Apple have been exploring new horizons lately, that’s no surprise to anyone – but the newest reported directions for the company might be a bit strange to some of their fans. According to people who keep an eye out for new patent applications, the company has recently been granted a patent on a new camera system, and one that looks like it could potentially be a full-blown action camera device. If this is true, then Apple could eventually offer GoPro some serious competition against their Hero line of cameras.
The patent describes a camera system that can be mounted on different types of headgear, such as a helmet or a scuba diving mask, which is pretty much the way the GoPro Hero cameras work. In addition, the camera system in Apple’s patent can have a microphone added to it, complete with underwater support so users can record videos with sound when submerged underwater. It’s also interesting to note that the device will be controllable with a compatible phone or watch, which most likely implies an iPhone or Apple Watch device.
Opinions by industry experts on the news have been split – some are excited about the news and believe that Apple could have a lot of potential in this market, especially since they’ve specifically addressed some popular issues with GoPro devices in their patent application. If they release a device of this type that’s given the traditional high level of Apple polish, then it could be a real market dominator, as long as it also comes at a good price. Which, knowing Apple, is not a small note that can be ignored.
On the other hand, some have been questioning the market’s need for Apple’s presence. GoPro and other companies like Sony are already covering most of the ground pretty adequately, and sales for action cameras aren’t that hot to begin with. However, Apple have been known to have a strong impact on markets that they decide to join, so if they announce an action camera device, then the market situation could soon change.
There has also been speculation that people are just interpreting the patent wrong, and that it’s actually about the possibility to mount existing devices on a helmet and control them with other Apple devices. However, some parts of the patent seem to contradict that, plus most of that can already be achieved through a specialized helmet mount and a little bit of manual effort/free time. The Apple Watch could definitely change things for action camera devices if Apple release a camera that’s controllable by it though, and that’s where most of the attention by the media has been aimed at ever since the patent was revealed.