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Apple Warns Customers Not To Close Its Laptops With A Camera Cover Attached:
Though it might strike some people as obvious advice, Apple has published a support page that warns MacBook owners not to close their laptop with a camera cover in place. Damage like a cracked display could result, according to the company, because "the clearance between the display and keyboard is designed to very tight tolerances." MacRumors spotted the advisory, which Apple posted on July 2nd.
Those little plastic camera covers with a sliding mechanism are super common nowadays. Heck, I remember getting one as a holiday gift from The Verge's parent company, Vox Media. But they could spell disaster for your laptop screen if you shut the laptop with the cover still on, and Apple's laptop repairs are extremely costly. Even with AppleCare+ accidental coverage, the deductible isn't cheap.
Instead of using a cover, Apple says that customers can trust the green LED beside the camera on a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air that illuminates whenever the camera is active.
Apple does acknowledge that some people have no choice in the matter and might be required to use a camera cover by their employer. In those cases, the company says the cover should always be removed before closing the laptop.
Not just apple laptops but all of them. Have any of my fellow Soylentils besides myself suffered damage to your laptop due to this?
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Valkor on Sunday July 12 2020, @03:43PM (16 children)
who would ... spend money ... on a 'cover' ... that could damage ur gear ... when a bit of your favorite opaque tape will do just as well
anyway it's the audio that concerns me more. i say all kinds of shit.
(Score: 3, Informative) by leon_the_cat on Sunday July 12 2020, @03:45PM
"i say all kinds of shit." yes we know!
(Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @03:49PM (1 child)
Sticky note works amazing as well.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 13 2020, @08:09PM
Until my new laptap came with one of these slide covers integrated into the camera, I used a post-it. It worked great, you could see it was in place (yellow on black is pretty easy to see), and if your camera was on, all they could see is that you did indeed use a yellow post-it.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @04:35PM (2 children)
OCD. Can't put sticky adhesive on a $3,000 laptop.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @05:00PM
Put it over your mouth then
(Score: 5, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Sunday July 12 2020, @06:12PM
Just get some spray paint then. It's only sticky until it dries.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @06:09PM (7 children)
Sometimes you need the camera, but not constantly.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Sunday July 12 2020, @06:14PM (5 children)
This is why Apple, and all the rest, should put a hardware on/off switch on the damned thing. If the electrical circuit is open, you KNOW the camera is not in use by some systemd malware, or by Microsoft telemetrics.
(Score: 3, Informative) by hendrikboom on Sunday July 12 2020, @06:36PM
Like the physical on/off switch on my Librem 15.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @07:04PM (2 children)
Except this is Apple, they absolutely refuse to have buttons for things where buttons make sense.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @10:48PM
Yet Samsung has a button for "bixby". Go figure.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @10:59PM
Besides, the button will only be seen by software, and is easily overridden. It's real functionality is similar to the steering wheel on a child's car seat.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 13 2020, @05:31PM
You trust them to wire in the switch right? How do you know its not just "advisory" or only disables the LED?
Since you'll need to open the thing to verify, just wire in your own while you're in there.
(Score: 2) by fido_dogstoyevsky on Sunday July 12 2020, @10:44PM
Take Runaway's advice [soylentnews.org] - then keep cotton wool sticks and paint stripper for when you need the camera.
CAUTION: test on somebody else's computer first; results may vary; some experts believe damage may occur; testing on somebody else's computer first may result in violence.
It's NOT a conspiracy... it's a plot.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 13 2020, @02:46AM
Are you by any chance a hockey puk named Zippy?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 13 2020, @11:38AM
ja just cover it with something flat. i do that in addition to disabling it in the bios
guaranteed 100% if there were some doodad i had to remove before closing my computer i would forget and damage the device and if i didn't do that i would forget to reattach it
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @04:01PM (1 child)
Yeah
(Score: 4, Interesting) by bussdriver on Sunday July 12 2020, @07:18PM
I simply used a command line program triggered by my app to take photos of users without them realizing it! The key to getting around Apple's LED is to take a photo not a video and then if you'd like more make sure you take the photos slow enough the LED never lights up! 1 frame of video doesn't even register to me looking for specifically for the LED and in the dark too.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by leon_the_cat on Sunday July 12 2020, @04:06PM (6 children)
"Covering the built-in camera might also interfere with the ambient light sensor and prevent features like automatic brightness and True Tone from working."
