or video conferencing.

by MacNN Staff