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Starting in 2023, Windows 11 will require new laptops to have a front webcam

windowscentral.com

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Re: Starting in 2023, Windows 11 will require new laptops to have a front webcam

#31

Post by dagw »

_-david-_ wrote: post #30
dagw wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some so called gaming laptops don't. The Asus G14 for example was a series of extremely popular and well reviewed laptops without a front webcam. They where even quite popular with developers since they offered class leading CPU and GPU performance in a relatively lightweight package.

Thanks. I didn't realize that. I assumed with the size of gaming laptops they would all have webcams.

Dell also at least used to offer some of their Latitude laptops without webcams, probably targeting people and industries working in situations where cameras in certain areas where forbidden.

Re: Starting in 2023, Windows 11 will require new laptops to have a front webcam

#32

Post by krylon »

I own 7 laptops, and with the exception of a ~1995 ThinkPad, they all have webcams builtin.

None of these will ever run Windows 11 (or any other version), but of all the things I have heard so far about Windows 11, this is relatively low on my outrage list. (Okay, strictly speaking, the ancient ThinkPad runs Windows 95, but I don't actually use it, I just keep it because I like old hardware.)

Re: Starting in 2023, Windows 11 will require new laptops to have a front webcam

#33

Post by Arrath »

bluerival wrote: post #24
aejnsn wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You’re exactly right in your statement. But of all the experiences they could control, the most important is a webcam? That webcam is placed on an OS known for intrusive advertising and data collection, with OEMs known for pushing pre-installed software that’s invasive, if not full-blown malware. You’re exactly right about the facts. The problem is the perception of the theme here.

This is most certainly a security initiative to standardise biometrics (Windows Hello). Windows wants everyone to use their “FaceID” because it’s more secure.

I'll believe that biometric security measures are more secure when they are fully protected under the Fifth Amendment, rather than by a few shaky court cases that could be overturned.

https://slate.com/technology/2019/01/fifth-amendment-biometr...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2019/01/14/feds-...

Re: Starting in 2023, Windows 11 will require new laptops to have a front webcam

#34

Post by squarefoot »

kungito wrote: post #23
squarefoot wrote: post #19

Thank you, Microsoft! Thousands, potentially millions, of users will be motivated to migrate to other OSes, also thanks to Windows 11 insane hardware requirements they will find tons of essentially free hardware that will run their new OS with no issues.

Sometimes I laugh at arguments like this, sometimes I get pissed of. You are seriously disconnected from reality if you think this will change anything except all laptops having a front webcam. I haven't seen one without it ever anyways

There are some realities I may have been connected in the past, in which a laptop with a camera cannot enter if it is yours, and won't have a camera at all if it's from the employer.

The point however was Microsoft imposing unnecessary hardware requirements, and my comment stands since from a Linux (BSD, whatever) point of view, lots of Windows users ditching their perfectly good few years old PC means a huge load of good hardware to be taken almost for free since our demand would never match the huge offer.

Regarding messing with hardware requirements, I seem to recall Microsoft did a similar thing when they dictated that netbooks up to a certain size could not have more than this CPU and that amount of RAM to be eligible for receiving discounted OEM XP copies; it was called ULCPC or something like that. In that case they didn't set the minimum bar, but the maximum one. Which of course also produced tons of garbage since netbooks too slow or non upgradeable over 1 Gig RAM became hard to use with Linux too.

Re: Starting in 2023, Windows 11 will require new laptops to have a front webcam

#36

Post by dTal »

_-david-_ wrote: post #27
squarefoot wrote: post #19

Thank you, Microsoft! Thousands, potentially millions, of users will be motivated to migrate to other OSes, also thanks to Windows 11 insane hardware requirements they will find tons of essentially free hardware that will run their new OS with no issues.

What laptop doesn't have a front webcam especially one that is at least 720p (I assume that is what is considered hd)? You can buy a $150 laptop and it likely would work.

Virtually none of the recent crop of UMPCs have them. At that size, they just don't fit in the screen bezel. One model has a camera in the hinge, but most just don't bother.

Re: Starting in 2023, Windows 11 will require new laptops to have a front webcam

#38

Post by rolph »

president wrote: post #37

So much speculation in this thread but I haven't heard anyone ask why Microsoft is requiring this. The article as well as the linked Microsoft specification document does not say. I'm very curious as to why.

this would be the first logical step to promote wide compatibility with hello, and other facial recognition functions

Re: Starting in 2023, Windows 11 will require new laptops to have a front webcam

#39

Post by randomhodler84 »

Hahaha nope nope nope. I gave up at windows 7. Windows 8 sucked and Windows 10 was a spyware OS. Now they are not even hiding it!!! Beware of consumer software, operating systems and hardware. By Jove, it’s like someone warned us about this 30+ years ago.

Re: Starting in 2023, Windows 11 will require new laptops to have a front webcam

#40

Post by craftinator »

petree wrote: post #16
LorenPechtel wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And how do you handle letting someone else use your machine?

You install Linux and tell Microsoft to fuck off with their stupid ideas.

So nice to be beaten to the chase. It's almost eerie reading a sentence that is nearly verbatim to what just went through my head.
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