Connectix QuickCam (1994-1998)

Connectix QuickCam

🥇First Commercially-Released Web Cam 

The Connectix QuickCam, launched in October 1994 for $99, was the world’s first widely marketed webcam and a masterpiece of doing more with less. Shaped like a stylized eyeball sitting in a small triangular base, the original Macintosh version connected to a computer's serial port and captured grainy images in just 16 shades of gray. Because early computer ports couldn't handle the massive data required for high-speed video, the QuickCam relied on clever internal software to compress the images and deliver a choppy, but miraculous, 15 frames per second. This quirky little camera introduced the public to the mind-blowing concept of video calling years before high-speed internet was standard, cementing the round "eyeball" design as a prized artifact of early internet history.

Source: eBay.com