Issue with new MacBook Air 2013 and 720p Facetime HD camera

[snruebes]

Hi all,

I just realized that the 720p Factime HD camera in the new MacBook Air 2013 is not seen by VMware Fusion 5.0.2 and I guess the same is true for 5.0.3.

If you go to the Fusion Menu "Virtual Machine => USB & Bluetooth" you can normally click on "Connect Apple Facetime Camera(Built-in)".

This worked for all MacBooks (Air and Pro) till mid 2012. But with the new Air mid 2013 the menu option disappeared.

Can it be that the reason, why Fusion does not recognize the new 720p Facetime HD camera is the fact, that this new component is a USB 3.0 device and we all know, that VMware Fusion 5 /Workstation 9 /Player 5 don't offer great USB 3.0 support so far?

I only found this short statement on the Apple website:

MacBook Air (Mid 2013): FaceTime HD Camera may not work with some applications

When can we expect VMware to fix this issue - will it take till Fusion 6 comes out?

This is a big issue, because our BYOD program relies on this function.

Regards,

Sebastian

[ColoradoMarmot]

The issue isn't Fusion support for USB 3, it's Windows 7 support for USB 3 (it doesn't).  Windows 8 does support USB 3 (and so does Fusion).

[dariusd]

I have heard (but have not personally confirmed) that the new FaceTime HD camera is not a USB device at all, but is a proprietary PCIe device... so it can't ever show up on any of our USB menus.

The issue is known to us and is being investigated.  I have no information on the likely timeframe for enabling support for this new device.

Cheers,

--

Darius

[snruebes]

Thanks Darius!

Not really ideal but I have still hope that you will fix it.

Cheers,

Sebastian

[ColoradoMarmot]

Very interesting - much like the new SSD's. 

[snruebes]

In the meanwhile VMware released Fusion 6.0.2 and I'm still not able to use the Facetime HD camera on newer 2013 MacBook models (Air and Pro Normal or Retina).

Is there any plan to fix this and if yes when can we expect it?

Parallels Desktop 9 VM's are able to use this device on the same HW!

[TimG201110141]

Not only does Parallels support Apple's new FaceTime HD camera but you get FULL USB 3.0 support in Windows 7..

VMWare is being horribly LAZY these days. All they needed to do was make it so their USB 3.0 was compliant to Intels USB 3.0 drivers.. They we would have FULL USB 3.0 support..

I've got USB 3 ethernet adaptor, wireless AC adaptor, USB 3 external drive and USB 3.0 Audio/Video Mixers I CANNOT use because they refused to provide support for USB 3.0 in Windows 7.. Yes, you can 'share' the drive to VMWare, but it's a half-assed answer and doesn't suppert the other devices! Using a USB 2.0 HUB with Gigabit wired or Wirelsss ac?? WAAA? Much less Audio/Video mixer.. just not a viable answer. It's a crap answer and they know it.

There answer is upgrade to Windows 8.. Thats a shit answer if I ever heard one.. It's not an option for me and Windows 7 is BY FAR the more dominant OS right now.. WTF is VMWare thinking?

AT this point after my trial ends with Parallels, I'm buying it.. Just makes no sense right now when VMWare is obviously lacking interest in keeping their products going for their customers in any usable form.

[snruebes]

HI TimG201110141

you are a bit drastic but I agree with you - VMware has to work on these things.

Simple answers like take Windows 8 to get USB 3 support are not sufficient especially in a enterprise environment. we all know that Windows 8/8.1 is a disaster and that 95 percent of the companies will skip this dead horse.

And to add the new PCIe FaceTime HD camera to Fusion is also no impossible thing.

The frustrating thing is that you don't get any response if and when VMware will solve these major issues.

In the past VMware was a front runner but it became lame and satisfied like the other big players.

Lets hope that it will change in near future.

Cheers,

Sebastian

[snruebes]

It is now 9!!! month ago that I reported this issue and VMware did not react in any kind! In the meanwhile a new MacBook Pro Gen 2013 was released and a newer one is already on the horizon. Does VMweare really take care of its client products?

This behaviour really annoys clients much!

I can't understand why there is no effort to fix this issue.

[TimG201110141]

Doesn't seem like it. Windows 7 isn't going anywhere for a few more years and yet they refused to support USB 3.0 in Windows 7 or the new HD Webcam..

Parallels supports both in Windows 7 and have done so for over 7 months!!! This isn't a 'technical' issue that cannot be done.. it's that they refuse to do so... Their competitors have proven this.. I don't think they really take their VMWare Fusion product line very seriously.. it's an after thought really... sadly. I'd have preferred to have stayed with VMWare as where I work is a VMWare shop for our servers as well.. but we're now even re-evaluating our VMWare server licenses.. sooooo, we will see.

As it stands, I'm looking hard elsewhere..

[DobStone]

It's awfully quiet from the VMware side. Quite a de-investment, having to step over to Parallels for such a simple thing as to use a webcam.