Skype STILL doesn't have video calling for iPhone/iPod touch... I thought Skype was about video calling
Me too. I wonder what's taking so long?
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I wish apple would release FaceTime standard already
- Thread starter Natesac
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Me too. I wonder what's taking so long?
Skype STILL doesn't have video calling for iPhone/iPod touch... I thought Skype was about video calling
That isn't what makes them money.
They want people to use Skype for phone calls.
Plenty of proprietary systems use very open standards, it doesn't mean that the systems themselves are open.
FaceTime requires a lot of things to work, all of which are NOT open.
I would think that Facetime has some unresolved issues thus far, so Apple is not ready to make a global push of the system, especially opening it up to third party clients.
Notice that Facetime for Mac OS X is still beta and hasn't been updated since it was offered, almost a month ago.
Typically there are two types of problems that may slow down Apple Re. Facetime:
- infrastructure: Apple might not be ready to handle several tens of millions Facetime users at this point.
- security: Facetime works in a way that traverses firewalls and that's surely a potential door for malicious exploits, like any peer-to-peer type of connection.
I'm sure that as soon as Apple is able to ensure a safe and seamless large-scale deployment, they will release everything and/or possibly step-in themselves to offer Facetime clients for other platforms.
Notice that Facetime for Mac OS X is still beta and hasn't been updated since it was offered, almost a month ago.
Typically there are two types of problems that may slow down Apple Re. Facetime:
- infrastructure: Apple might not be ready to handle several tens of millions Facetime users at this point.
- security: Facetime works in a way that traverses firewalls and that's surely a potential door for malicious exploits, like any peer-to-peer type of connection.
I'm sure that as soon as Apple is able to ensure a safe and seamless large-scale deployment, they will release everything and/or possibly step-in themselves to offer Facetime clients for other platforms.
Well, the whole point of the thread is that everyone would like to know more details on how it works
.I'm no expert, but I would guess the key "secret" is the process of initiating a connection between users, managing a handshake through the Apple ID framework.
As above, we don't really know!
Apple must be maintaining a database of phone numbers and email addresses. When you start a FaceTime call with someone (using their phone number for example), Apple looks up in that Database which iOS device should ring. Apple then needs to notify that device that a call is incoming - what if the device is offline, what if it isn't able to use Wi-Fi?
How does a phone even get added to this database? Some people report that a special text message is sent by an iPhone to activate FaceTime. Some carriers aren't allowing people to activate FaceTime by blocking these messages. How would this work with a 3rd party device?
I can't just put all of the technologies that Apple has said FaceTime uses into a phone and make a call. I'd need to know how to interact with this central database, among other things.
The central database seems to be simply the Apple ID system which also centralizes other services like iTunes stores, MobileMe, Developers Connection...
As far as I understand, the need for a SMS is to link a phone number to an Apple ID account.
With iPod Touch and Mac, the system points to an email address(es) linked to an Apple ID account. An Apple ID can actually cover several email addresses.
Users using Facetime for the first time with a specific phone # or email address are "activating" their phone number or email address to be recognized in Facetime and associated to a specific device.
I believe Apple had to accommodate with carriers (especially ATT) objections so that's why the process is somewhat convoluted for the iPhone (like not being able to identify by an email address but only by phone #).
If the called device is not connected to WiFi, the caller just gets a notification that the call was unsuccessful. The devices permanently run a "Facetime helper" or something like that in the background. As soon as the device is connected to internet, Apple is capable of "finding" it if someone calls. However, for the time being and on carriers request, they disable it for iPhones connected via 3G (otherwise there would be a massive drop in phonecalls minutes from iPhone users
).
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You can also register an email address as your FaceTime address, so there is definitely a way of doing it. Apple does have a system in the background doing things, the thing I don't like about the mac app, is it doesn't give any indication of availability or if your contact even has FaceTime or not.
3G video calling (supported by networks) has always been pretty poor and a bit of a gimmick. Apple launching FaceTime, making it work with iPod touches and the beta version on OSX, has expanded the video calling market massively. If they add it to the AppleTV, if an update can make it a USB host and they sell a companion camera for £25-£50, then they would unlock a bigger Market still. Of course, releasing an app for android/wm and an application for windows (linux for selfish reasons but wouldnt make much of a difference) would make it even better and have a huge market.
I just wish Apple/Google could find a way of removing the cell provider from the situation. I'd happily pay Apple or Google £50/month for a worldwide data plan with a VoIP service included in that.
I tried it once when I got my first 3G phone in 2004 and never used it again.
I also tried FaceTime once when I got my iPhone 4 and haven't used it since.
There's some hope that when/if the iPad gets Facetime camera, carriers will just have to release the block on 3G. With Verizon offering the MiFi solution already, if ATT persists at blocking Facetime on 3G, people will flock onto Verizon when it comes to Facetime on iPad. If a Verizon iPhone gets in the mix, the pressure will be even higher on ATT.
I tried it once when I got my first 3G phone in 2004 and never used it again.
I also tried FaceTime once when I got my iPhone 4 and haven't used it since.
Same here with the phone in 2004....
I do video call a lot now though, mostly on my computer on Skype, for about 2-4 hours an evening with my fiancée in New York while I'm in the UK, which isn't too comfortable...
I hope that is true. Anything that opens up FaceTime is a good thing from my point of view.
I DO find wifi increasingly available in public locations, but who wants to have 15 people FaceTiming from a cafe, restaurant etc? In those situations, I try to find a quieter place adjacent to where the wifi is and ride the signal. I'm amazed at how many public parks, etc have sufficient wifi bleed-over to catch the signal!
And I use FaceTime a lot to connect with family and friends across the globe.
This would probably not happen but Apple should just release a FaceTime app for Android. Like to one they use for the iPod touch.
6 month after I posted this thread and still nothing. That was 10 months ago when Jobs said they were going to make FaceTime an open standard.
http://www.apple.com/apple-events/wwdc-2010/ (right around an hour and 36 minutes)
Come on apple. 75% of my friends have forward facing cameras. I should be able to have quality FaceTime calls with all of them. All the apps to video chat with android either don't work or have horrible quality.
http://www.apple.com/apple-events/wwdc-2010/ (right around an hour and 36 minutes)
Come on apple. 75% of my friends have forward facing cameras. I should be able to have quality FaceTime calls with all of them. All the apps to video chat with android either don't work or have horrible quality.
not gonna happen and I dont think it should. FaceTime is a apple thing just like BBM is a blackberry thing.
Just use Tango and be done with it. I agree with you that FaceTime is better than Tango but Tango is better than everything else.
Since BBM is probably coming to Android and iOS soon. FaceTime needs additional support.