Apple Video Camera and iChat Updates

[MacRumors]

ThinkSecret reports (http://www.thinksecret.com/news/videoconf.html) that Apple is working on video conferencing in the new iChat as well as a possible video camera introduction:

While many specific details are largely unconfirmed, multiple sources also suggest that the company plans to announce some sort of video camera to complement the video-enabled iChat.


Previous confirmation of Video Conferencing iChat (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2003/02/20030227234459.shtml) appeared in February, and vague reports (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2003/04/20030421115609.shtml) of a communication device.

[Sonofhaig]

I can't wait to see this ichat version.
Video camera too? Interesting.....

[JohnStrass]

I initially thought this would be lunacy to have Apple compete in the world of videocams. However, a cheap ($50) webcam under the apple brand with apple software/support would be a great addition. I am a fickle use, and would pay the apple premium for a no-hassle product. Good move.

[pyrotoaster]

Rebirth of the QuickTake? Or are talking about something more like a cheap webcam, here?

First Think Secret tells us about some kind of radically different OLED screen iPod, and now this. The video conferencing is no surprise, but some kind of camera unit? Interesting...

[Mr.Hey]

Please Please H.264 H.264

[Swinny]

Fantastic...nice Apple branded little digital camera type thingy that plugs into my new iPod for strorage and talks perfectly to iChat and iPhoto...great stuff.

....bet it never appears.

[jouster]

If it does, it won't be $50, unfortunately....

[pyrotoaster]

Originally posted by Swinny
Fantastic...nice Apple branded little digital camera type thingy that plugs into my new iPod for strorage and talks perfectly to iChat and iPhoto...great stuff.

....bet it never appears.
You've gotta love optimism, though. ;)

Seriously (just to speculate a bit), if Apple made an actual hard drive based digital camera it would be the best thing to happen to digital cameras in years.

Remember Steve said he isn't entering the Phone market (thank God!) because Apple can't improve phones enough. But I'm pretty sure Apple could do some great things for cameras.

Here's hoping! :D

[kansast]

Hard to imagine what Panther will be like.. seems like they've been busy with the updates.. Updated iTunes, updated Quicktime, iSync, iMovie, suspect an updated Safari soon ? and on and on. Trying my best to hold out for a new machine.. hopefully 970 chip ? and new Panther OS ..

[funkywhat2]

Video camera built into the monitor of the iMac, and Studio Displays, the top fram of the screen on the iBook and PowerBook. Like the Sony VAIO Picture Book.

Maybe this is what the new port on the PowerMac motherboards are for, because the ADC USB connections wouldbe too slow, and then you would be required to buy an Apple monitor.

[Blackcat]

It's a 5MP digital camera...

...I know this because I just bought a C5050Z. :D

[kylos]

This has been apparent ever since someone found the camera icon unused in the iChat resources.

[moosecat]

For what it's worth, TS also mentions an iPhoto revision tied to the new camera. Perhaps it is more than a webcam then? (Or at least a webcam that is capable of taking higher resolution images than the typical cheap webcam?)

Also, it doesn't sound like we'll have long to wait -- TS says development on this stuff is to be wrapped up before WWDC.

This is looking to be a very exciting month. Look at the rumors on the MR front page -- a bunch of interesting stuff.

[jholzner]

Also notice that the article states that there will be support for addition IM protocols! Yahoo? MSN? ICQ? Most likely it's ICQ since AOL owns it but the other too would be great.

[ldkaplan]

Worthless if I can't video chat with peecee users. I love my Mac, but lets say that many of my friends and family are not as enlightened.

[robotrenegade]

How about making iChat work better then just added more **** most of us won't use.

[Kid Red]

I don't think there's anything that prevents any mac user from video conferencing with PC users. It's all about the software, so if there's a mac/pc version of the software there's no issue.

[Sonofhaig]

Originally posted by robotrenegade
How about making iChat work better then just added more **** most of us won't use.

What's wrong with ichat as it is now?
And why wouldn't "most" of us use the new version?:o

[electric]

I have been waiting for this,

I purchased a web cam about a year ago and found out it only worked for PC. I recently learned about the maccam plugin and was able to get the camera working with OS X. I then jumped on the net trying to find video conference software, only to find out there is no sound support. Hopefully the ichat/ camera rumor is true, so I can move on and bang my head against another wall. It wouldnt be so bad except I have one of those PC loving friends that likes to needle me about my love for the mac and is contantly asking me if my web cam works yet, of course when I say "no I havent found software yet" he replies with our favorite tune...."should have bought a PC". It would be nice to show and tell him how much more I love my mac.

