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All Windows 8.1 OEM PC with integrated display required to have front facing camera.
http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/12/microsoft-new-hardware-certification-requirements-for-windows8.1/
Just a month or so before Windows 8.1 gets sent to OEMs and the Redmond giant has helpfully provided new hardware certification requirements for them to meet. Announced at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference, these prerequisites include Bluetooth support in all devices with WiFi, front-facing 720p webcams in all systems with integrated displays and higher fidelity specifications for audio equipment.
Comments
like xbox 1,they need to keep track of what youre doing.
Probably for the governments current spying tendancies.
I could go lots of ways on this.
1. My paranoia could go through the roof.
2.It is 2013, are they still making integrated displays without a camera? I assume by "integrated" they mean tablets, all in one/touchscreen, laptop, those kind of displays.
3. Another attempt at M$ to control the world?
Mostly I am not surprised and depending on the day I could go with any of those options.
Thinking about this, and would you buy a new smartphone without a front facing camera?
Looking at some of the features and specs of Win 8.1 it also seems that many of the selling point features will require a front facing camera.
Just a bit of devil's advocate.
I think you hit the nail on the head.
LOL. Don't forget to wave at them as well...just to creep them out even more.
The real thing everyone should be talking about is hoping to God some company quickly steps in and makes a new OS to replace Windows now that Microsoft announced it threw the PC under the bus and wont be making PC software that is NOT built around mobile devices...hell, they announced early in the year that the next windows will not have a task manager, no file explorer, no legacy compatability...live tiles only, 100% of the time.
They believe the PC market is going to die, so they are going to make sure it happens.
I hope we shall crush...in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country." ~Thomes Jefferson
Linux, once Microsoft has done shitting itself to death, Linux.
Neah... more likely end with a creepy nipple lick.
Has anyone posted this yet?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/11/microsoft-nsa-collaboration-user-data
Basically Microsoft gave the NSA ways around their built in encryption and allowed them to download the information they wanted. This is wholly different from the high level data they collected from the phone companies.
Now imagine the NSA has access to Microsoft's network, and all the Windows 8 PCs have a front mounted camera. Oh, and Microsoft gives the government a list of Window's vulnerabilities before posting them to everyone else and before fixing them. Combined with the XB1's always on Kinect, I'd be a bit nervous buying anything from Microsoft if I had anything to do with a foreign government.
Of course, I'm not all that keen on buying anything from them now, and I'm pretty much nobody.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
2 massive problems with that.
1. Linux is above the heads of most.
2. Companies build around Windows design and only because of how easy it is. With Linux you end up with nothing that is uniform. So not only will software be effected, but hardware as well when it comes to drivers and such.
A big company needs to come forward and push an OS the masses can use...otherwise, the PC will die out sooner rather than later.
I hope we shall crush...in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country." ~Thomes Jefferson
If Microsoft comes out and states that Windows 9 (continuing their :genius: naming conventions) is built with mobile in mind then there are literally scores of groups of people working on differing versions of Linux... I'd imagine at least one of them would think "yo dude.... maybe a more user friendly, uniform version will help keep the PC on top!" and just go about making that and pulling in more support that way.
If Microsoft is that stupid people will step up, if for nothing else than the billions microsoft are basically saying no to.
Yeah they are not seeing it like that. They are seeing it as "more billions" in the mobile market.
makes no sense at all...its like saying "we are not going to make motorcycles anymore because we can sell more cars!". Two different markets with enough room for both.
I hope we shall crush...in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country." ~Thomes Jefferson
Part of me wants to say "Why not build tricycles then?" but then I think about that episode of Top Gear with the Reliant Robin....
Don't all laptops come with a built in camera? I got my mom a cheapo $299 one and it came with one...so they all should i think lol
6 months ago this would have been worth a "haha"
Only, I'm not laughing anymore.
yeah..I would have laughed too
Its called Ubuntu. The main problem with Linux is lack of games and driver support.
You have to remember 95% of users do not care about where things are installed on their system. Infact, Microsoft's plan may work out a bit better than many of us realize. They are going for a cloud OS in full force, one where your locked into an account not a machine. This way you can have your documents and settings stored remotely, and can have them go with you as you log into other machines. Its also a way to enforce a uniform platform where you can do things on a smart phone, Windows RT, Windows OS, or Xbox One. Its a bit more difficult for a developer to use code specific to x86 and another code set specific to ARM.
if Ubuntu hadn't decided to follow mac and completely destroy its usability and easy transition from windows to linux then sure. Now.. we don't have a windows replacement.. we have a mac replacement!
Hardware drivers on linux as a whole outside of the server world are just to lacking currently with no financial need for developers to even bother with. Valve seem to be the only company pushing for OpenGL also with all other developers blindly following the dead driver that is Direct X
That said i'm still looking forward to the day we can put the BS that is MS and Apple behind us in the form of open source
I'm curious where you read that?
I've been waiting for the demise of Microsoft for a long time now and this sounds like a promising first step.
There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life when a man takes this whole universe for a vast practical joke, though the wit thereof he but dimly discerns, and more than suspects that the joke is at nobody's expense but his own.
-- Herman Melville
For the paranoid - a piece of black/duck tape will ensure your tinfoil covered head is not being watched.
As for spying, the *nix OS model with the generic path based I/O structure is far easier to use for spying, as you can open a camera or audio device remotely rather easily as it is just a generic I/O stream.
(Maybe I should be selling camera cover tape.)
Seriously, dude, show me 1 new laptop that has no front facing camera, like seriously? That's a trend for the past 10 years. They put them HD cameras so you can make video calls left and right. Even the bloody gamer laptops have these ...
And when you read bad news about Microsoft, please do wait for their response. They do have response to these accusations. They only give information to NSA for people that NSA requested info about and that's it, they have to request it, with court order which the lawyers at Microsoft thoroughly inspect before giving out the data. Enough with this PRISM crap. You don't want to be spyed on - encrypt your network activity, don't use Facebook and Google services and partially Microsoft services. But seriously, there is no such thing as backdoor for NSA on every Windows PC. That's too convenient to be true now.
Think you have to be way more worried about someone hacking your camera, then the government using it, other than that, don't see the big news here. They set out specs for all of their stuff.
I am using windows 8, and I use it like 7 99% of the time, in the desktop....I just don't get the hate, and I don't personally know anyone in rl that hates it...I was fine with 7, but I am not exaggerating that I use it exactly like 7 99% of the time. That may go down once I start using some of the cloud stuff more, and the music app/program more, but for now it holds true.