zlacker

Interesting, my work HP Probook does not have that functionality. I wonder why HP chooses to do this only for some laptop lines.

>>kiwija+(OP)
Money.

>>MaxikC+t
Supporting that theory: my HP EliteBook does have a slide-over cover.

(It could also be contention between thickness of the display vs enterprise customer sensitivity to cameras)

>>kiwija+(OP)
I suspect most people don't want it. I can imagine lots of people calling customer service "Q: why doesn't my camera work?", "A: Did you open the cover?"

There's just a valid an argument to do the same for phones. How many phones ship with camera covers and how many users want them?

You can get a stick on camera cover for $5 or less if you want one. I have them on my laptops but not on my phone. They came in packs of 6 so I have several left.

https://www.google.com/search?q=camera+cover+laptop

>>nox101+z3
I had that exact discussion with somebody recently, and it took me a few minutes to realize that their laptop had a physical camera cover that somehow disables camera permissions in windows too. So yeah, happens a ton I would imagine.

>>nox101+z3
i miss android popup cameras.

>>nox101+z3
> I can imagine lots of people calling customer service "Q: why doesn't my camera work?", "A: Did you open the cover?"

In some over-engineered world, when the camera cover is engaged the webcam video feed would be replaced by an image of the text "Slide camera cover open" (in the user's language) and an animation showing the user how to do so.

>>nox101+z3
It's also a moving part. Worse, a part the customer moves. Which means more opportunity for crap getting crammed in or breaking.

>>netsha+78
This doesn’t seem that wild to me. Zoom already prompts me to unmute my microphone when I cough.

>>JumpCr+Oc
The cover on my laptop's camera is behind the glass. I suppose there is a chance that the slider itself could get damaged, but at least they minimized the exposed surface that could be damaged.

That said, I really can't comment on how durable it is. I only remove the cover about a half dozen times a year.

>>netsha+78
We have that on the most recent generation of Framework Laptop. When the hardware privacy switch is engaged, the image sensor is electrically powered off and the camera controller feeds a dummy frame with an illustration of the switch.

>>nrp+4K
Is there a video or some images of this somewhere? I would love to see a demonstration.

>>nrp+4K
Happy Framework customer here, I just wanted to say thank you for all your efforts on privacy.

>>vaylia+5O
I looked it up on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6AsIqAmpeQ&t=1145s

And adding 2+2, the man being interviewed (Nirav Patel) is the same man who replied to my comment (HN user nrp), i.e. the man who actually did the overengineering.

If you rewind to 17:03, he talks about the changes of what the switch does (previously: USB disconnection, now: as he described in grandparent comment).

>>netsha+k21
Our engineering team did the engineering!