Apple Begins Selling Belkin Mount for Using an iPhone as a Mac's Webcam

I will get one if I don't upgrade my 3rd Gen iPad Pro because the camera in my 14 Pro Max is far better than the camera in the iPad. However, isn't the camera in the 14 Pro Max identical to the camera in the new iPad Pro?

No, not even close. The iPad Pro M1/M2 has used the same camera since 2018. It's same sensor as iPhone 8, which is why iPad Pro doesn't have Night Mode even though it has so much computational power.
 
No, not even close. The iPad Pro M1/M2 has used the same camera since 2018. It's same sensor as iPhone 8, which is why iPad Pro doesn't have Night Mode even though it has so much computational power.
That's a shame. A Pro model iPad should have the best camera Apple has.
 
I get the idea, and why some may want this. But I've found that the camera on the M1 Pro is fine for meetings, etc. It's video meeting. I don't need 4K quality to watch someone read a PowerPoint during a call.
 
I'm afraid it's going to scratch my Macbook Pro. Too afraid to use it no matter what materials Belkin Mount is using.
Came here to say this. I know people probably won't close the laptop with this on, but Apple is so gung-ho in their documentation about being anti webcam covers or anything on the screen/keyboard (at least when closing the computer). So it's strange to me that they hyped up this regressive, potentially damaging product.

And let's not forget the M1 screens allegedly cracking easily on their own or with very little pressure applied such as during angle adjustments or backpack travel. I'm not attaching an almost-one-pound phone to a non-tempered, very fragile glass screen, it's asking for trouble
 
Why limit this to macOS? It seems like an ideal thing to include with tvOS too. Mount for TV working with AppleTV would deliver the popular want of FaceTime on the biggest screen in the house.
Just airplay it to your tv, so that apple can sell 3 devices to you.
 
Where are the apple apologists? This is so janky.

Steve Jobs would have NEVER allowed this!
We already do this using 3rd party software for broadcasting Zoom Yoga classes. It’s a massive improvement over the woeful camera in my 2018 MacBook Pro.
Don’t like it, don’t use it, but many people are happy with this new addition from Apple.
 
I also use the Brio 4K, I think the quality is 'decent' but still rather noisy. The nice thing is that my Brio is semi-permanently mounted. I'm not sure how much of a pain it will be to messing around taking the iPhone on/off a fixed monitor.

I'm intrigued by the Continuity camera concept, but that mount doesn't look like it will fit on top of the Apple Studio Display.

Maybe this is better suited for mostly-MacBook users on-the-go that want a nicer webcam, then they put the phone back in their pocket when done? I'd want the quality and macOS convenience in something that was essentially permanently mounted on a monitor.
Belkin also designed a mount for external displays like the Studio Display. It seems like it is not ready to commercialize yet, but it was previewed at WWDC
 
Buy something like this, if you are using a skin or case on your mac, stick it there and attach your iPhone with Magsafe (In portrait position). At least you can minimise risk of closing the screen with belkins holder and damaging display.

I bought a pair like these magnets almost 2 years ago and modified my Sony QX100 camera to mount on my 12PM with magsafe.
 
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macOS Ventura has a new Continuity Camera feature that allows an iPhone to be used as a Mac's webcam. Ahead of the public release of macOS Ventura next week, Apple has started selling Belkin's new iPhone mount designed for use with Continuity Camera.

continuity-camera.jpg

Priced at $29.95 on Apple's online store, the mount attaches to the iPhone with MagSafe and can then be affixed to the top lid of a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro for use with Continuity Camera. When not connected to a Mac, the mount doubles as a kickstand for the iPhone with a built-in ring for easy gripping, similar to PopSockets.

Available in black or white, the mount attaches to a Mac with no special tools required and allows the iPhone to be used in portrait or landscape orientations. The mount can be purchased from Apple's online store and at select Apple retail stores worldwide.

Belkin says a version of the mount for Mac desktops and Apple displays will be coming soon.

