facetime is pointless because.....

[LizKat]

FaceTime is not pointless, I agree. Now: Maybe. But in a year or two it's going to be:

1. On 3G
2. Available on other phones (It's going to become an Industry Standard)

So then it will be awesome. Now it's pretty useless but someone had to start somewhere, didn't they?

Ams.

EXACTLY. Apple rolls out stuff today that was on a drawing board 2 years ago. What some early-adopting dreamers may think to want in another 18 months is something that was pitched in Apple pre-design meetings sometime last year. Any company out there asking around in a largely passive-reactive marketplace about what people would like to see next from consumer-product developers is hopelessly behind the curve of a company like Apple. It's about not letting the bean counters sit in on the brainstorming sessions. It's about getting very good bean counters to oversee supply chain issues but stay the heck out of design meetings.

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to pinch the production costs of this brilliant idea, not to tell me no one will buy the proposed product at any price..."

It takes a board with like ideas and strong nerves to support execs with vision. The planet seems a bit short of them lately.

 

[masterlimp]

So your telling my your father can't plug a USB webcam in? Most usb drives auto install themselves when plugged in. I'm 100% sure it comes with instructions. Even a monkey can google or youtube how to install a webcam. You make exaggerated points... fly out there to plug a webcam into a usb slot?!?!?

webcams these days are plug and play. not to mention they come with printed and picture directions.

If your father cannot figure out how to install something as trivial as a plug and play webcam that configures itself (and has nobody around to even ask), then he is utterly screwed when it comes to buying an iphone and setting up an itunes sync.

Setting up an iPhone is just as, if not more involved than a webcam. You have to plug it in and install drivers (although it would likely be plug and play, just like the webcam....). And then install software. With an iPhone, you have to also make an itunes account, e.g. before you can even use it.

Your logic is really failing.

 

[austinjw]

My father is as much of a noob with computers as you are to this forum.

But that is to be expected, when someone like my father is a back country farmboy living out in the country in Oklahoma.

In short, don't judge him based on what he knows or doesn't know about computers. You don't know the guy.

My points are valid, and are as valid as others that people have come up with here. Outside of the fact that it gives us the MOBILITY. We don't have to be stuck in front of a computer for my father to see him, or any relative to see their family. Can you do that on a webcam stuck to a desktop computer? I dare you to say yes.


BL.

lol, you can do it with a netbook very easily, or a laptop. In fact most, if not all, decent laptops/netbooks come with a webcam and they're very portable. The fact is that if you want decent mobility with a webcam on a phone, then you should buy an Evo. You can use that to video chat nearly anywhere in the united states with anyone, on any platform in the world. If you want to have the best quality video chat, then buy some sort of computer. The point is that the iphone doesn't do anything very well video chat wise when compared to its competitors. It's mobility is severely hampered by the necessity for wifi, and its quality cannot compare to the quality of a desktop/laptop. I really don't see how anyone can think the new iphone, which won't be out for a number of weeks, is the best option for video chat RIGHT NOW. if you really want your father to see your kids, buy a webcam. He doesn't need a webcam to see your son, all he needs is another computer, and he has one. But it just seems like you're intent on proving that the iphones limited video chat is the best out there. If you truly want to be restricted to wifi only, iphone to iphone video chat right now, then there are any number of "situations" which make that the best option out there. For the majority of people who desire to video chat with other people, there have been, and will be, many better options.

 

[TrickyTree1984]

In the UK 7 years ago i made a video call from my nokia to a friends sony ericsson, on 3g, even accross networks. But now i can do it restriced to wifi, iphone 4 to iphone 4! What could be more amazing! Truley unbeleivable!

How can people take steve seriously. He is talking out of his arse!

 

[yukycg]

I can think of places where you only have wifi available instead of 3g and facetime can come in handy:
1.oversea hotel and u can video back home
2.on the plane with wifi equipped
3.at a foreign city where it covered by wifi, you and your family member got lost, you can video call and let other party easier to locate you.

 

[ldkaplan]

It's rediculous, you HAVE to be calling an iPhone 4 which not many people will have seeing as it's expensive, and you HAVE to be in a wifi hotspot, it's just a gimic.

From what I read, Apple is trying to make this an open standard. Then it can be any device to any device.

