4 ms·

So, the device comes with a slide switch, set to on. A user who cares can slide it off.

jsiepkes 7y ago
It's not that simple. People will accidentally set the switch to off and won't understand why their mic doesn't work anymore. At this point there is a good chance they will call support. This also happend with the hardware wifi kill switches we used to have on notebooks.
- alexis_fr 7y ago
  Since we’re integrated between OS and hardware on Apple platforms, they could implement a “Turn on your microphone” dialog. I think this support excuse is too commonly used, when there is obvious value in the result. He’s not a minority, even my grandparents shared the photo of Mark Zuckerberg saying “If this guy hides his camera, so should you”...
  - skocznymroczny 7y ago
    You already have dialogs on macOS like "app X wants to use the microphone, allow?"
- Milner08 7y ago
  God the number of times people complained about their laptops being broken only to find out they'd turned WiFi off. Either through a separate kill switch or through a function key. It was a pain the arse.
  - ekzy 7y ago
    I recently installed linux on a MSI laptop that has a webcam function key switch. For some reason (could have been me), it was off and I just assumed that the camera wasn't working with linux, or that there was a hardware issue. I almost sent it back. I never owned a laptop with that kind of switch before, so I wasn't looking for this, and the keyboard icon [1] looked like some kind of screen contrast button to me... [1] https://imgur.com/a/2Oe2k4e https://imgur.com/a/2Oe2k4e
    - freedomben 7y ago
      Oh man, this happened to me many years ago as well with wifi. The keyboard had a wifi toggle (which in linux translated into rfkill) as a mod to an Fn key. Took me hours to realize that was a thing. I was literally debugging the kernel trying to figure out why the driver was spitting out "rfkill enabled" when "it shouldn't" only to realize a simple hold of Fn + F9 (or whatever it was) fixed the problem right up :facepalm:
- greggman3 7y ago
  It is that simple. The computer can prompt "MUTE" just like TVs do
- ken 7y ago
  That's a little different. Wifi is an invisible feature, and it can become disabled through no action of yours. Cameras are physical, so you can make it really obvious when it's enabled and when it's not. You just look for the physical obstruction. Apple's first iSight camera, for example, had a cool leaf shutter that you opened or closed by twisting it. I know lots of people who have had trouble getting their wifi to work. I don't know anyone who put a piece of tape across their camera and then couldn't figure out why their camera didn't work.
HatchedLake721 7y ago
It’s Apple. If you want switches on your computers, use ThinkPad or Dell.
- pulse7 7y ago
  The latest ThinkPads have a physical/mechanical switch, but just for the camera... The mic can not be turned off with this switch...
  - jann 7y ago
    Just a warning (I don’t know the specs of that ThinkPad) but just because it’s a physical switch doesn’t mean it actually physically disconnects the device.
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
    - jaywalk 7y ago
      It's called ThinkShutter and it physically covers the camera lens.
      - mvanbaak 7y ago
        so it doesn't turn it off, it just puts some plastic in front of it. Plastic that is easier to break then something inside the case that will cut the power. While I am a big fan of the idea of the thinkshutter and friends, a real switch that cuts the loop to the cam/mic is a better option.
        jaywalk 7y ago
        I think a physical shutter is superior, if only for peace of mind. If the lens is covered, nothing else matters.
        7y ago
mamon 7y ago
Even the user that cares can sometimes forget to do it. With Apple solution you'll never forget to switch microphone off, but on the downside, you now have to trust Apple.

It's not that simple. People will accidentally set the switch to off and won't understand why their mic doesn't work anymore. At this point there is a good chance they will call support. This also happend with the hardware wifi kill switches we used to have on notebooks.

alexis_fr 7y ago
Since we’re integrated between OS and hardware on Apple platforms, they could implement a “Turn on your microphone” dialog. I think this support excuse is too commonly used, when there is obvious value in the result. He’s not a minority, even my grandparents shared the photo of Mark Zuckerberg saying “If this guy hides his camera, so should you”...
- skocznymroczny 7y ago
  You already have dialogs on macOS like "app X wants to use the microphone, allow?"
Milner08 7y ago
God the number of times people complained about their laptops being broken only to find out they'd turned WiFi off. Either through a separate kill switch or through a function key. It was a pain the arse.
- ekzy 7y ago
  I recently installed linux on a MSI laptop that has a webcam function key switch. For some reason (could have been me), it was off and I just assumed that the camera wasn't working with linux, or that there was a hardware issue. I almost sent it back. I never owned a laptop with that kind of switch before, so I wasn't looking for this, and the keyboard icon [1] looked like some kind of screen contrast button to me... [1] https://imgur.com/a/2Oe2k4e https://imgur.com/a/2Oe2k4e
  - freedomben 7y ago
    Oh man, this happened to me many years ago as well with wifi. The keyboard had a wifi toggle (which in linux translated into rfkill) as a mod to an Fn key. Took me hours to realize that was a thing. I was literally debugging the kernel trying to figure out why the driver was spitting out "rfkill enabled" when "it shouldn't" only to realize a simple hold of Fn + F9 (or whatever it was) fixed the problem right up :facepalm:
greggman3 7y ago
It is that simple. The computer can prompt "MUTE" just like TVs do
ken 7y ago
That's a little different. Wifi is an invisible feature, and it can become disabled through no action of yours. Cameras are physical, so you can make it really obvious when it's enabled and when it's not. You just look for the physical obstruction. Apple's first iSight camera, for example, had a cool leaf shutter that you opened or closed by twisting it. I know lots of people who have had trouble getting their wifi to work. I don't know anyone who put a piece of tape across their camera and then couldn't figure out why their camera didn't work.

HatchedLake721 7y ago

It’s Apple. If you want switches on your computers, use ThinkPad or Dell.

pulse7 7y ago
The latest ThinkPads have a physical/mechanical switch, but just for the camera... The mic can not be turned off with this switch...
- jann 7y ago
  Just a warning (I don’t know the specs of that ThinkPad) but just because it’s a physical switch doesn’t mean it actually physically disconnects the device.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - jaywalk 7y ago
    It's called ThinkShutter and it physically covers the camera lens.
    - mvanbaak 7y ago
      so it doesn't turn it off, it just puts some plastic in front of it. Plastic that is easier to break then something inside the case that will cut the power. While I am a big fan of the idea of the thinkshutter and friends, a real switch that cuts the loop to the cam/mic is a better option.
      - jaywalk 7y ago
        I think a physical shutter is superior, if only for peace of mind. If the lens is covered, nothing else matters.
        7y ago

mamon 7y ago

Even the user that cares can sometimes forget to do it. With Apple solution you'll never forget to switch microphone off, but on the downside, you now have to trust Apple.