It’s a bit sad that, in all his decades-long career at Apple, Phil Schiller will probably be most remembered for his two infamous on-stage remarks, Can’t innovate anymore, my ass! (uttered during the presentation of the 2013 Mac Pro), and Courage (during the presentation of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, explaining the decision to remove the headphone jack — “the courage to move on, do something new, that betters all of us”).
Both remarks have, with time, basically become memes and — like the evergreen Think Different — are often used as retorts to criticise some decision or stance taken by Apple.
Well, here’s my idea to file under the Courage category; an idea that would solve both the questionable notch design of MacBooks’ displays and the not-so-great quality of the webcams they come equipped with. Just, remove the webcam altogether.
If you’re thinking I’m the only crazy one to have had this idea, I’m not. In fact, several people made this suggestion on Twitter and via private emails after reading my recent article on the terrible design detail that is the notch in MacBooks.
The idea came to me a bit earlier this year, when I was trying to remotely help an acquaintance set up their phone as webcam for Zoom calls because their laptop’s built-in webcam had failed and wasn’t recognised anymore by the computer. When Craig Federighi introduced the Continuity Camera feature at the WWDC 22, that lets you seamlessly use your iPhone as a webcam for your Mac, I started thinking that maybe this idea wasn’t as crazy as it sounded at the beginning, even to me.
It’s still a bold proposal, so of course it needs to be more detailed than, Just get rid of the webcam on all MacBooks, remove the notch in the process, and be merry.
Like other people suggested, I would restrict the webcam removal to the MacBook Pro models, while more entry-level machines like the MacBook Air would keep their webcams. The reasoning here is that the target audience of an all-purpose Mac like the Air is more likely to need a webcam on a frequent basis, and for them a laptop with an integrated webcam is the best solution. Pro users (at least those I’ve talked with) tend to use the webcam more sparingly, and they also tend to have good, updated iPhone models; so, when they need to be on the occasional video call on their MacBook Pros, they wouldn’t have any problem taking advantage of the Continuity Camera feature.
Webcams in laptops are an ongoing technical challenge. The only sensible placement is at the top centre of the laptop’s lid, and today more than ever, laptop lids are thin. Too thin to accommodate high-quality photographic equipment. And so, compared to the very high-quality camera hardware in smartphones, when it comes to laptops we’re mostly stuck with sub-par webcams whose video quality can only be improved (a bit) via software. For a FaceTime or Zoom call, they’re probably enough, though sometimes a combination of poor webcam quality and not-optimal lighting conditions can give you an unflattering look when you’re broadcasting yourself.
When I think about a future iteration of webcam-less MacBook Pros, I don’t really see any major downsides. Yes, having to pull out your iPhone and secure it to the MacBook Pro’s lid makes things a bit less immediate, especially when the video call is not planned, and you’re the one being called, but if the Handoff/Continuity mechanics work well enough, you would get the video call on your iPhone then seamlessly continue on your MacBook Pro when you place the iPhone on top of it moments later.
An objection to consider is, But Rick, what about MacBook Pro users who don’t have an iPhone and use an Android phone? My snarky response would be, Why, do you know any? While my more serious response would be that there are software solutions — like Camo — that let you use any phone as a webcam for your Mac or PC.
I think the only people to find webcam-less MacBook Pros cumbersome to use are those who need the power of a MacBook Pro and simultaneously have to use a webcam on a very frequent basis. Here I guess that, knowing beforehand that MacBook Pros come without webcams, they would organise and plan a workaround before purchase. If Apple really removed the webcam in future MacBook Pros, this wouldn’t historically be the first time Apple removes something that ends up annoying a segment of their user base, until people work around it and life goes on. I won’t even mention the removal of the floppy drive in the first iMac back in 1998; more recently, I’m thinking of the removal of the headphone jack in iPhones, or leaving behind certain ports in MacBooks that are still relevant on a practical level, like USB‑A or Ethernet.
The only case that would work against a webcam removal in Apple laptops is that if Apple is planning to bring FaceID to Macs, then the necessary camera array for FaceID must be present. Unless they find a way to implement it even when using an iPhone with the Mac via Continuity Camera.
From a design standpoint, removing the notch and the webcam would be a win both in the looks and functionality departments. MacBook Pros’ displays would have cleaner lines again; bezels could be made even thinner (you bezels-obsessed folks are already gasping in excitement, I know) and displays a bit larger without making the laptop physically bigger. I bet most MacBook Pro users would accept this kind of trade-off. Overall, I consider the idea of removing the webcam from MacBook Pros less crazy than slapping a notch in the top centre of the display. But let me know what you think, as usual via Twitter or by shooting me an email.