Apple Announces FaceTime for iPhone 4 Video Calls
The iPhone 4 was officially announced at today's WWDC keynote event and Steve Jobs reserved the "one more thing" announcement at the end of the event to talk more about its video calling capabilities.
Video calling will require both parties to be using an iPhone 4. Video calls can be done with both the front and rear-facing cameras on the new device and requires Wi-Fi to work. Apple's protocol for video calling is called FaceTime and will apparently not use cellular data networks at all, thus the requirement for a Wi-Fi connection.
While describing the feature and its restriction to Wi-Fi only in 2010, Jobs said that they "need to work a little bit with carriers," presumably to make the feature available with cellular data connections in the future.
Video calling will require both parties to be using an iPhone 4. Video calls can be done with both the front and rear-facing cameras on the new device and requires Wi-Fi to work. Apple's protocol for video calling is called FaceTime and will apparently not use cellular data networks at all, thus the requirement for a Wi-Fi connection.
While describing the feature and its restriction to Wi-Fi only in 2010, Jobs said that they "need to work a little bit with carriers," presumably to make the feature available with cellular data connections in the future.
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26 months ago
Honestly, it wasn't worth the One More Thing announcement.
iPhone on Verizon, Safari 5 or Magic Trackpad would have been much more exciting. Really.
iPhone on Verizon, Safari 5 or Magic Trackpad would have been much more exciting. Really.
26 months ago
Honestly, it wasn't worth the One More Thing announcement.
iPhone on Verizon, Safari 5 or Magic Trackpad would have been much more exciting. Really.
agreed.
cool feature nonetheless. but the fact that its only sustained on wifi is a bit lame (although i have a feeling is mostly AT&T's fault). The biggest issue i see with it is IPHONE4 to IPHONE4 exclusitvity . at least iphone 3g/s should be able to see Iphone 4 users or use they're back cams.
26 months ago
At least I'm glad there is definitely going to be a front facing camera finally! This is quite useless to me though unless I can chat with my iChat buddies, or at least Skype. Hopefully Skype or another third party (AIM) will be able to tap into the front camera. WiFi only is also a shame. If I'm going to be on a WiFi network I might as well just use my MacBook Pro.
Was glad to hear they are making FaceTime an open standard, though. That will open the door for other app developers on mobile and desktop. We will probably see an iChat update with FaceTime... eventually.
It was never popular because it wasn't easy to do. Now all you have to do is make a phone call and tap the icon. Anyone who knows how to make a regular voice call is going to know how to make a video call now. And since it's open, it won't be iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 forever.
Was glad to hear they are making FaceTime an open standard, though. That will open the door for other app developers on mobile and desktop. We will probably see an iChat update with FaceTime... eventually.
Useless feature. Video chat was never popular — for good reason.
It was never popular because it wasn't easy to do. Now all you have to do is make a phone call and tap the icon. Anyone who knows how to make a regular voice call is going to know how to make a video call now. And since it's open, it won't be iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 forever.
26 months ago
The fact that video only works over WIFI is a major flaw. At the moment, the video is a gimmick. Not much better / useful than conferencing with Skype.
26 months ago
"Apple will ship tens of millions of FaceTime devices this year so there's going to be a lot of people to talk to."
They can't all be iPhones, so they must also be counting:
- Macs?
- iPod touches (needs camera, next gen)?
- iPads (needs camera, next gen)?
Thoughts?
They can't all be iPhones, so they must also be counting:
- Macs?
- iPod touches (needs camera, next gen)?
- iPads (needs camera, next gen)?
Thoughts?
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