You're clearly not involved in live entertainment, so you're not making that choice. It's also a false choice, because Apple could easily preserve privacy while also making their hardware usable for live entertainment again. Just a couple ideas off the top of my head would be to allow the user to choose which display(s) have the indicator (defaulting to all displays, of course) or adding an additional permission level for applications that are already approved for audio input to not show the indicator.
It doesn't have to be an all or nothing situation if Apple is even remotely interested in addressing this use case, which they should be.
> if Apple is even remotely interested in addressing this use case, which they should be.
I think the reality is that the set of people who want the feature and who would use it in a live professional environment with expensive hardware and who can't afford a $100 dongle from BlackMagic is so close to the null set that Apple is unlikely to care.
For goodness sake, Apple's own HDMI dongle costs $70. Just spend $30 more and buy the BM one instead.
> You're clearly not involved in live entertainment
I used to be.
> It's also a false choice
Yes, yes it is. It's been like this for decades. Entertainers are expected to buy the most expensive hardware available even when they're just getting started. Conform or be stigmatized for using inferior technology. We're talking about an industry in which AudioQuest has no trouble selling passive 3m HDMI cables for upwards of $1k.
Maybe this is the first time Apple has stepped on your toes, but it won't be the last. Be prepared to fork over the cash for a specialized dongle you wouldn't need on any other platform, lest that orange dot mar your reputation.
Let's be real: this isn't going to harm Apple's sales in the slightest, and they know it. The only way they could possibly harm their reputation in the entertainment industry is by lowering their prices, opening up their ecosystem, and eliminating $1k monitor stands.
They know you'll ultimately cough up the dough for an adapter, no matter how much you complain. They know you don't have a choice. They get money from me, a privacy-conscious end user with a choice, and they get money from you, a disgruntled professional without a choice.
It doesn't have to be an all or nothing situation if Apple is even remotely interested in addressing this use case, which they should be.