Regarding the outrage over the 720p camera

[Joelist]

Rene Ritchie did use testing on the camera, and it looks remarkably better than on other MBPs and Airs.

 

[CalMin]

But I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that those benefits translate when downscaled to 720p

Sure. I don't have any data to back that up. Just what I've noticed.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

I think that it's just an outdated spec.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...

If they went “iPad Pro” with the MacBook Air, then there ya go 🙂 Just remove the camera cluster and set it up so you can buy they keyboard you prefer. Either the iPad Pro one that assumes a heavier top OR one that works more like a laptop (but it would have to be weighted...)

Are there enough folks that want a better camera that would be willing to put up with a thicker heavier laptop, though? OR a bump?

 

[nStyle]

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.

Yeah I suspect that's the main reason as well. I just don't see a reason why it can't be even slightly better. It just hasn't changed.

 

[nStyle]

I think it makes tremendous sense. The phone has more space for a camera than the lid of a notebook.

Just because it "makes sense" doesn't make it fact. Not saying you're wrong, just that I can't honestly believe 720P is the hard limit after all these years. Either way I don't care personally, it's just strange.

 

[nStyle]

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.

You're saying the 2010 MBP had better quality?

 

[boss.king]

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...

I don’t think anyone’s expecting a 4K camera to rival the iPhone, but whenever I’m on a video call I can instantly tell who’s using a Mac because the picture quality is noticeably worse than all the rest. I’m sure the extra processing they’ve added might help, but not as much as just putting in a better camera would.

 

[Jacobi]

For what it's worth, I bought an M1 MBA and the camera is MUCH better looking than on the early 2020 MBA. I was really skeptical that whatever image-processing upgrade they made would do anything, but it DID make a significant difference after all.

 

[Bandaman]

You're saying the 2010 MBP had better quality?

Yes.

 

[Rogifan]

Which comparable Windows laptops have better cameras?