Almost two weeks ago we posted an article stating that there was a possible new iPod Touch that had a camera in it. This time the rumor has evolved. Sources at Wired are stating that Apple is planning on releasing the new iPod Touch with not just a camera but also a microphone. If Apple were to do this, it would make the iPod Touch, essentially, a WiFi enabled phone considering that it already has built in speakers. All you would need would be an application such as Fring available in the App Store.

Quote (Wired):

Rumors have swirled about Apple readying a new version of the iPod Touch with a camera and microphone, which, combined with a Skype account, would pretty much obviate the need for a home phone line once and for all.

A well-connected source tells us those rumors are on the money, and that Apple’s factories in China are already manufacturing iPod Touch models with integrated cameras and microphones. An Apple spokesman declined to comment when reached by phone.

If iPod Touches with cameras and microphones go on sale “in two to three months,” as our source expects them to (and which corresponds with our expected timeframe), they will transform the entertainment-oriented iPod Touch line into a voice communications tool wherever WiFi is available.

In addition to these voice-over-IP capabilities, which should have telephone providers quaking in their boots, the microphone (and camera) would enable the iPod Touch to understand voice commands, capture video and images, and work with a wider variety of programs in the App Store.

(Plus, as some Wired commenters have suggested, one could combine a microphone-equipped iPod Touch with the Verizon MiFi personal hotspot creator to enable — at long last — the iPhone experience on Verizon’s network.)