16GB of RAM, 720p camera, seriously?

[Serban55]

Apple needs to redesign the macbooks if you want 1080p in that lid...on an 1mm thickness you cant
Remember 1080p in the imac ..but there we have around 5mm thickness
16 gb ram and 2 ports are the limit of M1
So wait for an 2xM1 mac or m2 for more

 

[brianmowrey]

That’s a bit naive thinking Apple is not capable to built in something better than a 720p camera in a laptop in 2020. (How the competitors do better then?)

Apple is in a lot of ways just a very ignorant and bullheaded company which tries to get a kind of world domination for their technology no matter what.
A other good example is their Face ID. The whole world is suffering with masks all days and Apple doesn’t adapt to that at all as if the Apple employees live in a bubble outside of Corona. releasing the iPhone 12 again with no other way than Face Id or typing a 6 digit code which is for many workers with masks very uncomfortable or even impossible.

I agree with your dish on stupid Face ID and Apple's obstinancy.

But cameras can't overcome size limits. MBPs won't have better cameras until they have a redesigned display.

If Apple put a 1080p or 4k sensor into the same tiny sliver of display, it would produce the same bad quality image, just with tons of redundant data. Your Logi is bigger, that's why it's better.

Meanwhile the image touchup in M1 is probably all that was missing to bring the Facetime camera up to the low bar of the XPS.

If anyone could make a good camera flat, they would have done it on a phone already.

 

[CheesePuff]

I don't know I'd say this is a pretty decent improvement https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/iPhone-Comp-Template.jpg

 

[phl92]

Looks indeed much better in case the lighting was exact the same in both pictures !

 

[brianmowrey]

Trying to envision a solution to the camera quality ceiling that would fit Apple's strategy, which rules out making the MBP upper lid bigger (though I still don't think any camera that will always be in a bad location compared to its subject ought to be "good" at all), I imagine it would come in the form of Air Camera.

It will be a little aluminum box that magnetically snaps to the top of the display, but can be operated remotely as well. Draws power from metal connection just like magsafe. Everyone will lose it all the time but that won't stop Apple. What stops them is no one wants to touch tiny metal boxes, it's bad tactile UX; they probably don't want to break up the lower lid form factor anywhere to allow storage; there isn't enough to distinguish this solution from "oh, it's just an Apple webcam then?"; and very few users seem to actually care about laptop camera quality (pro video streamers use real cameras anyway).

 

[Conutz]

Never mind that Apple just handed Intel and AMD their asses as a new entrant to the CPU game. This new architecture is seriously game-changing in the computer market. Apple has added hours of battery life, and has migrated an entire OS to the new platform, etc., etc... They have also addressed a major gripe everyone had with Apple notebooks: heat (read Intel) - while adding significant performance. But boohoo my camera is only 720p I mean, really?! We have all seen what Apple can do with cameras on the iPhone. Do you seriously think that Apple could not improve the camera if it was that important to the product line at this point in time?

Please have a look at the AppleInsider article about M1 benchmarks. You will then see what the true point of these updates is.

 

[snowboarder]

The problem is a camera is very important today, when tons of people have to use it all the time. If this is my everyday computer, that silly little camera might be more important that a few second advantage in opening of an app. We all admire M1 etc. It's not about that. It's silly to release a great new laptop and save 5c on an important feature. The same about 2 ports only. If I have to use an extra USB camera, one port is taken. It is also very hard to go back to be limited and forced to plug it on one side only when we already learned how convenient it is to be able to plug it from both sides. Small things, but make a great laptop much weaker as an option.

 

[CheesePuff]

The problem is a camera is very important today, when tons of people have to use it all the time. If this is my everyday computer, that silly little camera might be more important that a few second advantage in opening of an app. We all admire M1 etc. It's not about that. It's silly to release a great new laptop and save 5c on an important feature. The same about 2 ports only. If I have to use an extra USB camera, one port is taken. It is also very hard to go back to be limited and forced to plug it on one side only when we already learned how convenient it is to be able to plug it from both sides. Small things, but make a great laptop much weaker as an option.

I never got this argument.. I work in software development in a company of > 200 employees, nearly all on some version of a MacBook Air or Pro from the past 3 years, all of us on Zoom video calls all day, and never once did anyone complain or make mention of poor video quality.

 

[Conutz]

The problem is a camera is very important today, when tons of people have to use it all the time. If this is my everyday computer, that silly little camera might be more important that a few second advantage in opening of an app. We all admire M1 etc. It's not about that. It's silly to release a great new laptop and save 5c on an important feature. The same about 2 ports only. If I have to use an extra USB camera, one port is taken. It is also very hard to go back to be limited and forced to plug it on one side only when we already learned how convenient it is to be able to plug it from both sides. Small things, but make a great laptop much weaker as an option.

I’m going to guess that you’re part of a small percentage of people that value a camera over performance. I understand that it’s disappointing if you value that aspect, but it’s just not a major feature for most.

Those two ports support USB 4, which is a first, and there are more expensive (non-M1) models with additional ports. These machines are targeted at users that budget-conscious.