FaceTime Ads Come to Europe as Feature Disappears in Middle East

[MacRumors]

According to a pair of reports from MacStories, several European countries have seen the debut of iPhone 4 commercials centered around the device's FaceTime video calling capabilities. The four new commercials are all set to Louis Armstrong's "When You're Smiling" and contain no voice-over text, making them appropriate for airing in multiple countries. The new commercials also close with carrier-specific branding in each of the countries where they have appeared, which include at least the UK, Italy, and Spain.

- Lion
- Football
- Wedding Dress
- Mum's Birthday

Meanwhile, users in the Middle East are finding issues with FaceTime in their countries. The controversy began there last week when it was discovered that Apple had removed some FaceTime-related promo materials on its localized sites for several countries in the region, suggesting that the feature may not be making a debut there.

At the present time, there appear to be mixed reports about the status of FaceTime functionality in many countries in the region, with some reports indicating that FaceTime is functional out of the box but that it becomes disabled upon updating to iOS 4.1. Other users have reported mixed results with a variety of methods for trying to get FaceTime working on their phones.

The reason for the apparent lack of FaceTime functionality is unclear at this time, with one rather confusing report claiming that Apple removed the feature based on a mistaken assumption that it wouldn't be permitted due to restrictions on VoIP services common in the region.

Article Link: FaceTime Ads Come to Europe as Feature Disappears in Middle East

 

[Blu101]

I wonder if facetime and facial recognition software can be used to find bad guys

 

[Stuipdboy1000]

I saw one in the UK for the first time a good month and a bit ago.

 

[bukalemun]

Turkey is included in the airings too.

 

[kyjaotkb]

same goes in France

France sees those ads too, since iPhone 4 has launched. Wonder what % of the ad is paid by the carriers btw... For those little logos (Orange, SFR and Bouygues Telecom all do it) Would be interesting to know...

As for the video calling being disabled in the Middle-East, that's quite sad... Same issue as a couple of months ago with the Blackberries...

 

[pcorajr]

I don't understand why apple is pushing Facetime so much...... Its situational and most of the time I do not want to see peoples face... most of them are ugly anyways.

90% of the time I'm texting the other 10% I'm using email to communicate with others. the last thing I want to do is get stuck in a facetime call....

 

[kyjaotkb]

most of them are ugly anyways.

that's oh-so-true

 

[infowarfare]

I don't understand why apple is pushing Facetime so much...... Its situational and most of the time I do not want to see peoples face... most of them are ugly anyways. .

Wow, maybe you should get better looking friends... or learn not to judge people so harshly.

 

[dba7dba]

I don't understand why apple is pushing Facetime so much...... Its situational and most of the time I do not want to see peoples face... most of them are ugly anyways.

90% of the time I'm texting the other 10% I'm using email to communicate with others. the last thing I want to do is get stuck in a facetime call....

It's something that looks cool. That's why.

I bet Apple won't be showing the facetime ads in South Korea, because face2face video talk over CELLULAR signal has been around for a FEW YEARS over there. I even saw someone using the service in an UNDERGROUND subway when I was visiting the place a few months ago.

 

[Green™]

most of them are ugly anyways.

Wow. You sound like a nice person to be around.

 

[paarsec]

It's been on the air for many weeks, at least in Sweden.

People are confused and asking me (knowing I'm a mac geek) how this is different from the 3G video calling that has been around for almost 10 years and works on most phones and all carriers. I can't really give them a good answer.

Am I really the only one not understanding the point of FaceTime?

 

[jeznav]

most of them are ugly anyways.

Ugliness is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[Porco]

The reason for the apparent lack of FaceTime functionality is unclear at this time, with one rather confusing report claiming that Apple removed the feature based on a mistaken assumption that it wouldn't be permitted due to restrictions on VoIP services common in the region.

The irony being - if only they had an easy way to talk this stuff through face-face without having to travel long distances... !!

 

[DreamLand]

UAE bans VOIP; that might be the reason why Apple does not support it there.

But Saudi Arabia does not have a VOIP restriction and still Apple blocked FaceTime?! I wish Apple allow FaceTime calling because there is no reason to restrict it.

 

[skunk]

The reason for the apparent lack of FaceTime functionality is unclear at this time

Facetime wearing a burka would seem rather pointless.

 

[g000]

does facetime over 3G work out of the box outside of the US? it would seem from some of the ads that wifi may not be available in some of those places.

hope AT&T removes that restriction soon. i guess theres always jailbreak.

 

[DreamLand]

Am I really the only one not understanding the point of FaceTime?

Free calling. I can talk with my family, who live abroad, for free.

 

[gorjan]

It's been on the air for many weeks, at least in Sweden.

Am I really the only one not understanding the point of FaceTime?

I don't see it either. The only way this could have been better than 3G video calls is if Apple made it work with iChat or had made a FaceTime for Mac/Windows app. That's the only thing I find lacking from 3G video actually as I live abroad and a video call from Copenhagen to Norway would have cost me my pants.

 

[x13gamer]

Hello middle east?

They are most likely going to be wearing some form of head gear (per their religion) so that you can't see their face anyway. Apple is probably renaming it "TurbinTime" (sounds like a cleaner).

 

[armhol]

I saw one in the UK for the first time a good month and a bit ago.

I'm in the UK and have seen a few facetime ads. One thing I have noticed is that the small print at the end of the ad says "Facetime requires iPhone4 and WiFi". Surely Apple should be pushing facetime on the iPod Touch just as much as on the iPhone4? Seem a bit misleading to me.

 

[j-a-x]

I assume that FaceTime still works in Israel and is only banned from the Muslim majority countries in the middle east?

 

[macadam212]

I saw one in the UK for the first time a good month and a bit ago.

They have been running in the UK since the launch of the iPhone 4! The music gets stuck in my head

 

[manu chao]

Free calling. I can talk with my family, who live abroad, for free.

Skype is free as well and has been available on computers for more than five years and on the iPhone for well over two years (though I felt the iPhone 3G had too slow a processor or too slow a WiFi connection for it).

 

[jamesraward]

I still don't really understand what the big deal is about it. They're touting it as though they've come up with the concept when it's been around for years.

 

[Mr. Dee]

Started showing Jamaica

They starting showing the ad here on my local TV stations CVM and TV J. They are showing the one with the soldier and his pregnant wife or girlfriend.

Carrier: Claro Jamaica.