Now that the “Desk View” function, also known as “Desk View,” is now available as standard on the first Macs, Apple is providing more information about this usage option. The newly available support document is titled “Use Desk View to show your face and desk on cameraand is currently only available in English, but a German translation shouldn’t be long in coming.
This option was available for the first time two years ago, but until now the option of showing the workplace or the desk area in front of the computer during FaceTime chats was only possible in conjunction with an iPhone that has Apple’s ultra-wide-angle camera.
Good for demos and explanations
The camera installed in the newly available MacBook Pro and iMac models is now also able to display this additional view. As with the iPhone, the camera’s different lenses are used to simultaneously display the computer user’s face and the workstation in front of the computer from a “bird’s eye view”.
This option is not only ideal for displaying your own sketches or the like during a video call, but you can also easily create instructional videos for tasks carried out by hand.
This is what the whole thing looks like to the person you are talking to
In the future in all Apple displays
Looking back, buyers of Apple’s Studio Display can now be doubly annoyed that such a poor camera is installed there. After all, we can now assume that not only all future Macs with a screen, but also all screens offered by Apple in the future will be equipped with this option.
So far, the function is supported in addition to the new MacBook Pro and iMac models and also in conjunction with an iPhone 11 or newer. On the software side, at least macOS 13 Ventura is required. You can find the setting here if you open the control center in the menu bar during a video call via FaceTime and select the “Video Effects” option there. In newer versions of macOS, the video options for FaceTime chats are accessible via a green camera icon integrated directly into the menu bar.
