Apple touts improved MacBook Air, MacBook Pro cameras despite 720p parts

Macbook Air M1 Webcam (Image credit: Apple)

What you need to know

Apple announced a new MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro today.
It says we can expect improved camera performance for video conferencing.
But the machines still ahve a 720p FaceTime HD camera.

Apple today announced a trio of new Macs, all powered by the impressive Apple M1 chip. Two of those machines are portables in the form of a MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, with Apple claiming both will offer improved FaceTime camera performance for things like video calls and whatnot. But all of that will need to be done via software, it seems.

Now that Apple's new machines are available for order we're starting to see all of the confirmed specifications for them. One of those specs includes an old friend – the 720p FaceTime HD camera. There's no 1080p camera here, unfortunately.

Macbook Air M1 announcement (Image credit: Apple)

That means that all of the improvements Apple touts – noise reduction, greater dynamic range, improved auto white balance – will need to be handled via software. That's a shame indeed, but with ML-enhanced face detection also offered by that new M1 chip I'm hopeful Apple can live up to its promise. I just wish there was a better underlying bit of hardware behind them.

Are you ordering one of the new Apple M1-powered Macs? If so, which one? Answers in the comments, please!

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.