Article Link: Apple Begins Selling Belkin Mount for Using an iPhone as a Mac's Webcam
Who will be the first to use Super glue......
 
Why limit this to macOS? It seems like an ideal thing to include with tvOS too. Mount for TV working with AppleTV would deliver the popular want of FaceTime on the biggest screen in the house.
In the interim, you could always run this on your Mac while you screen share with an AppleTV.
 
Yes, but that option exists now with the right combination of equipment: Mac or iDevice with a way to export the other end of the conversation to HDMI to display it on the big screen. Prop Mac or iDevice camera up in front of the TV screen so they can see your end of the conversation. Effectively the Mac or iDevice are like a TV notch, probably at the bottom of the screen, propped up against the TV screen. I've played around with this a bit and it can work but it's not as quick & easy.

This idea is simpler:
  • leave one of these Belkin or similar clips on the TV full time
  • insert phone and start the FaceTime process
  • phone displays what the camera sees (you and yours)
  • phone airplays the other party to AppleTV which then display them on your TV
The core concept of this want shows most when people imagine a Frankenstein device, which is usually a combo HomePod soundbar + AppleTV + FaceTime camera + (sometimes) wifi router or mesh extender. That one would demand placement of the Frankenstein above or below the TV to get the camera in the right spot for FaceTime. Not everyone wants/needs all of those other parts, nor wants them placed ONLY above or below the TV.

Instead of paying up big for Frankenstein, this concept with a little software to make AppleTV act as (other party) receiver should deliver a great FaceTime experience for both parties on the biggest screen in the home using what may be the best camera in the home. The bulk of the software already exists. Just adapt it to sling to AppleTV instead of Mac.

This seems like an "easy" one for Apple to deliver. Hopefully they will. It would add a unique, enjoyable and EXCLUSIVE benefit to AppleTV.
 
Why not use a cheap tripod instead? It's way more flexible.

Would this work?
It's more flexible but depending on your setup and what you're trying to achieve, it may not work as well. If you're just trying to achieve the "casual call with a friend" or "zoom in for a meeting" level of quality, anything will be fine (and you're probably best off using whatever camera came on your laptop). If you're teaching or doing a presentation where everything needs to look professional and you want to be making eye contact with your audience, you'll want the camera as close to your screen as possible. In the standard tripod situation, because of the legs, you may have to position the camera further back, and positioning further back means you have to place it higher so that you don't get the back of the laptop in the video. This increases the distance from the screen, so every time you look at the screen it's really obvious. So someone asks a question, you look down to see them, and then you have to answer looking directly at the camera - it's way easier to flick your eyes between the two when they're close.

Basically, it won't matter for most people, and frankly most people probably don't need to use their phone as a webcam. But for the handful of people with the right use case, this is going to be super useful.
 
I've got a magsafe popsocket on the back of my phone so I've been using continuity for a while now. It has honestly changed the game. I went on omegle with my friends once and most people though we were twitch streamers due to the camera quality lol
 


macOS Ventura has a new Continuity Camera feature that allows an iPhone to be used as a Mac's webcam. Ahead of the public release of macOS Ventura next week, Apple has started selling Belkin's new iPhone mount designed for use with Continuity Camera.

continuity-camera.jpg

Priced at $29.95 on Apple's online store, the mount attaches to the iPhone with MagSafe and can then be affixed to the top lid of a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro for use with Continuity Camera. When not connected to a Mac, the mount doubles as a kickstand for the iPhone with a built-in ring for easy gripping, similar to PopSockets.

Available in black or white, the mount attaches to a Mac with no special tools required and allows the iPhone to be used in portrait or landscape orientations. The mount can be purchased from Apple's online store and at select Apple retail stores worldwide.

Belkin says a version of the mount for Mac desktops and Apple displays will be coming soon.

Article Link: Apple Begins Selling Belkin Mount for Using an iPhone as a Mac's Webcam
Are they also selling an attachment with an angled mirror that reflects to the camera on the new M2 iPad Pro 12.9 so that I can look straight at the screen when video conferencing in landscape mode??
 
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