Apple is once again experimenting with ways to integrate a camera into the Apple Watch. According to Patently Apple, the company’s latest idea is to put a camera into the digital crown. With this, users can snap a photo on their wrist by pointing the digital crown toward the subject.
Today’s patent shows the user being able to remove the watch if needed, since some users wear the digital crown pointing inward on their wrist. Figure 6 shows a release mechanism within an attachment interface so a user can easily remove the watch from the band to take a picture. Patently Apple states there are other implementations where the watch can be removed from the wrist along with the band.
The patent also highlights a feature where the digital crown camera would have a light emitter to illuminate a scene while capturing the photo. It would work for both physiological sensing and as a camera flash so the user will have better lighting for their images.
If the digital crown does become a camera, it seems unlikely then it will have FaceTime support. It seems that the camera would be purely for photos or videos. With FaceTime support, that would be one less reason to use our iPhones.
The idea isn’t new
Apple has already looked into putting a camera on the watch before. Back in 2019, the tech giant patented a watch band to integrate the camera into there versus the watch. The idea of putting the camera on the band improves the issue of properly angling the frame of the photo from your wrist.
While we’ve yet to have a camera on the Apple Watch, other companies like Wristcam have made their own solutions. Instead of a camera on the digital crown, Wristcam has front- and back-facing cameras featured on the band. The band lets you record video messages and snap photos and videos from your watch. However, it’s an expensive solution at $299, and not for the average user.
9to5Mac’s Take
Overall, it doesn’t seem like there will ever be a simple way to take a photo from our wrist. There will always be those awkward wrist turns while trying to view your subject on a tiny screen. As a device that’s meant to keep us away from our iPhones, the one thing that’s missing on it is a camera. While privacy concerns could be raised, I feel that Apple would still make a camera on the watch work.
As Apple files patents all the time with many ideas not coming to fruition, there is no sure evidence this will become a real thing. What do you think of a camera on the watch digital crown? Is this a feature you would want?
What to expect for Apple Watch Series 8:
- Apple Watch glass rumor revives flat-edge design for Series 8 or other models
- Kuo: Apple Watch Series 8 could feature body temperature measurement, depends on algorithm quality
- Four features we expect to see on Apple Watch Series 8
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