Apple hires Nokia camera expert; expect better iPhone photos

By Salvador Rodriguez

Apple hires camera expert away from Nokia; expect an improved iPhone camera in the future

Nokia's Lumia camera expert is heading to Apple

New patent application details Apple's 'super-resolution image' technology

Reports are saying Apple may acquire Beats Electronics, but in the meantime the Cupertino, Calif., giant has for sure landed another figure in tech: Nokia's former camera expert.

Apple has hired Ari Partinen, who previously was senior engineer on Nokia's Lumia team. Partinen announced move via Twitter.

"Today will be my last day working for the amazing #Lumia family. In June I will start a new chapter in Cupertino, California. Much love!" Partinen tweeted, followed by a second tweet that said, "And it is the company you are thinking assuming you are thinking Apple."

Partinen appears to have played a key role in the development of Nokia's PureView smartphone camera technology.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Partinen is Nokia's "Lumia Photography Lead" and has been working on cameras with Nokia since 2007. 9to5Mac reports that Partinen is credited as an author on several documents about Nokia's smartphone photography technology.

Nokia, which was recently acquired by Microsoft, has struggled to get a foothold in the smartphone market, but in recent years the company has always rolled out devices with impressive cameras. Most notably, last year Nokia released the Lumia 1020, a smartphone that features a 41-megapixel camera capable of capturing ultra-high-resolution pictures.

Apple has not commented on Partinen's hiring, so it is unclear what role he will play. But in all likelihood, Partinen will work on the iPhone and iPad's cameras, which should mean improved photography for Apple users.

However, customers should not expect Partinen's influence to show up on the next iPhone. The iPhone 6, as it is commonly referred to, is expected to be released this fall, and Apple is reportedly to begin production of the device this month.

But Apple is actively trying to improve the cameras on its devices. This week the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a patent application that says Apple is developing a "system and method for creating a super-resolution image using an image capturing device."

It is unclear whether the super-resolution image technology will make it into the next iPhone.