Various embodiments of a novel smart webcam device in distributed circuit casings and cable-encapsulating neck structure are disclosed. In one embodiment, the novel smart webcam device has a bottom housing that contains a network communication-capable computing circuitry, a top housing that contains a webcam-specific circuitry (e.g. a camera lens and a camera processing unit), and a cable-encapsulating neck structure interposed between the bottom housing and the top housing that uniquely encapsulates a data communication and power cable, which connects a camera data interface in the bottom housing and a webcam unit interface in the top housing. Preferably, the top housing and the bottom housing are swivel-capable around the cable-encapsulating neck structure. The novel smart webcam device is internally capable of transforming raw multimedia data captured from the webcam-specific circuitry into processed multimedia data in standardized formats, and can also transmit the processed multimedia data over a data network.