As alternative they say don't cover it, just trust our camera light indicator.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @05:03PM (2 children)
Yes, 'just trust us' was the interesting part.
The green light verifies that the camera is off, but when it is off, covering it causes features to stop working.
The way to make a trustworthy green light is for the light to be physically wired (no software in the path) to the camera disable.
Which contradicts the above covering causes problems statement.
Having the system software between the two sounds more like they made the green light a sad joke.
Sounds like there is a market for 0.1mm thick camera covers.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by helel on Sunday July 12 2020, @06:17PM (1 child)
Covering the ambient light sensor to the left of the camera causes features to stop working. The two are 1-2 mm apart so it's unlikely you'll cover the one without also covering the other.
I believe at some point someone managed to turn on the camera without activating the green light on some older models but the technique didn't translate to the machines being sold at the time, much less now. The real issue is that someone can activate the camera for just a second to take a picture, then turn it off again, and you're unlikely to notice during that brief time that the light is on.
As mentioned elsewhere in the comments, a piece of tape (or corner of a posit note) will do just fine for covering the camera, is thin enough to cause no damage, and is super cheep. You can even use a tiny piece to cover just the camera and not the ambient light sensor.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Sunday July 12 2020, @11:10PM
(Letting aside the typos,) Apple would need to sell some expensive iTape/iPostIt-s; because using a Mac is all about being the opposite of cheap.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Opportunist on Sunday July 12 2020, @05:38PM (2 children)
In other words, turning the camera off in software does NOT turn it off totally because it's still "on enough" to function as a light sensor. Did I get that right?
(Score: 1) by anubi on Sunday July 12 2020, @11:11PM
There are Android apps that use the camera as a light sensor used as a photoplethysmograph... A long word for a device that monitors heartbeat by looking at changes of opacity at the fingertips.
They ought to have a full blown pulse oximeter out as it is a color camera. One that could deduce blood oxygen by its color.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 13 2020, @12:58AM
No. There is a separate ambient light sensor located near the camera. When focusing on covering the camera, it is easy to cover the whole area including the ambient light sensor and not even notice.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by r1348 on Sunday July 12 2020, @04:17PM (3 children)
Come with a physical cover pre-mounted. And it's HP.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @05:49PM (2 children)
>> Come with a physical cover pre-mounted. And it's HP.
So one plus and one minus. They cancel out.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @06:43PM (1 child)
Apple is already a minus.
(Score: 2) by coolgopher on Monday July 13 2020, @04:39AM
Yeah but not being Microsoft or systemd is a plus!
(Score: 3, Interesting) by choose another one on Sunday July 12 2020, @04:38PM (1 child)
Ain't caused damage with a camera cover, but I do have an Asus 2in1 that is waiting for me to get round to replacing the screen/digitiser.
Why? - cos I had a credit card (I think - it was a while ago) on the keyboard when I shut it and stuffed it in the case.
Credit card survived fine, touch screen on the other hand, very broken. That these things have no clearance, no margin for error, shouldn't really be surprising - pick up a MacBook Air and look at it on edge.
And mind the gap - or rather mind you don't stuff things in the gap that isn't there.
(Score: 2) by Appalbarry on Sunday July 12 2020, @08:20PM
Wife's shiny new Asus laptop touchscreen died a quick death within a month of purchase. No credit card needed, it just seems to be a crap product.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @04:46PM
you are using it wrong and all they demand is blind trust. You have sinned, not Apple!
