Webcams nowhere to be seen

C920 HD. © Logitech.

Until now, most of us were using our webcams for personal purposes. Now that we’re “all” teleworking and looking to upgrade our camera, external webcams are impossible to find: builders and traditional retailers are sold out. Due to the lockdowns, NPD Group reported a 179% jump in webcam sales over the first three weeks of March. And human nature being what it is, third-party resellers on Amazon and eBay are asking for ridiculous prices. For example, the excellent Logitech C920 HD camera, usually sold for CAD100 but often available for much less from resellers (sometimes for as little as CAD40), is now being offered for CAD300 or even more on Amazon. A spokesperson for Logitech has said that the company is working to increase production and ease the crunch. In the meantime, most of us will just have to deal with a mediocre laptop camera. Happily, cellphone cameras can be used with most teleconferencing software, and the more recent handsets do come with decent-quality cameras.

⇨ The Verge, Chris Welch, “Webcams have become impossible to find, and prices are skyrocketing.”