Are old Smart phones the Next Toy Cameras?

My smartphone is an iPhone 3G, but this can apply to any model smartphone.

I purchased my iPhone 3G in early 2009. Since then, Apple has released the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4. Being my first smartphone, I fell in love with all of the photography apps that were available and that further encouraged me to take more photos with it. Then Chase Jarvis came out with his book, The Best Camera is The One That's With You, a book comprised entirely of photos he made with his iPhone. That further inspired me to take more pics with mine.

As with any Apple product, the new versions of the iPhone offer several improvements over each previous version. The iPhone's camera is no exception. The iPhone 4 offers much higher resolution camera than my old 3G. Not to mention the tap-to-focus feature, a flash and also video. The quality of the photos you can make with the iPhone 4 far surpass anything the 3G can produce. Whenever I look at the pictures posted on Instagram or Best Camera taken with the iPhone 4, it can be discouraging knowing I can't get the same results.

Then I remembered that Chase Jarvis didn't have an iPhone 4 when he came out with his book, and that I really shouldn't let my low-end iPhone camera discourage me from taking as many shots as I can. So what if they won't have the same resolution as a newer iPhone? So what if every image is grainy?

Nobody seemed to mind when the 3G had the best smartphone camera available. Now that it's been surpassed, we don't see nearly as many grainy and sometimes out-of-focus phone pics that were flying around a few years ago. One might even say there's a certain charm & quirkiness to those low megapixel photos. Newer iPhones sport better cameras, and the lower quality images that the 3G makes are becoming a thing of the past.

So, will older model iPhones become the new sought after digital cameras because of how the photos look? This is what happened to certain old film cameras. The type of output from those cameras, although low quality, is sought after now. Old toy cameras like the Holga and Diana are still used by enthusiasts for what they can produce. AND they're nowhere near the quality of todays cameras. 

Will the function of an old outdated iPhone primarily be as a low megapixel "toy camera?"The low megapixel iPhones are slowly disappearing now that newer models are coming out. The quality and resolution of those older models will be remembered as early steps in the development of mobile media devices.

This year I became eligible for an upgrade and was anxiously awaiting the next generation iPhone, which traditionally has been released in June. This year, according to the rumor mill, Apple is waiting until the Fall. So it wouldn't be too smart to upgrade now if there is a new phone on the way. Plus, the new iPhones are rumored to have an 8 megapixel camera (the iPhone 4 has a 5 megapixel camera). Its definitely worth it to wait if I can. I can deal with a few more months of grainy photos from my outdated iPhone.