A carrier-modified version of the Apple iPhone 4 without its camera modules has gone on sale in Singapore, where strict military guidelines forbid the presence of camera phones on bases.
The camera is one of the most celebrated features of the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S, earning first place on Flickr’s “most used camera” chart, and spawning many iPhone-only photography apps such as Instagram and Hipstamatic.
While the vast majority of buyers welcome the camera on the iPhone, there’s a select few who don’t — or indeed, can’t — buy an iPhone precisely because of the presence of a camera.
One such group is anyone working for Singapore’s Defence Ministry MINDEF, who recently added a directive that the only smartphones that could be used by servicemen were those with the camera modules removed. Not only that, but they would have to produce a certificate proving the work had been done by a local carrier.
Instead of being able to attempt the work themselves, or entrust it to a specialist, this has ensured personnel will be looking to buy smartphones without a camera, and as it’s estimated that half of all smartphone owners in Singapore have iPhones, it’s a gap in the market waiting to be filled.
Local carrier M1 seems to be the first to offer such a service, with both the iPhone 4 and 4S being made available with a camera-removal service option. For S$49 the camera unit is spirited away, along with the warranty too, as this is not an official Apple modification.
A third-party warranty can be added for an extra S$321, but once the cameras — both front and rear — have been taken out, there’s no going back, as the units cannot be reinstalled. The camera-less iPhones are not only aimed at those working for MINDEF, but for those who must complete their two-years of mandatory national service too.
It sounds like a good money-spinner, but how will Apple respond to this carrier-approved mangling of their precious phone?