I think a lot of people must think a finished product starts as a finished product. Believe it or not, there are actually iterations done. It's funny because a lot of people said the first gen iPhone was a gimic.

Put on the thinking cap and think how the networks would handle a flood of new data traffic on the 3g network. It has nothing to do with AT&T, it would cripple any carrier. You open the gates a little, see how it looks, then go a little more. I'd rather be able to continue making calls then to have the network collapse because everyone with a smartphone is ichatting their mom/girlfriend/dog.

 

[austinjw]

I can think of places where you only have wifi available instead of 3g and facetime can come in handy:
1.oversea hotel and u can video back home
2.on the plane with wifi equipped
3.at a foreign city where it covered by wifi, you and your family member got lost, you can video call and let other party easier to locate you.

Why not have the choice? 3g/4g + wifi? I can do it at some hotel abroad, on the off chance they have free or decently price wifi. But i can also do it pretty much anywhere in the us. Win Win!

 

[bradl]

Why not have the choice? 3g/4g + wifi? I can do it at some hotel abroad, on the off chance they have free or decently price wifi. But i can also do it pretty much anywhere in the us. Win Win!

Because you haven't looked at how much it currently costs at a given carrier. From an article posted at AppleInsider:

Why FaceTime is WiFi only

What FaceTime does on the iPhone is make video chat easy to initiate and use over the Internet, in high quality. In addition to running into the same problems with trying to get video chat to work across NAT boundaries, getting FaceTime to work on the less reliable, limited bandwidth of 3G mobile networks would be too high of a barrier, mainly because mobile networks are currently still vastly expensive to use.

Existing video chat phones that work over 3G networks typically charge between .50 and a dollar per minute, which is not going to fly in mass adoption. Additionally, video calls are certainly not going to work on Apple's home state AT&T network, which is having enough difficulty placing phone calls.

For now, the iPhone's new FaceTime feature is limited to WiFi, with the suggestion that this will change sometime after 2010 and the carriers warm up to the idea and dramatically enhance their coverage while lowering their prices.

However, most people who want to place video calls will be able to access WiFi at their home or office, making the limitation less of an issue. It's also interesting that Apple is pioneering video chat as a VoIP application rather than tethering the service to mobile carriers. That positions the iPhone (and the iPod touch) as potential devices to challenge the voice-centric nature of today's mobile networks. As next generation LTE mobile networks emerge, their IP-based connectivity will likely shift mobile networks from telephony to simply being wide area, broadband data providers.

So your Win/Win would become an instant turnoff for those being stuck with paying through the nose for this over 3G. When LTE comes down the pipe and more voice calls go to it's IP based structure, this will excel.

lol, you can do it with a netbook very easily, or a laptop. In fact most, if not all, decent laptops/netbooks come with a webcam and they're very portable.

Go back and read my posts again. 1. I already have a company issued laptop, used for work only. It would be stupid and redundant for me to carry around yet another laptop for something else. You honestly think carrying 2 laptops would get you through somewhere like airport security? Try it without being questioned.

He doesn't need a webcam to see your son, all he needs is another computer, and he has one.

You honestly must not be a parent, otherwise you would recognize the sheer stupidity in what you just wrote. You're saying that if you had a child, you would want your father to see your child, but your child would be incapable of seeing his grandfather.

If your father cannot figure out how to install something as trivial as a plug and play webcam that configures itself (and has nobody around to even ask), then he is utterly screwed when it comes to buying an iphone and setting up an itunes sync.

Funny, he seems to have iTunes already taken care of, but you must know so much more about my father than I do.

Finally, the ultimate reason why this isn't pointless: my mother's neighbour, PFC in the Army with a gov't issued laptop, gets the chance to see his newborn son for the first time, immediately after his wife gives birth, while dodging and taking bullets for you to have the right to say that Facetime is pointless.

BL.

 

[Bobajobbob]

I'm assuming that Facetime will rapidly evolve into iChat Video for iPhone or be integrated into iChat and other apps like Skype.

As it stands it is a bit of a gimmic however integrate it into iChat and then it has a raison d'etre, at least in my opinion. Only when I can vid iChat to all my contacts and not only those with iPhone 4s who happen to be in wifi range will it have real utility.

