I get the outrage about the 720p camera based on the existence of better camers on other computers and the 720p has been in MacBooks forever. That said, apps such as Zoom and Meet default to 360p I believe (I'm guessing for reasons of processing power, which I guess the M1 would presumably handle anyway, and also internet bandwidth) so would a higher res webcam add much value anyway beyond being able to see yourself a little more clearly? Maybe I'm missing something here...
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Regarding the outrage over the 720p camera
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It would allow for 1080p FaceTime, but you're right, Zoom and others do not seem to support 1080p.
Is this true? I did some research about FaceTime recently to try to stream some flying gameplay to my Dad (a bored pilot) over it, and everything I found seems to point to FaceTime maxing at 720p. I use an external capture card that pretends to be a camera, and 720p seems to be the most I can feed (and it's heavily compressed).
I believe it is true. Not a lot of devices support it, though. Just the new iPhones and the 27" iMac. Or maybe most iPhones support it on WiFi, but you need an iPhone 12 series to get 1080p over cellular since it requires 5G. I'm still looking into it.
Edit: Yes - iOS 14 brought in 1080p FaceTime support.
"Better video quality - FaceTime in iOS 14 provides better video quality with up to 1080p resolution on supported devices." - https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/ios-14/
Makes no sense why a phone can have a 4K camera on front but a laptop has the same 720P camera for like ten years. Not everyone wants to use their front camera solely for video calls. There is also the use case of using it to record a YouTube video or whatever else you have in mind.
For someone that appreciates the enhancement to my appearance with a low-resolution camera and laments every time I get a new iPhone and look at my face in the front-facing camera, I am just fine with 720p.
Yes, many should be warned this may be a "be careful what you wish for" type of situation.
Thanks! I will be testing this with my new M1 Air and an external 1080p FaceTime camera. If this works it will be AWESOME for my Dad! I'll be sure to report back. Thanks!
Because the phone is thicker than the display lid of most notebooks. A few years ago Dell experimented with putting the camera on the bottom case, but consumers evidently didn’t like it there since they stopped doing that. Perhaps a larger camera could be accommodated with a camera bump, but then there would likely need to be a notch on the case so that the lid can close properly.
I saw a video comparing the 480p camera on a 2010 MacBook Pro and it looked better in every situation ... so something is very wrong here.
I think that it's just an outdated spec. Fact is, that 720p video conferencing is fine, but at a time when when our mobiles have better cameras it seems odd that the camera on a mobile or iPad looks better. Also - even though most VC apps won't use the 1080p, the video coming from them still looks sharper when downsized.
At this point, I don't know why Apple just doesn't put one in. I can only speculate that once the Intel-->AS transition is done and they have the bandwidth to turn their attention to updating the hardware as well, they will engineer a new chassis that can 'fit' a better webcam.
Until then this shouldn't be a dealbreaker for anyone. Just use your cell phone or other device with a better camera...
At this point, I don't know why Apple just doesn't put one in. I can only speculate that once the Intel-->AS transition is done and they have the bandwidth to turn their attention to updating the hardware as well, they will engineer a new chassis that can 'fit' a better webcam.
Until then this shouldn't be a dealbreaker for anyone. Just use your cell phone or other device with a better camera...
Let's be clear, the improvements for FaceTime in iOS 14 are moving to 1080p not 2160p (4K)
Wish apple would just allow you to plug in your smartphone and use it was a webcam if the camera app is opened. I know there are 3rd party work arounds but they abit laggy for me, unless this changes with the M1.
I mean what are you gonna use an integrated laptop camera if not for a video call; where nobody actually cares about the quality of the picture (it could be 360p or there could be no picture at all it wouldn't change a thing). If you were planning on streaming for example there are better tools for this.
About half of the cameras of laptops used in the field have their camera covered up with stickers and tape out here due to the federal police out here warning people about hackers activating the cameras every so often.
And yes, the users do tape off the cameras in their macs too, even if the warning was aimed at wintendo machines.
It's bad when you need to hand the machine to a next user and can't get the screen clean of the glue without damaging the coating due to the stickers being on there for a long time and having far too sticky glue.
And yes, the users do tape off the cameras in their macs too, even if the warning was aimed at wintendo machines.
It's bad when you need to hand the machine to a next user and can't get the screen clean of the glue without damaging the coating due to the stickers being on there for a long time and having far too sticky glue.
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I’m outraged to find out that my work Lenovo on which I’ve been running my business life is only 720p after I checked. It was fine, but now that I know it isn’t. /s
Zoom uses 720p or 1080p:
Group HD
Note: As our world comes together to slow the spread of COVID-19 and stays connected through Zoom globally, we are working to quickly scale our bandwidth during this unprecedented demand. For the t...support.zoom.us
Prerequisites
For Standard HD (720p)
- Pro, Business or Enterprise account
- Viewing in Full Screen on Desktop client
For Full HD (1080p)
- Business, Education or Enterprise account
- Must be Enabled by Zoom Support
- i7 Quad Core (physical core) CPU or higher
- Zoom Desktop Client for Windows Version 4.3.46185.0120 or later
- Zoom Desktop Client for Mac Version 4.3.53325.0120 or later
Yes... anyone using Zoom in any capacity outside of for fun is using a Pro or higher account
I think it makes tremendous sense. The phone has more space for a camera than the lid of a notebook.
Actually, there are many folks in the non-profit sector that use the free version for work and some of us who don’t use it on full screen mode (I usually have multiple other windows open)
Besides, you’re still talking 720p (for those who meet those requirements) unless you meet additional requirements and specifically request Zoom to enable 1080p
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It's a better sensor and captures more detail. I doubt that anyone is bored enough to test something like this.
But I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that those benefits translate when downscaled to 720p