Was the iPod nano Camera Ever Useful?

When I think about the iPod nano, I think of it being that tall and slender iPod one shoves into an armband before jamming out to a Nike + tune on their thirty minute run. When I think about the iPod nano, I think of the FM radio and iTunes tagging capabilities. I think of the genius playlists and its subtle curves. Though the iPod nano does have a camera, it never struck me as something I’d want to have for that device.

If Apple does release a new iPod nano tomorrow that’s reminiscent of the 2nd gen Shuffle (with a touchscreen), I cannot not think that the video camera in the iPod nano was an attempt to tithe us over for a proper camera in the iPod touch. That’s exactly what it was. I can’t help but ask if it was nothing more than a gimmick to attract younger users into their aging product line.

The camera itself wasn’t that great, but it was usable. It was just a VGA drop-in that was oddly controllable thanks to weird camera placement (where my thumb would go) and the scroll wheel. With iMovie, I could reduce most of the jitter if there was any. Still, I wouldn’t want to record a party or any major event with an iPod nano if I didn’t have to. It just always felt… silly. It felt legitimately unnecessary. “Why?” I ask.

I assume that with a new iPod nano, Apple will axe its camera in place of a new touchscreen interface that may incorporate “nano” apps or something relatively new in the iOS world - especially since it’s so small. Honestly, I don’t know what to expect other than what I’ve seen from an Apple Insider mockup and the dozen or so cases scattered about the Internet. But it should be obvious that the iPod touch will become the new iPhone in terms of gaining features I and many (many) others have wanted for ages.

I’m not going to miss the iPod nano’s camera if it does go. And I’m even more skeptical about attaching a clip to a once remote-shaped device. If this is goodbye, I will admit it was certainly an interesting experiment. But you know me, I have to ask, “What did you guys think of the iPod nano’s camera, and do you expect to see it at tomorrow’s launch?” Let us know us know in the comments below.