A future Apple TV could get a FaceTime camera – but should it? [Poll]

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has suggested that Apple is considering launch an Apple TV with a built-in FaceTime camera.

But does that idea actually make sense, compared to plugging in a separate camera, or using your iPhone as a camera … ?

Here’s what Gurman had to day in this weekend’s Power On newsletter.

Then there’s the smart home segment, where Apple still has grand ambitions. It has discussed automating household functions and offering a revamped Apple TV set-top box with a built-in camera for FaceTime videoconferencing and gesture-based controls. And the technology will all work seamlessly with both the iPhone and Vision Pro.

The idea does make superficial sense. You can use an Apple TV to make FaceTime calls, and most TVs don’t yet have their own cameras, so why not build the camera into the box itself?

But it got me wondering how many Apple TV boxes are actually somewhere a camera could even be used, let alone be practical?

I know a lot of people hide the box away, either behind the TV itself, or in a TV cabinet drawer. For others, it might be beneath the TV, where a ‘nose cam’ view would be less than flattering!

Other units may be mounted in all kinds of orientations – so which side would Apple even put a camera?

And if Apple did decide, for example, to mount it on what it decided was the ‘front’ side of the device, would you be willing to reposition and mount your Apple TV to match this? Or would you rather use an external camera, or iPhone?

Please take our poll, and share your thoughts in the comments.