Microsoft is reportedly planning to release a new webcam this spring. The software giant previously offered a variety of webcams under its LifeCam brand, but Microsoft has not updated it for ten years. Petri reports that a Surface event will take place this spring, and a new webcam will be on the agenda with Microsoft’s new Surface Laptop 4.
The webcam will reportedly contain a privacy cover and support HDR (High Dynamic Range). While Microsoft uses 4K USB-C webcams on its Surface Hub 2 device, this new webcam skips 4K support. It is not clear which resolution is supported and whether it will support Windows Hello face recognition.
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Whether Microsoft prefers to use the Surface brand on this new webcam remains to be seen. Microsoft’s Windows and device chief, Panos Panay, alluded to an interview with Google in 2018 The edge that the company was looking at releasing webcams from Surface brands. “Look at the camera on Surface Hub 2, note that it’s a USB-C based camera, and the idea that we can bring a high fidelity camera to an experience, you can probably guess it’s going to happen,” he said. Panay family play at the time. .
This is not the first time that there is a new Microsoft webcam. Thurrott reported that two new webcams would launch in 2019, one for Windows and one for Xbox. These webcams have never been launched and consumers and businesses rely on webcams from Logitech, Razer and others.
Webcams quickly became the device of 2020 as consumers flocked during the pandemic to buy the devices to work from home. Webcam prices also skyrocketed early in the pandemic before supply caught up and demand declined by the end of 2020.