Hope for Optical Image Stabilization in iPhone 6 Revived with Supplier Rumors

Late last week, shares of InvenSense rose on rumors that the company had won a contract to supply sensors for Apple's upcoming iPhone 6. InvenSense supplies sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopes to major phone manufacturers, but the company has yet to publicly land a deal with Apple. The validity of the rumor seems up for debate, however, as a Needham & Company analyst soon released a note saying that he "did not get the impression" from InvenSense's CEO and CFO that such an agreement was in place. Of course, that information would be under a strict non-disclosure agreement with Apple, severely limiting what InvenSense executives could tell the analyst.

Regardless, The Motley Fool speculates on what InvenSense could bring to Apple. While InvenSense could offer drop-in replacements for the current gyroscope and accelerometer sensors in the iPhone, the company also provides Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) technology for mobile phones:

There's one additional socket that InvenSense could win on the iPhone -- an OIS gyroscope. The burgeoning technology is used to improve smartphone camera's by stabilizing the image using a gyroscope. Samsung neglected to use the technology in the Galaxy S5, but Apple may decide to integrate it into the iPhone 6. If it does, InvenSense is a clear choice.

invensense

Image from Electronics 360

Optical Image Stabilization remains relatively new in the smartphone market, and uses a motion-tracking system to compensate for device shakiness, allowing for sharper photos and video. This video demonstrates the product:


Apple presently offers software-based image stabilization in its iPhone 5s, but has definitely been researching optical image stabilization for the iPhone. Earlier this year, an Apple patent application detailing an OIS system was published. The employee who authored that patent was hired by Apple in 2012 from a company working on the same optical image stabilization technology.

Whether or not Apple is actually planning on incorporating Optical Image Stabilization technology in the next iPhone or not, it's clear the company's engineers are working on it. Historically, Apple has made steady improvements to the iPhone camera with each subsequent generation, and the last several generations have focused on image quality improvements rather than simply increasing megapixel counts.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

jrswizzle Avatar
118 months ago
Sweet! Maybe now we'll get higher quality leak photos! ;):D
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arn Avatar
118 months ago
Maybe someone in the know could chime in, but what does optical image stab offer that software image stab doesn't already?

optical has better quality.

software, you are manipulating the image to stabilize it, after the fact. Whether that's averaging across pictures, or cropping the picture and stablizing a crop of the photo.

optical, the lens is physically tracking at the time.

arn
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleWarMachine Avatar
118 months ago
there is always room for improvement on iPhone cameras :D
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mdelvecchio Avatar
118 months ago
The iPhone will become an all-rounder, if Apple pursues tech innovation such as this.

When it comes with large memory (128+ GB), it can be an entertainment center, phone, near-pro camera, jukebox, and internet/email computer, among other things. It takes the place of more and more devices scattered about the home and office which take space and energy.

"when"? it already does and is those things. tho near-pro camera is the most difficult as there isnt enough space on a thin phone to have the lens depth needed for pro-grade glass.

----------

Why are the colors so drastically different between the two pictures?

different cameras, different sensors, different software.

----------

iPhone 6 is becoming more and more into the phone to get
so glad i skipped the 5S

that is fallacy thinking. you can say the same about the next iterations after the 6....it all depends entirely on where youre at, what you need, and what represents value for you. me, i get immense value out of my 5s, today, and wouldnt want to be running on something older for a year because it would mean losing that value for a year.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TimeSquareDesi Avatar
118 months ago
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-15K9VjggA

This video was recorded on a potato.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
_Refurbished_ Avatar
118 months ago
The iPhone will become an all-rounder, if Apple pursues tech innovation such as this.

When it comes with large memory (128+ GB), it can be an entertainment center, phone, near-pro camera, jukebox, and internet/email computer, among other things. It takes the place of more and more devices scattered about the home and office which take space and energy.

An iPod, a phone, and an internet communicator. These are not three separate devices.

I believe this already happened.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 16

iOS 16.4 Now Available for Your iPhone With These 8 New Features

Friday March 31, 2023 8:55 am PDT by
Following six weeks of beta testing, iOS 16.4 was released to the public this week. The software update includes a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone 8 and newer. To install an iOS update, open the Settings app on the iPhone, tap General → Software Update, and follow the on-screen instructions. Below, we have recapped eight new features and changes added with iOS 16.4,...
CarPlay Phone Call

General Motors to Phase Out Apple CarPlay Starting This Year in EV Transition

Friday March 31, 2023 8:43 am PDT by
General Motors (GM) will phase out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in its vehicles starting this year, shifting to a built-in infotainment system co-developed with Google (via Reuters). GM owns Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC in the United States. It will stop offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto starting with the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer, which goes on sale this summer. The company plans ...
iOS 17 on Phone Feature

Three New iOS Features Coming to Your iPhone Following Apple Music Classical

Thursday March 30, 2023 7:13 am PDT by
With the Apple Music Classical app and an Apple Pay Later early access program now available, the list of previously-announced iOS features that have yet to launch is beginning to shrink. However, there are still a few features we are waiting for. Below, we have recapped three more iOS features that are expected to launch in 2023, including an Apple Card savings account for Daily Cash,...
wwdc 2023

Three Products We Might See at WWDC 2023

Friday March 31, 2023 3:37 pm PDT by
Apple this week announced the official dates for the 34th annual Worldwide Developers Conference, with the annual WWDC keynote event set to take place on Monday, June 5. The keynote is where Apple unveils new versions of iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS, and sometimes, we get hardware announcements. Rumors this year suggest there are at least three new devices that are set to be unveiled in the ...
iPhone 15 Pro Multi Purpose button Mute Switch Feature Green 2

iPhone 15 Pro Solid-State Button Sensitivity Can Be Customized to Cater for Cases and Gloves

Thursday March 30, 2023 11:36 pm PDT by
iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max users will be able to customize the sensitivity of the solid-state buttons on their device, thanks to a new sensitivity toggle in Settings. That's according to details provided by a hitherto reliable source that shared additional details on the MacRumors forums. Earlier this week, the same anonymous tipster revealed that the iPhone 15 Pro models will use...
apple mixed reality headset concept by david lewis and marcus kane

Kuo: Apple Mixed-Reality Headset May Not Appear at WWDC as Mass Production Pushed Back Yet Again

Thursday March 30, 2023 4:50 am PDT by
Apple has again pushed back mass production of its mixed-reality headset and the device may not appear at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said. Apple headset concept by David Lewis and Marcus Kane In a tweet, Kuo explained that Apple "isn't very optimistic" about whether the headset will be able to create an "iPhone moment." As a result,...
iPhone 15 Pro Periscope Mock Feature

Periscope Camera Lens Exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro Max Will Be Supplied by Largan

Thursday March 30, 2023 1:18 am PDT by
The periscope camera lens that will be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be solely supplied by Largan, according to the 相機鏡頭中獲利-apple-camera-lens-suppliers-face-two-risks-high-53db8da990b2">latest no by Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Rumors about the iPhone getting a periscope lens have been circulating since early 2020, when Kuo first mentioned the possibility. The analyst...