I've owned an iPad for most of the time they existed. I bought the very first one. And I've on-and-off used iPads for work - Email, accounting, all kinds of serious stuff when I went to visit my accountant of tax advisor. Privately I've used iPads for gaming, movies and writing. I currently own an iPad Air M3 with one of those foldy-bendy-bendy keyboard things from Belkin.

Never in my 15 (ish) years of owning iPads, NEVER, have I had any need for the camera on it. I did try it to see if it were any good, maybe 10 years ago. I noticed the Camera app is nearly identical to the iPhone camera app. Maybe I did one Facetime call with it when Facetime was new and hip and a curious addition. But promptly forgot about it until I set out to sell my previous iPad Air yesterday.

"oh yea, it has a camera, I wonder if it works." I had to check if it did for the Facebook Market listing. And that literally is the only time in the 5 years I've owned this iPad that the camera was 'used'.

When I still lived in the Netherlands, maybe in 2011 or something, I saw a asian couple once. They were holding their iPad up in the air on a selfiestick to take a, I guess, wide angled picture of them and the Amsterdam train station. It looked ridiculous. And I only remember it because it looked so goofy. More recently, I see people sometimes here in Mexico toting an iPad for a camera. One time in a zoo, taking pictures of birds. And I only remember that because it looked stupid. How crap does their phone have to be to consider the iPad a viable alternative.

I'm not into video calls, I don't do Face ID on the thing. I never share an imprompty selfie on Telegram or anywhere. So for me the iPad camera might as well not exist. And I think I'm not the only one. I could lie it flat on the table without it's cover. The covers we buy would actually cover the entire back and not have this ugly cutout that collects dust. And considering that, I think Apple should make the camera optional. Just like we have a Cellular option for iPad. Or even... Make it an iPad Pro feature or something. And yes, the iPads without a camera should become a little cheaper.

Just a thought.