Flash-equipped gear could include iPods, iPads

Code in the fourth iPhone 4.0 beta contains references to camera flash, investigation reveals. One section suggests that Apple handhelds will have three different flash modes: always on, always off and auto, triggered by an ambient light sensor. The find backs up recent iPhone prototype leaks, which in both cases have included a LED flash on the back.

Of special interest is an error message, set to warn people that a device is too hot to risk firing flash. The message in fact has three versions, tailored not just to iPhones but iPods and iPads. While the latter two lines may simply be there as a matter of code convenience, they support physical evidence that future iPod touches and iPads may have cameras.

Only iPhones and iPods are referenced in code for EXIF image metadata. Mac OS X 10.7 is meanwhile cited in relation to media formatting, suggesting that the software is at least far enough developed to be relevant to iPhone 4.0 programming. This could potentially mean that some form of Mac OS X 10.7 will be ready before iPhone 5.0, mostly likely to launch in summer of next year.

by MacNN Staff