Over 3G would be a bonus but having had 3G enabled video phones for years before the iPhone came out I can tell you I can count on one hand the number of times I wanted to and actually achieved a video call. Maybe it will work better on the iPhone but given that bandwidth is the issue and 3G tech really sucks I'm not sure even Apple can solve this one.

 

[WoodNUFC]

Because you haven't looked at how much it currently costs at a given carrier. From an article posted at AppleInsider:



So your Win/Win would become an instant turnoff for those being stuck with paying through the nose for this over 3G. When LTE comes down the pipe and more voice calls go to it's IP based structure, this will excel.



Go back and read my posts again. 1. I already have a company issued laptop, used for work only. It would be stupid and redundant for me to carry around yet another laptop for something else. You honestly think carrying 2 laptops would get you through somewhere like airport security? Try it without being questioned.



You honestly must not be a parent, otherwise you would recognize the sheer stupidity in what you just wrote. You're saying that if you had a child, you would want your father to see your child, but your child would be incapable of seeing his grandfather.



Funny, he seems to have iTunes already taken care of, but you must know so much more about my father than I do.

Finally, the ultimate reason why this isn't pointless: my mother's neighbour, PFC in the Army with a gov't issued laptop, gets the chance to see his newborn son for the first time, immediately after his wife gives birth, while dodging and taking bullets for you to have the right to say that Facetime is pointless.

BL.

I agree with you 100% throughout the thread. You have hit the nail on the head. Facetime is something I'm VERY excited about. Now I'll be able to video chat with my girlfriend, and my best mate while I'm home in the states. This will be miles more convenient than webcams and skype, because I'll just have to sign in to wifi and have connectivity. Being tied to a computer and webcam limits the amount of communication i can have with the important people in my life.

For those who want to be limited to a notebook + webcam, be my guest, but this is fantastic for me and my long distance relationships.

 

[austinjw]

Because you haven't looked at how much it currently costs at a given carrier. From an article posted at AppleInsider:



So your Win/Win would become an instant turnoff for those being stuck with paying through the nose for this over 3G. When LTE comes down the pipe and more voice calls go to it's IP based structure, this will excel.



Go back and read my posts again. 1. I already have a company issued laptop, used for work only. It would be stupid and redundant for me to carry around yet another laptop for something else. You honestly think carrying 2 laptops would get you through somewhere like airport security? Try it without being questioned.



You honestly must not be a parent, otherwise you would recognize the sheer stupidity in what you just wrote. You're saying that if you had a child, you would want your father to see your child, but your child would be incapable of seeing his grandfather.



Funny, he seems to have iTunes already taken care of, but you must know so much more about my father than I do.

Finally, the ultimate reason why this isn't pointless: my mother's neighbour, PFC in the Army with a gov't issued laptop, gets the chance to see his newborn son for the first time, immediately after his wife gives birth, while dodging and taking bullets for you to have the right to say that Facetime is pointless.

BL.

Based on your previous posts, it seems that you live in America. If that's the case, then the article you quoted is completely irrelevant. I'm pretty sure only one phone, the Evo, currently uses video chat here and the ability to use it over 3g/4g is included in your data plan. No extra costs for video chat minutes. If you buy the phone, then you're able to video chat whenever and wherever you want.

And no, I'm not a parent, but if it's so important for your parents to see your son, then why make them wait another 2 weeks? You can buy a webcam for less than 20 bucks right now and your dad could see your son in less than an hour. I'm not saying that apple isn't providing a solution for your problem, all I'm saying is that if the problem was so dire, then you would've solved it already with any number of much better solutions out there right now. Yea the new iphone will give you added mobility, but it's still very restricted. The evo, out right now, will give you the added mobility without any restrictions at all. And, like I said before, a webcam attached to a computer will give you the best overall video quality. I just fail to see how the new iphone provides a better experience than anything else out right now. I mean that's just my opinion, obviously you disagree though.

 

[austinjw]

I agree with you 100% throughout the thread. You have hit the nail on the head. Facetime is something I'm VERY excited about. Now I'll be able to video chat with my girlfriend, and my best mate while I'm home in the states. This will be miles more convenient than webcams and skype, because I'll just have to sign in to wifi and have connectivity. Being tied to a computer and webcam limits the amount of communication i can have with the important people in my life.

For those who want to be limited to a notebook + webcam, be my guest, but this is fantastic for me and my long distance relationships.

