651–660 of 990 posts
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Unless the LED somehow gets disabled, stops working, or something like it. It's not like the tape is ineffective, so why does Apple care if people use it?
Because it can damage the laptop?
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If Apple makes such high-end stuff, and is marketing on privacy, why can't they spring for hardware switches? Pine64 does, and they're by no means high-end. Not by price, anyway.
I don't think the price of a hardware switch would be a concern for Apple, but the size would. A hardware switch would take up space. Apple broke their keyboards to shave a couple millimeters of thickness off their laptops.
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Because they designed it poorly without understanding end users?
A minority of end users cares enough to actually put tape over their webcam.
When you think about it, it makes sense. People frequently bring their computer into private spaces. Where any given person draws that line will vary, depending upon their expectations of privacy. (One of the criticism I've heard of the recent shift to online schooling is the use of video conferencing, because some kids don't want to effectively invite all of their classmates into their home. This is hardly what I would consider a paranoid demographic and is a situation where you have a considerable amount of control over what people see and when.) Is it really that strange to suppose that some people will want to cover up their camera?
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Indeed, I'm a little surprised Apple didn't follow the Thinkpad approach of simply having a sliding piece with an aperture that extremely obviously blocks the camera. Surely Apple can't seriously think their users would be confused by this and complain... I don't think my desktop computer's webcam is likely to get hacked either but I'm still going to unplug it when I'm not using it. Complex systems are hard to secure…
There are a number of ways to do it, other than a sliding latch, in case Apple wants to avoid adding thickness to the screen. 1. Electrically blurred glass. 2. Polarizing filters 3. Power kill switch, in hardware. But I guess Applw will balk at this too.
As an alternative to a camera cover, use the camera indicator light to determine if your camera is active I've been thinking about privacy all wrong. I thought it was about preventing access to my data... but Apple has cleared up my misunderstanding and now I know that it's just about being notified when my data is stolen. Everyone feel free to post your credit card numbers... your privacy is secure, since your bank…
Are you seeing the indicator light go on when you aren't actively using the webcam?
A hacker isn't going to randomly burn their exploits, but that doesn't mean none exist.
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If Apple makes such high-end stuff, and is marketing on privacy, why can't they spring for hardware switches? Pine64 does, and they're by no means high-end. Not by price, anyway.
Better yet, Lenovo has a little plastic cover built into the camera under the lens. I don't need to trust the implementation of some switch, I can physically cover up the camera with a nicely integrated cover. No trust required for about 0.01¢ of plastic.
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So you're saying everyone should always be staring at their webcam to make sure the light is not on? It isn't like there's a subfield of Human Factors studying Cognitive load[1], saying that people don't do a good job at what you're saying people should do. Also, have you ever heard of a rootkit? [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_load
I always notice when the light goes on, because it's close to my screen, and effectively a form of movement in a place I don't usually see it. It's also quite bright on Apple computers. Is it different for other people?
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>> Is it different for other people? Yes. Many people leave the laptop on, and wander off to pee. Or they're jerking off with their eyes closed. Or they are using a different computer at the same time in a data-center. Or all of the above at once.
Many people do the same things and forget to cover their webcam with a piece of plastic. What’s your point?
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Better yet, Lenovo has a little plastic cover built into the camera under the lens. I don't need to trust the implementation of some switch, I can physically cover up the camera with a nicely integrated cover. No trust required for about 0.01¢ of plastic.
I mean... you still have to trust the implementation.
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I wonder, do the ThinkPads with that feature have a thicker lid than Apple laptops? I suspect they be thicker anyway because of the touchscreen, which would then provide a few millimeters more room for a shutter. But I'm completely speculating.
I have a new X1 Carbon, and I don't have a MacBook to compare but I can't imagine needing my laptop to be lighter or thinner. It easily fits into any bag and I can carry it with one hand with no worry. I will gladly trade a millimeter of thickness for increased functionality. It's the same thing where apple will ruthlessly optimize for thickness to the point where they can't cool the CPUs. They literally prefer form…
Isn't that part of the appeal of Apple products? People will gladly spend more because of the looks, not the functionality.