First post-event interview

The third-gen iPod touch has not been given a camera because Apple wants to think of it as a gaming device, according to company CEO Steve Jobs. Speaking with David Pogue of the New York Times, Jobs attributes the marketing shift to public demand. "We started to market it that way, and it just took off," he says. "And now what we really see is it’s the lowest-cost way to the App Store, and that’s the big draw."

"So what we were focused on is just reducing the price to $199," Jobs adds. "We don’t need to add new stuff. We need to get the price down where everyone can afford it."

The announcement of a Touch camera yesterday was considered all but certain by many observers, in no small part because of a leaked prototype, and retail-ready cases with a lens cutout. A camera is in fact built into the fifth-gen iPod nano, a still cheaper and slimmer device. Reports have suggested that Touch camera production may only be experiencing technical difficulties, forcing a delay of the feature's introduction.

Jobs separately notes that the reason for limiting the Nano's camera to video recording involves size. A sensor for proper photography, the executive points out, would be too thick to fit in the Nano's current case design.

The executive has refused to comment directly on the prospects for an Apple tablet, but nevertheless criticizes "dedicated devices" like the Amazon Kindle, which he suggests will always remain a niche product because of a strict emphasis on e-books. Multi-purpose electronics "will win the day," he says.

Commenting on the aftermath of his liver transplant and six-month medical leave, Jobs explains that he still needs to gain approximately 30 pounds. This currently involves eating "a lot" of ice cream, he says, to restore a proper body weight.

by MacNN Staff