(Score: 3, Disagree) by Opportunist on Sunday July 12 2020, @05:35PM (7 children)
Quite seriously, this is getting ridiculous.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Sunday July 12 2020, @09:36PM (6 children)
Um, no. Not related. Also that phrase was never actually used nor was it unique to Apple-branded phones. Sigh. This is about a 3rd party accessory that tries to be one-size-fits-all, but as reality dictates that CANNOT be. Apple being involved is the only reason this story has made it here. Unlike the antenna-gate problem, however, this isn't a result of Apple's doing.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 2) by toddestan on Monday July 13 2020, @02:23AM (5 children)
Correct, the actual words from Steve Jobs was "Just avoid holding it in that way".
(Score: 2) by Tork on Monday July 13 2020, @02:36AM (4 children)
Yep. Combine that with a number of other brands of phones having that same issue and boom: sensationalized story followed by years of idiots embarrasingly parroting the fictional version of it. There have been so many examples of Apple arrogance over the years (i.e. easy-to-trip moisture sensors that meant instant warranty-void), and I do appreciate that ya'all forced Apple to improve the antenna (my succesor phone actually worked in a corner of the apartment the antenna-gate phone couldn't), but please cut out the made-up bs.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 3, Informative) by janrinok on Monday July 13 2020, @07:04AM (3 children)
"Just avoid holding it in that way" == "you're holding it wrong"
I feel that trying to claim that either statement as being more accurate than the other is completely missing the point. People have to hold their phones. Manufacturers should make equipment that works under normal circumstances. If there is a 'wrong way' of holding the phone then the equipment has not been designed properly.
The only embarrassment is to Apple - who could not design a product that would work when people held it, albeit in a specific way. Maybe other phones had the same problem but they never implied that the user was incompetent. If this causes you personal embarrassment I can only surmise that you are an Apple user.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Monday July 13 2020, @07:22AM (2 children)
Sorry for the brevity, time's short. If those two different sentences mean the same thing then there is no justification for using the made-up one. I supported your 'they needed to improve it' point in my last post. The problem affected a small number of users. Yes, I'm an Apple user, specifically had the phone in question. I did not encounter this problem but I could make it happen, it was never a 'nobody could make calls' thing. And on that note: Thank you for drawing attention to the reason why I'm knowledgeable on the topic.
oh, one other thing: Cut out the 'u must be fan' bullshit. I didn't defend Apple I promoted accuracy of information.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Monday July 13 2020, @02:36PM (1 child)
I did not say you must be a fan. Please read what I wrote. However, you do seem particularly sensitive to Apple criticism. If such an event causes you embarrassment then you must be an Apple user - nobody else gives a damn.
And the common meme that resulted from Apple's cock-up is "You are holding it wrong". When I search on Google I can find numerous quotations of that phrase but relatively few of the 'correct' version. Whether you like it or not, you will probably encounter the incorrect former far more than the latter.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Monday July 13 2020, @03:36PM
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 2) by Common Joe on Sunday July 12 2020, @05:49PM (2 children)
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon can take a sliding camera cover, but there are multiple generations of the computer, and I can only vouch for the one I use, so YMMV.
For those who say to rely on the camera light: I'm too lazy to google it (if the articles still even exist anymore), but it's been known for a long time that it's possible to activate the camera without the light. If it's controlled by software, it can be hacked.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @06:19PM (1 child)
It was a design mistake where the camera could be powered without the light being lit. The light should be receiving power through the same wiring that the camera does without any switches in between. The light itself doesn't tell you if the camera is recording, it's telling you that it's powered and could be recording. But, they opted to power them via separate switches and to make those switches software controlled. It blows my mind a bit that nobody thought this would be abused.
Realistically, even if they did it correctly, there still should have been an integrated cover as taking photos can also be a bit of an issue and you're far less likely to see the light if you're just in the room.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by jimtheowl on Monday July 13 2020, @04:35AM
Unless they thought they would be the only ones "smart enough" to abuse them.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by RandomFactor on Sunday July 12 2020, @06:00PM
This was a couple of years back. Branded 'em with the company's IT Security logo and everything.