I dk why you weren't video chatting with your gf already, that seems like a pretty standard thing for long distance relationships these days. For those who want to be limited to wifi and iphone to iphone video chatting, then this is a viable solution. Though that also limits the amount of communication you can have. Fact is there are better mobile options out right now that don't inhibit you at all...

 

[kaputsport]

And no, I'm not a parent, but if it's so important for your parents to see your son, then why make them wait another 2 weeks? You can buy a webcam for less than 20 bucks right now and your dad could see your son in less than an hour. I'm not saying that apple isn't providing a solution for your problem, all I'm saying is that if the problem was so dire, then you would've solved it already with any number of much better solutions out there right now. Yea the new iphone will give you added mobility, but it's still very restricted. The evo, out right now, will give you the added mobility without any restrictions at all. And, like I said before, a webcam attached to a computer will give you the best overall video quality. I just fail to see how the new iphone provides a better experience than anything else out right now. I mean that's just my opinion, obviously you disagree though.

I am going to use my first post to make a statement.

It seems the ever failing idea is that those that want to use the capabilities of a phone, and use it correctly are looked upon as "wrong", while the pessimist is the one coming out ahead.

Facetime is not pointless by any stretch of the imagination. There are 3 scenarios I can see this excelling at...

1: Any families with members across the country, who would like to video chat, and those that do no have or want a webcam.
2: Soldiers who want to see thier family moving, in action, while they do what they can to stay alive
3: Deaf people can now make phone calls

Just because you are a little butt hurt that AT&T is not making this option available to everyone over a stressed and dying network does not mean that the idea is pointless. I would much rather use wi-fi whenever possible.

Fact of the matter is that anyone around wi-fi can make a facetime call, and those not around, cannot. Simple, and to the point. Don't like it? Cry to your friends about it while playing playstation, or walking to school. It shows not only your maturity level, but your inability to see things for the future, and how OTHER people are affected, not just YOU.

Get over yourself, and move on. Your comments are tired and pointless.

 

[Stardotboy]

The whole 3G/WiFi issue is a moot point.

Facetime is pointless because everyone wants to see who they're talking to, but nobody wants to be seen*

*your mileage in the definitions of "everyone" and "nobody" may vary, but probably not that much

 

[austinjw]

I am going to use my first post to make a statement.

It seems the ever failing idea is that those that want to use the capabilities of a phone, and use it correctly are looked upon as "wrong", while the pessimist is the one coming out ahead.

Facetime is not pointless by any stretch of the imagination. There are 3 scenarios I can see this excelling at...

1: Any families with members across the country, who would like to video chat, and those that do no have or want a webcam.
2: Soldiers who want to see thier family moving, in action, while they do what they can to stay alive
3: Deaf people can now make phone calls

Just because you are a little butt hurt that AT&T is not making this option available to everyone over a stressed and dying network does not mean that the idea is pointless. I would much rather use wi-fi whenever possible.

Fact of the matter is that anyone around wi-fi can make a facetime call, and those not around, cannot. Simple, and to the point. Don't like it? Cry to your friends about it while playing playstation, or walking to school. It shows not only your maturity level, but your inability to see things for the future, and how OTHER people are affected, not just YOU.

Get over yourself, and move on. Your comments are tired and pointless.

haha, maybe you should actually read what I wrote. I never once said Facetime was pointless. I'm sure plenty of people will use it and benefit from it. Having the option to video chat, even if the option is severely limited, is better than having no video chat at all. My only point is that it's not nearly as effective as it could or should be. A company as innovative as Apple could've definitely provided the world with a better video chatting option right now. And i'm not butt hurt, or whatever other juvenile terms you want to use. Like any mature consumer, I'll vote with my wallet and just won't buy the new Iphone. Choice is a beautiful thing. Some people will choose a video chatting platform that is severely limited, some will choose the ability to chat more freely and some won't choose to video chat at all. Whatever works for you.

 

[ajvizzgamer101]

its only on wifi! i can do the exact same thing on my macbook pro. or i can tether my JB 3gs and video chat ANYWHERE on my 3g network. until the iphone 4 can "facetime" over 3g network its just as normal as the video chat we use every day on our computers. end rant.

Over time it will get 3G and it will be an industry standard.

