Camera-less iPhone 4S Goes On Sale In Singapore

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It was a whopping five days ago when our own Chris Smith brought word of a new kind of iPhone 4S that was to be sold without its front or rear facing cameras in a bid to satisfy security requirements for the Singapore military. And now, the word has proven abundantly true as cell phone provider M1 has brought out an iPhone 4S–not to mention an iPhone 4–that is missing all its cameras for use with military officials.

Basically, the phones in question offer up pretty much everything that an iPhone 4S or an iPhone 4 would offer, only with the key distinction that the cameras have been removed. This is a rather small adaptation, but in the Singapore military, an all too necessary one as they’re forbidden from having phones with cameras on them as they may be used to take pictures of sensitive activities. The ban has actually been in place since 2007, when pictures of training exercises were taken and clandestinely posted online.

The removal of the cameras thus satisfies Singapore military requirements, and costs slightly more than a regular phone (roughly the equivalent of $38 more), and there’s no word as yet on what kind of warranty comes into play as a result of this (some suggest that the modifications may void Apple’s warranty, but it’s easy enough to wonder if M1 would step in with its own in substitute), but for the Singapore military, it’s likely good enough.

Several places around the world, including high-security areas like government agencies and others, forbid the use of phones with cameras on their property, so a camera-free iPhone isn’t a bad idea in the least, though chances are users who need removed cameras make up such a comparatively small portion of the total market that it may not be worth the time.

But what do you guys think here? Anyone wish they could get a phone without a camera for work use? Or do you think the numbers are so small that it’s just plain old not worth bothering with? No matter what you think, head on down to the comments section and fill us in!