Found out shortly that they broke the heck out of the screens on one of the two standard company laptops pretty regularly.
The service desk was not amused.
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 3, Insightful) by istartedi on Sunday July 12 2020, @06:00PM (5 children)
Make the cover thick enough so that you can't close the laptop. That will jog your memory and make you remove it. I'm not sure where the camera is placed on these machines, but if it might also be possible to have the camera-cover mounted on the outside with a hinge that would allow you to flip it down to use. Of course that would make your super-expensive Apple machine look kludged and dorky, but you get what you (over) pay for.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday July 12 2020, @06:18PM (4 children)
How 'bout just draping a dirty sock (or whatever bit of laundry is lying close by) over the camera? Would that be "kludged and dorky"? ;^)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @06:23PM (3 children)
Not everyone has a plethora of dirty socks just lying about, as it seems Runaway1956 does.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday July 12 2020, @06:27PM (1 child)
I'm sorry for the insensitivity. I realize that those of you who live in Mama's basement can't afford to buy a lot of socks. A matching pair of socks might be your prized possession. I apologize, profusely.
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Monday July 13 2020, @07:07AM
Dobby has clothes....
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Sunday July 12 2020, @06:35PM
A clean sock would do, too. Maybe one of the ones whose mate vanished in the dryer.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @07:24PM (2 children)
A laptop lid doesn't require such precision, and the false notion that Macbooks are designed to tight tolerances is merely an Apple excuse for the incompetent designers/engineers not allowing for "slop."
Experienced designers and engineers generally add slop (or extra clearance) to allow for alignment discrepancies and/or for part shrinkage/expansion. The motto is, "always add plenty of slop," unless the item requires precision. Big laptop lids need slop -- not precision.
Furthermore, camera covers are not a problem for non-Apple laptops.
Additionally, many of the sliding camera covers are about as thin as two or three sheets of paper.
As they say, "Enjoy your crapple!"
(Score: 5, Interesting) by sjames on Sunday July 12 2020, @07:50PM (1 child)
The other issue is that the lid should provide the structural rigidity, not the display. Displays are not structural elements.
Closing the lid such that a camera cover on the bezel becomes the contact point with the lower half of the device should place a bit more stress on the lid itself, and the hinges (but not enough to be a problem if the lid is half decent). It should add no stress to the display at all.
This is just the latest casualty of Apple's pointless war on thickness.
(Score: 1) by hemocyanin on Sunday July 12 2020, @08:27PM
re: pointless war on thickness.
They won't be happy until you can shave with your 15" wide laptop and people end up bleeding out from accidentally bumping one.
It doesn't matter to me so much -- the last version of OSX I liked was Snow Leopard but it gets increasingly lousy with each passing update -- one OSX version "upgrade" even required me to buy a multiple desktop app after they changed that built-in feature into something incomprehensible and unusable. I'm done with them.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by MIRV888 on Sunday July 12 2020, @09:41PM
I just use a paint marker. It's permanent, effective, and you can remove it will a little alcohol.
(Score: 2) by Bot on Sunday July 12 2020, @09:47PM
IIRC the 2001 era titanium powerbook, which was worth every penny and the most open pc I ran linux on (openfirmware, open source ppc linux drivers for everything but the winmodem, firewire boot from external hd which was basically science fiction for intel lappies), had a separate kernel module for the webcam and the cam LED. If it wasn't that model, it was the following compaq rebranded as HP laptop.
That means that every newb who knew what modules are could easily defeat the LED. The mere existence of a separate circuit means "we want this to be overridden"
Account abandoned.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 13 2020, @11:41AM
Camera is moot, they can see us using wi-fi
https://www.businessinsider.com/wifi-camera-sees-through-walls-2017-5?IR=T [businessinsider.com]
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday July 13 2020, @02:19PM
Please be sure to turn off engine before attempting to change fan belt.
Don't be one of us who learned this the hard way.
When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.