[sweetaction]

Originally posted by Sonofhaig
What's wrong with ichat as it is now?
And why wouldn't "most" of us use the new version?:o

give me more than one row to type text into. that would be a start.

[jethroted]

I'll just hook up my trusty old GL1! That thing make a wicked web cam with zooming and special effects!

[mangoman]

Apple building a camera again? Nahhhh.

[ear2ear]

Originally posted by JohnStrass
However, a cheap ($50) webcam under the apple brand with apple software/support would be a great addition.

Lets just say I won't get my hopes up for that price tag.:D

[jimthorn]

A simple Apple-made webcam is exactly what I've been waiting for... The few webcams that work on OS X are *ugly*. Something with some style that works with the iLife apps and iChat.

[synthetickittie]

Im with robotrenegade on the fact they need to do a lot more to ichat then just add things (bu I do think video is something that should deffinitly be in it) because the stuff thats there now need a lot of work. First off the part about only typing into one line in annoying and I cant have a profile and I cant even check someones profile without putting them on buddy list (my buddy list is maxed at 200 so I kinda need that). There are plently of other things people of mentioned before also...

[SilentPanda]

Originally posted by jholzner
Also notice that the article states that there will be support for addition IM protocols! Yahoo? MSN? ICQ? Most likely it's ICQ since AOL owns it but the other too would be great.

This might also be of interest...

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/06/04/instant.messaging.reut/index.html

[MetallicPenguin]

Wow! If all this is true then....wow, with all the other stuff I don't see why Apple shouldn't be on top. I wonder what the camera would look like if they make one. And I hope it supportsmore of the AIM features like sending your buddy list because I keep telling my friends I can't and that I can't warn anyone, etc.

[Blackcat]

Logitech make Apples mice, so why not a webcam?

[Codemonkey]

... about single-line iChat input, get a clue! You make Mac users look lazy and intolerant! Go to google, type in a few keywords (you don't need to be a rocket scientist either: "ichat haxie more lines input" works fine...), and VOILA:

http://www.unsanity.com/haxies/ape/

(it's called iChat enhancer - you have to read a little to find it)

Seriously, stop embarrassing yourselves! Do it for your Mac Community!

[AppleMatt]

Does anyone remember the early webcams for the Sony Vaio's?

They were small, rectangular, very neat, and had a wire that hooked over the top of the laptop. An Apple one of those would be sooooo nice.

And I'd love to use iChat for MSN instead of 13-bounce MSN messenger (although the logging function they stole from MSN plus is a very nice addition)

AppleMatt

edit: Bluetooth webcam! Go Apple! found a pic of the Sony, not as nice as I remember, Apple could do better.

[andyduncan]

Originally posted by Mr.Hey
Please Please H.264 H.264

well if they are in fact working on this that would make sense. Quicktime 6.3 has h.264 listed as one of it's new supported codecs.

[TreeTruckie]

I can name a very important fix lacking in iChat:

When AIM users send me a message, and I've marked myself "Away", they do not receive a reply message with my Away message. Instead they think I'm ignoring them.

My mother thinks that I'm selectively choosing who I will and won't chat with. This displeases her a great deal.

Please, please, please -- at the bare minimum get iChat features up to par with AIM if both services are to be interoperable.

[MetallicPenguin]

I noticed that as well, and it's really annoying as no one I know can see my away message.

[Codemonkey]

Originally posted by MetallicPenguin
I noticed that as well, and it's really annoying as no one I know can see my away message.

You may want to keep an eye on:
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/19638

It sounds a little rough around the edges in it's current state, but if it matures faster than the iChat.app, then it might be a viable solution!

[Mudbug]

Originally posted by Codemonkey
... about single-line iChat input, get a clue! You make Mac users look lazy and intolerant! Go to google, type in a few keywords (you don't need to be a rocket scientist either: "ichat haxie more lines input" works fine...), and VOILA:

http://www.unsanity.com/haxies/ape/

(it's called iChat enhancer - you have to read a little to find it)

Seriously, stop embarrassing yourselves! Do it for your Mac Community!

