iSight is end-of-life says TUAW snitch
It's no secret that iSights have been scarcer than gold dubloons of late, with most stores completely out and many vendors reporting extended ship times, not to mention that it's gone from the online Apple Store. Now, a late-night tip to the TUAW Secret Squirrel Hotline from a self-proclaimed Apple employee tells us what we pretty much knew: the iSight has been discontinued.The question is, what next? A USB2, more compact version? No standalone unit, but built-in cameras for Cinema Displays? Dare we think it -- iSight HD? Perhaps by NAB 2007 in April we'll know.
Thanks M!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dan Woods said 12:16AM on 1-12-2007
Without the "Toilet Roll" iSight, the only Macs with iSight are the Portables and the Mid-range iMacs.
The High end and Low end MacPros and MacMini's have no iSight option.
Meanwhile, MacPro purchasers and (moreso) MacMini Purchases are turning to cheaper Displays from other manufacturers.
A Cinema Display with iSight Built in is the only logical choice. It'll drag customers back to the Cinema Displays, and will keep the minimalist design which apple products are known for; Toilet Roll iSights are also iSores. Button Cameras which aren't nearly as prominant are on the market and look much better.
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alex said 1:30AM on 1-12-2007
i have the original isight, and while it is rather huge, it was nice to have a quality webcam, and i liked being able to pick it up and point it at things, as opposed to having to lift and turn my computer around.
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Mark 2000 said 2:01AM on 1-12-2007
You guys are nuts. The iSight is a thing of beauty. I had to have one for my PC. This will be the first time I've seen a piece of electronics - and a five year old one at that - go Up in value. I just sold mine for $200 after getting a Macbook.
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nick said 2:31AM on 1-12-2007
I hope they come out with an iSight HD. Even if it costs 300 bucks i would get it.
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MacMike said 3:11AM on 1-12-2007
I grabbed for our office and it's super handy, especially like one of the people said, where you can pick it up and point it around at things, and the magnetic connector comes in super handy.
Plus, it just looks right.
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chip said 4:38AM on 1-12-2007
i'd love it if the iphone could work as an isight as well...
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Chris said 6:30AM on 1-12-2007
It's a long shot, but how about something more flexible than the iSight? An iSight with an Airport chip installed so it could be used as an IP camera as well as a webcam? Or bluetooth for scanning those libraries into Delicious Library without having to lug them to your iMac? Or how about one that will recognize a usb (or firewire) drive attached and let you record to disk?
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CarLBanks said 8:01AM on 1-12-2007
The iSight in my 20" iMac is pretty good. Better than my old Logitech. Maybe this is what Apple is going to do. Install iSights in all of their displays.
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Jamus said 9:51AM on 1-12-2007
NAB is a good while off and I don't see them releasing a consumer type item like the iSight at a pro video conference. It is odd that it is dissapearing though.
I am more interested in why no new Mac Pro love at Macworld? Once again, NAB is a while off to wait for new models even though they are much more of a pro machine and fit better with NAB than Macworld.
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Bob said 9:48AM on 1-12-2007
The new stand-alone iSights should come standard with Mac Pros and Mac Minis (launched with Leopard?). Now that they are included with the iMacs/Notebooks, they are no longer considered a luxury item but more of an integrated feature. Much the way Wifi and Bluetooth were (with the exception of the Mac Pro).
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Moosegolfr said 11:10AM on 1-12-2007
Best Buy for Business has iSights for about $150.00
I just picked one up.
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Ralph Fontcuberta said 11:15AM on 1-12-2007
USB2 version with Windows version of iChat bundled; Apple will make further inroads so next year, when iChat mobile becomes part of the iPhone system, they'll be poised to take over the communication world the way they did with iTunes, the iPod, and the iTunes Store.
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Iggyfar said 10:54PM on 1-12-2007
So what can we buy now as an alternative to the iSight? Is there anything out there that matches the quality of the iSight?
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Peter Payne said 11:28AM on 1-14-2007
Yes, I also sold two I had lying around for more than I paid. WA HA HA. How'd dem apples.
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