apple is in the business to make money. being the top dog in mp3 devices they figured out that they need to tier the products so there is always an upgrade. in the current lineup each product has its own strength.

if you dont like it. dont buy it. apple will get the point and will right the wrong. obviously people still buy the product and thats pretty much all they care about.

How can Steve Jobs criticise the Kindle as a "dedicated device" and then describe the Touch as a device dedicated to gaming as the excuse for omitting the camera?

And, more importantly, how can you claim you want to call it a gaming device, and yet still allow it to play music, movies, tv shows, browse the web, get email, etc. You can't one minute say "We want to focus on gaming" and then the next minute talk up all the features it has that aren't gaming related.

And, sorry, it isn't that great of a gaming device.

Also, third party accessory manufacturers are given prior details of upcoming devices under NDA. There is no doubt that the cases with a camera hole were manufactured to those specifications.

I don't buy this one. Apple is much more about secrecy than they are about third-parties. They might have sent off some iPods to certain hardware vendors, but I seriously doubt they sent the specs off to all these fly-by-night case makers.

Most likely the case makers jumped on the camera rumors and wanted to get their products out there when the iPod was ever released. And restrictions be damned, there would be lots of anonymous whining from the manufacturers if they got screwed by apple in this way.

I own an iPhone, but I am only using it as an interim music player until I buy a dedicated device because while the iPhone is a great device, the battery is too weak to handle all of its possible uses...hence I need a dedicated music player.

The fact they kept the camera out is bad enough, but to claim it is because the Touch is now a gaming system is total BS. Apple is obsfucating the truth that either they don't want to "potentially" cannibalize iPhone sales (BS again - many folks cannot afford a phone....and others want both an iPhone and Touch - me!!!) or that they are having issues implementing the hardware. Either way equates to Apple/Jobs lying to the customer base. HOW ABOUT JUST SOME HONESTY HERE Apple???!! I DO NOT accept that they truly believe that the Touch is now a dedicated game machine. By the way Jobs...the DSi has 2 cameras (shoddy, but still cameras) and the PSP has a camera add-on.

No matter what the case is, I am going to still buy a dedicated music player, but it will now be a Zune HD or the Sony x-1050/1060. Might as well get something that sounds better than an iPod at this point.

Aside from my purchase choice...Apple ... TELL THE TRUTH TO YOUR CUSTOMERS.

Most of you are criticizing Jobs for not putting a camera and then a GPS and a magnetometer in the Touch. Then someone will say why not have a RJ-11 jack in there too. Why not a phone capability. Go get an iPhone if you want all these features.

You all just know how to criticize. You know nothing about product development and life-cycles. One one side Apple is trying to bring the price down so that more can get a Touch. If they keep the price high then you criticize that Apple is greedy. Get a life. If you do not want a Touch since it does not have a camera then don't buy it. Go buy a Zune or Android phone or something else.

You all are "Heads I win, tails you loose"

LOL

So, as indicated in an earlier reply in this thread I'm in the technical-issue-with-the-camera camp regarding the Touch. But what I'm really scratching my head over are some of these posts that are all up in arms over the explanation given for there not being a camera. First, Apple never indicated they would put a camera in the iPod Touch, it was all rumors, which Apple clearly has no control over. Second, whether the reason there's no camera is because of technical issues or for marketing reason, what's the difference? Here's a scenario: For Apple to have resolved the technical issue that was encountered during development, the cost per Touch would have been above the price point Apple was shooting for. Put whatever scenario you want, there are dozens that could have involved both and Apple was in fact not lying. But again, what does it matter, either way, no camera. Apple is a company folks, and marketing is key to any successful brand - Apple is not going to provide competitors with negative fodder nor tarnish their own brand - real or perceived.