While I agree with the letter of this law, I disagree with the spirit. We should be willing to help each other, not berate each other. Taking a little time out of your day from time to time to find little machacks and fixits and things will not only prove to better your enjoyment of your mac, but will also prove to be fun as well. I strongly suggest everyone when they're done with the boards here go visit macosxhints.com (http://www.macosxhints.com/), since there is a veritable smorgasborg of information about your OS that you probably didn't know existed.

I've attached a screen shot of a basic iChat window with the input lines increased to 5 - it helps, and I found out about the hack from macosxhints.com (http://www.macosxhints.com/).

[Sonofhaig]

Originally posted by Codemonkey
... about single-line iChat input, get a clue! You make Mac users look lazy and intolerant! Go to google, type in a few keywords (you don't need to be a rocket scientist either: "ichat haxie more lines input" works fine...), and VOILA:

http://www.unsanity.com/haxies/ape/

(it's called iChat enhancer - you have to read a little to find it)

Seriously, stop embarrassing yourselves! Do it for your Mac Community!

Thank you. I thought it was just me.

[MM2270]

Originally posted by pyrotoaster
Seriously (just to speculate a bit), if Apple made an actual hard drive based digital camera it would be the best thing to happen to digital cameras in years.

Remember Steve said he isn't entering the Phone market (thank God!) because Apple can't improve phones enough. But I'm pretty sure Apple could do some great things for cameras.

Here's hoping! :D

That won't happen I'm afraid. you see, there was avery logical reason why Apple entered the MP3 player market. It wasn't just because Steve loves his music. It was also because NO ONE out there was doing it right, and Apple took charge and made an MP3 player the way people wished they could be- small, stylish, incredibly easy to use, with high capacity.

The way i see it, the digicam market is totally flooded with dozens upon dozens of cameras and makers. If Apple were to enter this, it would have to be absolutely midblowing for the general public to take notice, and unfortunately, any cam coming from Apple would prolly be really expensive too. I just don't think it woul dbe good for Apple to compete against makers like Sony, Nikon, Olympus, etc. Just too much competition to make it worth their while I'm afraid. I mean, I love the comcept you propose, but I really don't think Apple will do it.

On the other hand, a small webcam type device that hooks up into iChat with no muss and fuss would be VERY cool indeed. Let's hope TS' sources are accurate with this one.:D

[Codemonkey]

Originally posted by MM2270
That won't happen I'm afraid. [SNIP]

On the other hand, a small webcam type device that hooks up into iChat with no muss and fuss would be VERY cool indeed. Let's hope TS' sources are accurate with this one.:D

I absolutely agree with your post. And to add to that, sooner or later, most people, whether they're in the market or not for a digital camera (read: wants as opposed to needs), will already have one.

If they had entered the market 3 years ago, then there might be some sense in it.

It'd be like them entering the PDA market now. :-P

[blob.DK]

While many specific details are largely unconfirmed, multiple sources also suggest that the company plans to announce some sort of video camera to complement the video-enabled iChat



please guys - think. Were do people chat ? On the mobile. What kind of gadget have cameras ? the mobile. What software was just updated (among others) to support pictures to and from mobile phones and their cameras ? Answer left as an exercise for the reader ;)

[psxndc]

Originally posted by Codemonkey
... about single-line iChat input, get a clue! You make Mac users look lazy and intolerant! Go to google, type in a few keywords (you don't need to be a rocket scientist either: "ichat haxie more lines input" works fine...), and VOILA:

http://www.unsanity.com/haxies/ape/

(it's called iChat enhancer - you have to read a little to find it)

Seriously, stop embarrassing yourselves! Do it for your Mac Community!


Ummm.... you just proved his point: iChat by itself isn't good enough. You have to go and hack around it. I don't know about the limiting lines of text or whatever, but my iChat is dirt slow. I enter text, it thinks, and then responds. Blech. Add in the lack of protocols, tabs, and that it seems like every other chat out there for mac in general is better. iChat in it's current out of the box implementation leaves a lot to be desired. The one thing it does have going for it though is integration with the Address Book.

-p

[Codemonkey]

Originally posted by psxndc
Ummm.... you just proved his point: iChat by itself isn't good enough [snip]

"Isn't good enough" and "doesn't work" are two very different worlds when you're talking about software development. I'm not sticking up for iChat's lack of features or whatever, but simply put: if people put as much effort into complaining on message boards into finding solutions, then well... you get the point.

