I’m still on the iPhone X, and the latest models just don’t have any features I’m excited about. I was thinking about what would make a difference to me and I think a really cool feature that would make me upgrade is thermal imaging.
Thermal cameras are expensive and the resolution and frame rate is generally rubbish because they are a niche item, but they are so useful. I’ve used them for everything from fixing heating systems, cars, and electronics to simply checking if my dog is still in the garden in the dark, or working out where ‘that draft’ is coming from.
Thermal imaging needs to be brought into the mainstream for price reduction and development, that integration to the next generation iPhone can deliver.
Am I just a weirdo, or would you like a thermal camera on the iPhone?
I’ve had an add-on camera which annoyingly would need an additional adapter if I upgraded from Lightening to USB-C. A $200 device would be maybe $10 when integrated into a phone for the additional IR sensor and possibly a new lens (they already have three, why not one more). At the scale Apple would purchase the sensors it may even be lower. In the 90s Sony added it to one of their video cameras but it was short lived as their image integration accidentally allowed you to see through clothes a bit too well. If they started with a standard low res like 160x120, they could improve gradually over time if the feature was used.
The bom cost of the sensors is likely still well over $10 - the addon dongles are effectively just a sensor,shell, and USB connector and they're still fairly pricey.
The Sony video cameras you reference did not have thermal imaging, they had the ability to show (near) IR images. Thermal IR uses way different technology.
It’s still just an IR sensor if you look at the “FLIR Lepton 2.5” I can buy it on Mouser for $100, and that’s a top end brand at retail price.
Apple will be able to buy that sensor at a fraction of the cost if they decided to put it in 100million phones.
In all probability they would licence the tech and have Foxconn/Sony build the modules at scale along with their other cameras.
Not trying to be contrary, but when you make 100 million of something the price goes down really quickly.