 

[iPunish901]

The whole 3G/WiFi issue is a moot point.

Facetime is pointless because everyone wants to see who they're talking to, but nobody wants to be seen

this sums up facetime imo


and im not sure if it has been brought up, but ill do it. i can also see facetime expanding the use of "sexting"

 

[kaputsport]

Many apologies, as it was not directed all towards you, however your horse is getting a little high and mighty there...

My only point was, appl ecreated something which has the capability to do so much, but are limited by the network which the device is on. Apple does not control AT&T, and never will. Verizon will never be controlled either.

Please do vote with your wallet. Make your choice and stick to it, however I question the motive. If you are eligable and ready for an upgrade, and could use a new phone, is this one feature keeping you from it cause "it won't do it everywhere"?

I for one was looking forward to the idea of video chat, but it was not a selling point to me. I guess that is the difference between "mature" people and grown ups. I bought one of the very first iPhones on the market because I found the device to be extremely useful. I could receive email, and text messages, and make calls. To this day, I still have that first 2G phone, and I use it daily. I have jailbroken it, and unjailbroken it. I have dropped it, and polished it, and taken very good care of it considering that 3 years ago it was new.

I am buying the phone as a replcement for a phone that has served me well. Is Facetime making the decision for me... No. I would use the new one regardless. I like the the new camera, and other options. Facetime is icing on the cake.

 

[Sweetbike40]

i wouldn't say pointless but very limited unless there is wi-fi around.

 

[BeyondtheTech]

You know someone's going to try to apply the Unrestrictor on it...

Either that or with the "reverse" setup I spoke about in another MacRumors thread, and you'll always have Wi-Fi with the iPad 3G running MyWi...

Also, I emailed Mr. Jobs himself with a website I found, though he probably has legions of minions doing searches for him. GooderVideo can make very choppy video look incredibly smooth.

http://www.goodervideo.com/products/MP.html

Take a look at the sample video shot at 4 frames per second, then applied with their MotionPerfect technology. If Apple could buy them out and harness their technology, I think we could see 3G video calling in the US much sooner. Of course, the carrier will always find a way to exploit and extort additional monies from us, so I'm happy with it being free and over Wi-Fi for now.

 

[austinjw]

Many apologies, as it was not directed all towards you, however your horse is getting a little high and mighty there...

My only point was, appl ecreated something which has the capability to do so much, but are limited by the network which the device is on. Apple does not control AT&T, and never will. Verizon will never be controlled either.

Please do vote with your wallet. Make your choice and stick to it, however I question the motive. If you are eligable and ready for an upgrade, and could use a new phone, is this one feature keeping you from it cause "it won't do it everywhere"?

I for one was looking forward to the idea of video chat, but it was not a selling point to me. I guess that is the difference between "mature" people and grown ups. I bought one of the very first iPhones on the market because I found the device to be extremely useful. I could receive email, and text messages, and make calls. To this day, I still have that first 2G phone, and I use it daily. I have jailbroken it, and unjailbroken it. I have dropped it, and polished it, and taken very good care of it considering that 3 years ago it was new.

I am buying the phone as a replcement for a phone that has served me well. Is Facetime making the decision for me... No. I would use the new one regardless. I like the the new camera, and other options. Facetime is icing on the cake.

No, video chatting isn't really influencing my decision at all. i rarely video chat on the computer and I'll probably only use it on a phone every once in a while. It's just another example of how Apple limits the overall utility of their products. And some people may say it's AT&T, not Apple. Well it's Apple's business model, they chose AT&T and whatever negatives come with it. I mean the iphone is a great phone, but I'm just tired of all the restrictions. I have an ipod touch, which I love, so getting a different phone isn't that big of a deal. I'm probably going to buy the evo in a few days. The new iphone just does feel like an incremental upgrade and imo, the evo is already a better phone and the iphone isn't even out yet. I was shocked that there wasn't some big surprise or anything, it's basically what we've known for the past month or so. I really have to question apples once a year upgrade too. If there's already a phone just as good, if not better, than their new phone, how can they possibly wait a year and watch the competition pass them by?

 

[Fran-tastic]

You all are getting in a pointless argument.

This sentence is where pointless should be used.