I understand that it wouldn't be nearly as fun for some people, though. :D

[evoluzione]

Originally posted by pyrotoaster
You've gotta love optimism, though. ;)

Seriously (just to speculate a bit), if Apple made an actual hard drive based digital camera it would be the best thing to happen to digital cameras in years.


there's already digital cameras available with hard drives built in, i believe using the same drives as are found in the iPod.





as i posted in a cellphone thread....SonyEricsson Z1010 has two cameras built in to it, one for pics like "normal" phones, and one facing you for video conferencing, now, with the new QT6.3gpp component, that makes me think that this is all tying together nicely, using iChat Video on a cellphone maybe?

[macguymike]

It would be cool if the AppleCam (iCam?) was compatable with Windows, too.

Wouldn't be too surprising, either considering the port of iTunes/iTMS and rumors of Safari being ported.

We are Apple. Resistance is futile.

:D :rolleyes:

[suzerain]

Originally posted by Codemonkey
I'm not sticking up for iChat's lack of features or whatever, but simply put: if people put as much effort into complaining on message boards into finding solutions, then well... you get the point.


Yeah, and if it wasn't a half-assed program, you wouldn't have to waste time needlessly insulting people because they don't feel like doing Apple's work.

I have a quicker solution: I don't use the program. And I have no problem with people not wanting to waste time applying 'haxies' to make a program work like it should in the first place.

But maybe those of us who actually demand quality from a company are the crazy ones. :rolleyes:

[justathought87]

just a thought,

there seems like there are too many thing coming out for the WWDC. my thought is that they will probably save some of these things for later. either that or many of them are rumors

not to state the obvious of course :)

[sticky]

Someone raised the difficulty of sharing a video link between and Mac and a PC - there is a program called SquidCam that does a pretty good job of it.

I've listed all the video conferencing software for OS X that I can find on my homepage:

http://homepage.mac.com/john_kenn/video.html

I'm looking forward to adding iChat v2.0 there!

[cryptochrome]

What bugs me about iChat is that it only does one kind of chat - instant messaging - and doesn't do the other kind of chat - chatrooms. So it's great if it could do Yahoo Messenger, but it should tie into yahoo chat as well. Along with all the others, and in particular the mother of all chat programs, IRC, which is supported passably well by Snak on OS X and nothing else.

[Codemonkey]

Originally posted by suzerain
Yeah, and if it wasn't a half-assed program, you wouldn't have to waste time needlessly insulting people because they don't feel like doing Apple's work.

I have a quicker solution: I don't use the program. And I have no problem with people not wanting to waste time applying 'haxies' to make a program work like it should in the first place.

But maybe those of us who actually demand quality from a company are the crazy ones. :rolleyes:

Haha. Name me one chat app on either platform that 100% of the people are satisified with.

Exactly.

We learn to make due, improvise and in the end, griping just turns your hair gray and cuts your life expectancy down. Plus! Plus! Get this: the people who can actually make a difference - they aren't listening to these forums! Isn't that a kick in the pants! So, unless you're submitting feedback directly to Apple (or anything else you can do to help them build their software), I seriosuly think sucking it up and fixing what we can ourselves is a perfectly valid solution.

[suzerain]

Originally posted by Codemonkey
Haha. Name me one chat app on either platform that 100% of the people are satisified with.


Well, to get this back on topic: you're absolutely right.

I think the original poster was saying that there's a difference between not satisfying 100% of the people, and, like, making a text input field non-resizable, or not even providing a way to organize your buddy list (which is kinda difficult when you have over 100 chatting friends). Beyond that, I personally have experienced instability issues with iChat, and that's always inexcusable, regardless of who makes the program.

Right now I use Fire, only because it seems to be the best of the lot in terms of connecting to multiple services. The official AIM software is awesome because it allows you to apply actions and scripts to almost anything (such as when a particular person signs off or on). And, I use Yahoo! Messenger for videoconferencing with some friends who are on that.

So, I echo the original poster's post. I welcome the new features, but I still won't use iChat if it's as unpolished as it is currently.

Even you have to admit (I hope), if you compare iChat 1.0 with iTunes 1.0, there's no comparison, in terms of polish; iChat was obviously rushed out the door.

As for video: I hope it's interoperable with Yahoo!'s service, because I do have some Windows-using friends and clients that use that program for its webcam feature, which works quite well, I must say.

