Flip philosophical as iPod touch primes to eat the casual video market

So, there’s all these stories in the ether claiming the future iPod touch – perhaps even the iPod nano – will host cameras… video cameras capable of still photography, to be a little more accurate.

Now, we’re not ones to comment on rumour or speculation. Well, that may not be entirely true, but fortunately, Flip’s head of marketing, Simon Fleming-Wood, is prepared to put up some arguments.

Back in the olden days of just very recently, Fleming-Wood waxed sanguine at Apple’s iPod Flip threat. Speaking to a US newspaper, he poo-poohed the threat of a video camera equipped iPhone 3GS, saying these devices weren’t sufficiently focused on video.

Pondering the iPod touch video threat he came up with one of those classic statements so many Apple-watchers have seen smaller companies make before the computer company eats them. “For Apple to join this market and help make video ubiquitous like still photography, it’ll be great for everybody.”

Right. And lets add the capacity to export video directly to YouTube or Mobile Me or via email using the iPod touch’s built-in WiFI, built-in video editing features and the rest of Apple’s present advantage (Flip simply exports to a computer via USB), and we’re thinking it may be good for consumers, but a little tricky for Flip.

We’re not sounding any death knells though – Flip have built a great business and are increasingly popular. We humans are naturally pretty loyal, once converted. And there’s no doubt Flip have plans to compete, once all those pictures of iPod touch cases with camera holes actually have Apple devices to wrap themselves around.

But Apple has PA Semi. Final Cut Pro. iMovie. iPhoto. And billions of banked dollars ($31.1 billion at the end of the just-gone quarter).

Chris Chute of research firm IDC notes Flip may have to flop. "They’re (Apple) adding functionality to a media player, and the devices are sold at similar places," he points out.

So there we are then.  They were nice while they lasted.

Just a thought.