If you thought all iPhones had cameras, think again – a strange device with no camera was gifted to one nameless user for a very strange reason, and it has left people baffled
Could you live without a smartphone camera?
With apps like Instagram and TikTok now a big part of our daily lives, many of us are constantly taking snaps and sharing videos of ourselves online. But it seems one man doesn’t have the same privilege after he claimed he was gifted a camera-less iPhone for a very surprising reason.
A photograph of this strange device has been shared online, with the nameless user showing off its smooth black back with no camera in sight. “A camera-less iPhone issued to my buddy that works at a nuclear plant,” they wrote anonymously to Reddit. “No cameras allowed.”
Unsurprisingly, this soon racked up countless comments on the platform, with many users in disbelief over the odd-looking phone. One wrote: “It looks like a giant iPod,” as others chimed in: “IMAGINE your phone not wobbling at a table,” and: “We need to make these for teenagers.”
However, other nuclear plant employees suggested this device was unusual as they were allowed normal iPhones in their own workplaces. One said: “I worked in a nuclear power plant – had a phone with a camera. Everyone had a phone with a camera.”
Another also added: “That’s weird, I work at a nuclear plant and there are no restrictions on photos other than physical security information.”
Albeit bizarre, it seems this isn’t the first time institutions have used camera-less phones for the sake of security. In 2012, Blackberry launched a camera-less ‘Curve 9360’ for Singapore’s military service, according to Tech In Asia.
The device was specifically designed to prevent sensitive information from being leaked in images or videos, while allowing use of BBM and other social media apps.
Two years ago, another Redditor found another camera-less iPhone for sale in a shop, even though it would appear Apple doesn’t publicly sell devices that look like this.
So, where do these come from? Turns out, Singaporean firm NonCam is among the companies which sell camera-less devices and conversion kits. It ships these products all across the world and also serves security organisations.
On its site, a spokesperson explains: “Just like you, we are used to be a bunch of people who work in places where we can’t use our iPhones. We were missing out on EVERYTHING – from WhatsApp, to Facebook and the other several millions of apps out there.
“One fine day – one of us decided that we had enough of this nonsense, and called up every factory in China we knew that produced iPhone 4 parts.”
The Mirror has approached Apple for comment.