[pyrotoaster]

Originally posted by cryptochrome
What bugs me about iChat is that it only does one kind of chat - instant messaging - and doesn't do the other kind of chat - chatrooms. So it's great if it could do Yahoo Messenger, but it should tie into yahoo chat as well. Along with all the others, and in particular the mother of all chat programs, IRC, which is supported passably well by Snak on OS X and nothing else.
Actually, iChat does allow large chats. It looks and feels almost exactly like a two-person IM, but you can have many more people.

[Ja Di ksw]

I'm with the people who think that iChat has been seriously lacking in a few areas that Apple has simply ignored. I will admit that I use it, I just think that I shouldn't have to go to 3rd parties for things as simple as getting my away message to pop up, or to be able to use a decent amount of lines to type in. I also hate how it has no profile, how other's away message disappears when they go idle, or how sometimes it will take awhile to realize that someone has logged off. Again, I use it, I just load it with fixes that others have made. I just wish Apple would make it good enough that I wouldn't have to rely on others to do that

[IndyGopher]

Originally posted by sweetaction
give me more than one row to type text into. that would be a start.
why is that a problem? Do you often use words that won't fit on a single line? I hear this complaint a lot, and I have never understood why people need a larger window.

[Windowlicker]

Originally posted by IndyGopher
I have never understood why people need a larger window.

Because sometimes messages are easier to write in more than just one line (writing a list for example)..

I'd like to use iChat, but as long as it doesn't support icq (and here's where we lack a good software) I have no use for it :P

[IndyGopher]

Originally posted by Windowlicker
Because sometimes messages are easier to write in more than just one line (writing a list for example)..

I'd like to use iChat, but as long as it doesn't support icq (and here's where we lack a good software) I have no use for it :P
that would be a use for a larger window, but it would also be more in the spirit of email, at least to my way of thinking. Either way, it would nice if Apple gave you the option of resizing the window.

[Timothy]

Does anyone actually want to use Video chatting? I may use it on occassion, but it would be novel, and not constant.

And, until iChat can chat with Yahoo...I won't even take a look at it.

The chat world remains too fractured among competing formats to be taken seriously.

[sticky]

Originally posted by Timothy
Does anyone actually want to use Video chatting?

Two kinds of people:

* Perverts, ;-)
* People who want to see loved ones.

I use it regularly to see my daughter 4000 miles away.

I've used it to let my mother see my brother working in India, and my other brother in New Zealand.

The Internet - and video chatting - is a wonderful, wonderful thing.

[Sonofhaig]

Originally posted by sticky
Two kinds of people:

* Perverts, ;-)
* People who want to see loved ones.

I use it regularly to see my daughter 4000 miles away.

I've used it to let my mother see my brother working in India, and my other brother in New Zealand.

The Internet - and video chatting - is a wonderful, wonderful thing.

Are you and your family using Macs?
If so, what software are you all using?
Quality? Sound or text?
I presume you're looking forward to what Apple may be offering with ichat...
I've never used video chatting. I don't know what to expect. Thanks...

[springscansing]

iChat should be adium with file transfer ability.

That would be the ultimate IM client. Adium is amazing and much more mac-like than iChat.

[boobers]

http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/18544

compatible with netmeeting and its free. Even if ichat has video conferencing..if its not supporting netmeeting then forget it.

[pyrotoaster]

Originally posted by springscansing
iChat should be adium with file transfer ability.

That would be the ultimate IM client. Adium is amazing and much more mac-like than iChat.
But you've got to admit that iChat has a sleek little easy-to-use interface.

Yeah, iChat 2 is probably going to be quite a bit better, though. There's definitely room for improvement.

[springscansing]

iChat has an easy interface because it offers you practically no options. You can't even have a profile. It's the biggest joke from apple in a long time.

[Codemonkey]

You all are very, very funny.

Does ANYONE remember what MSN Messenger 1 was like? How about ICQ ver. 1?

Come on people. :rolleyes:

It's a 1.0 release. Do you buy a 1.0 release of a car? Riiiiight. Do you buy a 1.0 release of a Microsoft OS? Riiiight. Do you buy a 1.0 release of an Apple OS? Well, probably. But we're still complaining about that fiasco. :-P

Seriously. It's chat software. Not mission critical business apps, or productivity apps (heh - more like an unproductivity app), or even part of the iLife suite.

springscansing: Show me, point by point why adium might even possibly be better than iChat (We're talking about UI, user experience, and NOT about features or stability: BOTH are subjective). And if you can't or won't - then all you're entitled to is your opinion, for you. Not the rest of us.

