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FaceTime camera for next iPod Touch?

Images surface of parts purportedly set to go in the next version of Apple's touch-screen iPod.

Erica Ogg Former Staff writer, CNET News
Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur.
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Erica Ogg
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Steve Jobs indicated at WWDC in June that more FaceTime devices would be on their way this year, could that mean the iPod Touch?
Steve Jobs indicated at WWDC in June that more FaceTime devices would be on their way this year. Could that mean the iPod Touch? James Martin/CNET

Could the iPod Touch be getting the same FaceTime camera as the iPhone 4?

Some new images sent to the blog MacRumors make a case for it at least. On Thursday, MacRumors posted images of what looks like the front assembly, including LCD screen and bezel, of a new version of the iPod Touch sent to it by an iPhone part supplier.

 
An iPhone parts supplier sent these images, purportedly of the new iPod Touch, to MacRumors.
An iPhone parts supplier sent these images, purportedly of the new iPod Touch, to MacRumors. MacRumors

The parts are stamped with markings that lend some authenticity that they are actual Apple parts, though these kinds of images tend to start circulating before any upcoming Apple announcement. Some do end up being accurate, but as always should be taken with a grain of salt for now.

Apple has for the last few years introduced new iPod models at an early September music-oriented event. It's widely believed that the iPod Touch will finally get a camera (last year the Nano got a camera, the Touch mysteriously did not) and it will be front-facing, for FaceTime calls just like the iPhone 4.

At WWDC when Steve Jobs introduced the FaceTime calling feature of the iPhone 4, he added that "Apple will ship tens of millions of FaceTime devices this year." He didn't say iPhones, so it would make sense that Apple is planning to put FaceTime in other devices, with the iPod Touch being a logical candidate.

FaceTime is already Wi-Fi only, same as the iPod Touch. Since iPod Touch owners wouldn't have phone numbers connected to the device, Apple will be using e-mail addresses to initiate FaceTime calls, according to MacRumors.

Apple declined to comment.

Updated at 3:40 p.m. PDT.