Dictation on Macbook with the lid closed disabled - This is a deliberate security feature!

This is one of the more 'stupid' features of the Macbook hardware I've found.

I always used the dictation feature on OSX for typing out messages and memos, and it's a really handy feature.

Until now dictation has always worked for me, now I've found any External Microphone is disabled if you have the LID CLOSED on your macbook (clamshelled).

Obviously 'clamshelled' is how I prefer to work as I use an external display, keyboard as many Macbook users do. However after doing some searching and reading I finally found this change is 'by design'.... its a security feature.

It's called Hardware Microphone Disconnect.

Hardware microphone disconnect - Apple Support (CA)

Surely, I should be the one to decide if this is a security feature I want to utilise, but as it's hardware enabled so I guess I'm out of luck. Besides If anyone really wants to goto the effort of recording me with some malicious software they're not going to discover much. This is not really a legitimate or realistic concern or scenario.

I think the whole issue could be remedied with (call me crazy) a thing called a physical switch or button.

So in order to use my external mic, I have to have the macbook open, which is super annoying as I now have 2 screens and invarably lose windows on the other macbook screen which I dont normally use.

For a company that prides itself on usability and accessibility this is a major fail and let's be honest... this is a stupid feature that should be user enabled.

*I agree to accept the 'extremely unlikely' but an identified vulnerability on Mac.