My opinion: iChat is low-resource, fast, basic and clean like all my other OS X apps. It works beautifully in a business environment with inline graphics (good for instruction, explanation, file distribution and illustration), archived conversations and stability. The file transfers work through PIX firewalls (and other third party firewalls) too. Every other chat app that has file transfer capability (which, incidentally took MSN over 3 versions to implement - seems pretty basic, eh?) has failed to accomplish.

And of course, this is just my opinion. :D

[kjwebb]

Apple making another camera???
Could be good depending on the design (and what type of camera)

I remember at Primary School, my school was 95% all macs and they had the QuickTake (or QuickCam or whatever it was). Nice camera for a thing so bulky. The first digi-cam i can remember

[sticky]

Originally posted by Sonofhaig
Are you and your family using Macs?


yes, and i wrote it all up here:

http://homepage.mac.com/john_kenn/video.html

summary: SquidCam, and it's not great because there is a modem at one end rather than broadband all the way.

Maybe apple are just going to badge one of the existing $100 Firewire webcams out there. Be nice if they made their own that matched the look of the hardware.

[Foocha]

When Steve Jobs announced the iPod, he outlined a strategy as follows (paraphrased):

"We started building iApps to compliment digital devices

"Now we've decided to build devices that compliment our iApps, and we're starting today with music."

This is as close as Steve Jobs gets to a hint. If they started with music, and they talked about "devices" that can surely only mean one thing: a stills camera, video camera, DVD player, Tivo-alike...

I would say that a camera is certainly not beyond the bounds of possibility, providing that it differentiates from the competition in some way and tightly integrates with the other iApps.

I recall a lot of posters in this forum moaning about the iPod when it was released, saying it was too expensive, it would be a flop, if was nothing new or innovative and that they wanted a PDA. Time has proved them wrong. Let's see if the same comes to pass with these camera rumors.

[Wardofsky]

ThinkSecret have been on a roll lately, iPods, iSync 1.1, Keynote 1.1 so this is a pretty backed up rumor.

[whooleytoo]

Originally posted by Kyle?
This has been apparent ever since someone found the camera icon unused in the iChat resources.

It's funny just how often that happens; Apple had the 3GPP file associations and icons in QuickTime several releases ago, but support only arrived with 6.3.

Mike.

[tychay]

Originally posted by andyduncan
well if they are in fact working on this that would make sense. Quicktime 6.3 has h.264 listed as one of it's new supported codecs.

Just for reference, QuickTime and 3GPP (http://www.apple.com/mpeg4/3gpp/) which can be downloaded (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/3gpp/).

The future is good. :)

[beigeboy]

Well I hope Apple do videoconferencing right and recognise that everybody these days is behind some sort of firewall and/or NAT.

To make Netmeeting work through a firewall you have to open up 10 million ports on the router or expose the whole machine. It's a royal pain in the ass and makes Netmeeting unsuable in practice.
How many people use Netmeeting on PCs in practice? It's too hard and the image quality is lousy. 'Buy a Polyphon' people say - but a modern PC ought to be able to encode images fast enough esp. with Altivec!

Now if Apple could make videoconferencing 'just work' - transparently through firewalls - that would be a winner.

[Sonofhaig]

Originally posted by sticky
yes, and i wrote it all up here:

http://homepage.mac.com/john_kenn/video.html

summary: SquidCam, and it's not great because there is a modem at one end rather than broadband all the way.

Maybe apple are just going to badge one of the existing $100 Firewire webcams out there. Be nice if they made their own that matched the look of the hardware.

Sticky- Thanks for the link. Very informative. I'm going to see what Apple does this month. If the ichat software doesn't work out, I might try your suggestions. Thanks again!

-Phd

[Doraemon]

Originally posted by pyrotoaster
Rebirth of the QuickTake? Or are talking about something more like a cheap webcam, here?

ThinkSecret says it's something like the QuickTime Conferencing Camera (http://www.theapplemuseum.com/index.php?id=tam&page=misc&subpage=video_qtcam) not a digital photo camera.

[sticky]

Originally posted by Sonofhaig
Sticky- Thanks for the link.
-Phd

It's worth pointing out that if you have broadband at both ends, SquidCam is very impressive. There are an incredible number of tweaks and adjustments you can use, very high picture quality. There is even a video answering machine.

