[MikeUt]

> a reasonable step for Microsoft to protect and improve their brand.

That MS chose to mandate cameras instead of hardware off-switches or disabled Management Engine backdoors to "protect their brand" should tell you everything.

[nucleardog]

That the vast majority of consumers care whether they can video chat with their family, and not whether there's some non-free microcode running in their computer?

I would assume that is self-evident.