Here's a better statement:

FaceTime is a nice feature to a have and in some cases could be use that are better than others; however, would be better if could be possible to use over 3G, which anyway we would eventually have next year.

 

[bstpierre]

also did you notice you were the ONLY person who 100% disagreed with me.

and thats why you fail.

and dont tell me you or your father dont have computers with webcams.

He is the only one who posted about it, he isn't the only one to disagree with you.

You think he is lying about not putting a webcam in his father's computer?

 

[bradl]

Why not have the choice? 3g/4g + wifi? I can do it at some hotel abroad, on the off chance they have free or decently price wifi. But i can also do it pretty much anywhere in the us. Win Win!

Because you haven't looked at how much it currently costs at a given carrier. From an article posted at AppleInsider:

Why FaceTime is WiFi only

What FaceTime does on the iPhone is make video chat easy to initiate and use over the Internet, in high quality. In addition to running into the same problems with trying to get video chat to work across NAT boundaries, getting FaceTime to work on the less reliable, limited bandwidth of 3G mobile networks would be too high of a barrier, mainly because mobile networks are currently still vastly expensive to use.

Existing video chat phones that work over 3G networks typically charge between .50 and a dollar per minute, which is not going to fly in mass adoption. Additionally, video calls are certainly not going to work on Apple's home state AT&T network, which is having enough difficulty placing phone calls.

For now, the iPhone's new FaceTime feature is limited to WiFi, with the suggestion that this will change sometime after 2010 and the carriers warm up to the idea and dramatically enhance their coverage while lowering their prices.

However, most people who want to place video calls will be able to access WiFi at their home or office, making the limitation less of an issue. It's also interesting that Apple is pioneering video chat as a VoIP application rather than tethering the service to mobile carriers. That positions the iPhone (and the iPod touch) as potential devices to challenge the voice-centric nature of today's mobile networks. As next generation LTE mobile networks emerge, their IP-based connectivity will likely shift mobile networks from telephony to simply being wide area, broadband data providers.

So your Win/Win would become an instant turnoff for those being stuck with paying through the nose for this over 3G. When LTE comes down the pipe and more voice calls go to it's IP based structure, this will excel.

lol, you can do it with a netbook very easily, or a laptop. In fact most, if not all, decent laptops/netbooks come with a webcam and they're very portable.

Go back and read my posts again. 1. I already have a company issued laptop, used for work only. It would be stupid and redundant for me to carry around yet another laptop for something else. You honestly think carrying 2 laptops would get you through somewhere like airport security? Try it without being questioned.

He doesn't need a webcam to see your son, all he needs is another computer, and he has one.

You honestly must not be a parent, otherwise you would recognize the sheer stupidity in what you just wrote. You're saying that if you had a child, you would want your father to see your child, but your child would be incapable of seeing his grandfather.

If your father cannot figure out how to install something as trivial as a plug and play webcam that configures itself (and has nobody around to even ask), then he is utterly screwed when it comes to buying an iphone and setting up an itunes sync.

Funny, he seems to have iTunes already taken care of, but you must know so much more about my father than I do.

Finally, the ultimate reason why this isn't pointless: my mother's neighbour, PFC in the Army with a gov't issued laptop, gets the chance to see his newborn son for the first time, immediately after his wife gives birth, while dodging and taking bullets Kandahar or Kabul, for you and the OP to have the freedom and the right to say that Facetime is pointless.

BL.

 

[Lenxal]

No, video chatting isn't really influencing my decision at all. i rarely video chat on the computer and I'll probably only use it on a phone every once in a while. It's just another example of how Apple limits the overall utility of their products. And some people may say it's AT&T, not Apple. Well it's Apple's business model, they chose AT&T and whatever negatives come with it. I mean the iphone is a great phone, but I'm just tired of all the restrictions. I have an ipod touch, which I love, so getting a different phone isn't that big of a deal. I'm probably going to buy the evo in a few days. The new iphone just does feel like an incremental upgrade and imo, the evo is already a better phone and the iphone isn't even out yet. I was shocked that there wasn't some big surprise or anything, it's basically what we've known for the past month or so. I really have to question apples once a year upgrade too. If there's already a phone just as good, if not better, than their new phone, how can they possibly wait a year and watch the competition pass them by?

that would be totally different if Gizmodo didn't leak the iPhone. :/ sigh.