The iPhone 4

Over the weekend, the technology blogs Engadget and Gizmodo brought the world pictures of a prototype for Apple's next iPhone, presumably to be named the iPhone 4.

More than a few commentators have focused on what this leak says about Apple's legendary security, but I'd like to take a moment to focus on perhaps the most obvious physical upgrade that the prototype phone received since the iPhone 3GS: a front-facing camera.  The obvious use for this camera, pointed out by Gizmodo in its dissection of the device, is for video chat.

I think the obvious question is worth asking: is it useful to have video chat capabilities on a mobile phone?

I'm a big believer in the iPhone; I've owned two.  The hardware and software features of the iPhone 3GS have made it an indispensable device for me.  But I can't ever see using my iPhone to video chat.

The first, and possibly most obvious, reason for this is that the ability to process two lines of streaming video over existing cellular data networks is basically non-existant.  Even over 3G, my iPhone can take a little while to load a webpage – how can I expect it to stream anything approaching useable video?  Let alone what a bunch of people trying to video chat will do to AT&T's already-overloaded 3G network in metropolitan areas.

But more importantly, I simply don't think video chat is congruent to the purpose of a mobile phone.  The point of cellular phones is that they free you to be mobile, to talk and walk, to be disengaged from the process of a phone call.  A video chat ends all that: you need to be stationary, you need to be focused on the phone.

Sure, there are times when you want to video chat, there are times when you can be stationary and want to see what's going on at the other end of the line.  But at that point, you can probably open up your laptop.  I think video chat functionality would make a lot of sense on the iPad, which to use means to focus on exclusively.  I don't think it will prove to be a useful feature on the iPhone.

— C.

This is Apple's Next iPhone (Gizmodo)