I have a modem and a slow-ish iBook at one end, DSL and a G4 iMac at the other, and the results are variable. I don't point my finger at SquidCam, it's mostly just physics! There is only so much information you can push down a telephone wire at 56K. Results using NetMeeting over the same wires weren't great either.

It's defintely worth trying SquidCam out if you have Macs and cameras - firewire connected Camcorders work great! - and want to see who you are talking to. Plus, there is a PC version, it's still under active development and it has a very interactive author, so if you have ideas for features you should email him.

[mactastic]

I really want a way to transfer pictures from my digicam to an ipod without a computer involved. Then I could really travel and take all the pictures I ever wanted without buying extra CF cards. I'd rather spend that money on an ipod anyway. I can't see apple making a still camera of their own, there's just not enough room for improvement, what with my tiny little PowerShot. Plus the digital camera market is not too terribly large. Alot of people I know already have one or more of them. What apple did with the ipod was to take something that you didn't think you needed and turned it into something you absolutely had to have. But a videocamera would be cool, there is definetly room for improvement there, and not very many people see them as a necessary item yet. In a few weeks though, that may change!

[FaasNat]

Originally posted by jholzner
Also notice that the article states that there will be support for addition IM protocols! Yahoo? MSN? ICQ? Most likely it's ICQ since AOL owns it but the other too would be great.
It would be interesting to see what other protocols it supports. The addressbook already has fields for other IM screen names. I just hope iChat will support buddy groups as that's the main reason why I'm not using it.

[MetallicPenguin]

I use it all the time, the only thing that bugs me is that away message thing. And not being able to send files to people on PC's and stuff. The only reason I'm not using it now is because it for some reason won't show my buddy list, etc. Then I just deleted it. I'm calling support tomorrow.:p

[boobers]

Where as ohphone connects to netmeeting.

[prin]

http://www.squidsoft.com/squidcam/download.cfm


There has been a PC version for a while. A newer Mac beta was just released yesterday.

[psxndc]

Originally posted by Codemonkey
[SNIP]simply put: if people put as much effort into complaining on message boards into finding solutions, then well... you get the point.


Seriously though, I would LOVE it if Apple (I know it won't happen and I know the reasons... I'm just saying) open sourced some apps like iChat. I guarantee I personally would put some effort into improving it. And I would have no problem with a model like the BSDs where I make improvements, submit them to Apple, and Apple has the final say over whether they are incorporated or not. I know I'd do a lot less complaining and more fixing. :-)

-p

[psxndc]

Originally posted by Codemonkey
Haha. Name me one chat app on either platform that 100% of the people are satisified with.


I gotta call you on this one: Trillian Pro for Windows. Everyone I know uses it and loves it. Not Trillian Freeware which has some problems, I'm talking Trillian Pro. It's awseome and supports every protocol except Jabber, which no one I know uses (but I'm sure some do and thus they'll break your 100% constraint). I wish iChat was half as good as Trillian. But you're right: it's chat. It's not like it's iDefribulator and mission critical so some suckiness in a 1.0 release is acceptable. My gripe is just that it's been 1.0 for a while now and chatting is something people do a lot of. I feel that it warrants more attention from the developers than it appears to be getting (but for all I know iChat 2 will replace the need for telephones. Who knows?)

-p

[macnews]

Any one noticed the article was removed at request of apple? I haven't had time to go through all the old posts.

[MetallicPenguin]

Well that means one thing: Apple is bringing video conferencing and a Video Conferencing Camera to market!

[boobers]

Originally posted by prin
http://www.squidsoft.com/squidcam/download.cfm


There has been a PC version for a while. A newer Mac beta was just released yesterday.

Thanks for the heads up...but alas it still costs money.
Dats da booty of ohphone
its freeeeee!!!!

[MetallicPenguin]

Does no one care? It has been confirmed! Video conferencing and Apple is making a camera!

[MacKid]

I think it would be a pretty good move for Apple. It would be nice if they had a clippy-type-sorta-thingy since all recent Apple displays are pretty thin. And, it would work seamlessly of course, and it would be nice because it would probably pulsate when you have an IM or turn red when you're "Away" or some Apple-trademark-touch-thing like that. . .



Whoa, imagination, get back here, easy boy!!!

:cool: