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Let's be honest... Who really uses FaceTime?

Mliii said:
I think Apple has a lot of 'help' in the way things don't seem to get fully integrated. If I recall correctly, Jobs mentioned something about working on carriers to carry FaceTime via 3g.
The Mac to iPhone4 implementation is still in beta and works effectively. I suspect we'll eventually see a PC version.
And since the relatively new iPods have FaceTime and the rumors of the new iPads include cameras, I would assume that FaceTime will get more robust with time.
Click to expand...

Oh I agree, it's not all Apple's fault. But at the end of the day it's their "revolutionary" product which ends up being just another gadget not many use. Facetime is one of those things which was just screaming to be in Apple's "It just works" hierarchy. You could get a 9 year old or a 90 year old to figure out how to make a phone call in seconds, but unless you are inside wifi and calling another iphone4 phone they will never figure out how to video chat.

If Apple wanted facetime to be ubiquitous they would have considered building a platform for all OSes, including all Mobile OS ie: Windows mobile, Android, palm, meego, etc etc., maybe they wouldn't get support across the board but they could at least make an app and distribute it to those app stores for example.

Sure it's still early, but there are a lot of apps which are catching on that do the same thing. I think its Qik, not sure if that's the right spelling, that Sprint included on my friends EVO. After being frustrated I couldnt video chat with him I found out I could download the Qik app for my iphone, and voila I was video chatting with him over 3g no less, why did I have to hurdle this obstacle in order to video call my friend?
 
There are two things which I miss in Face Time:
-ability to make voice calls only
-Face Time over 3g
I found an app which does both (Tango video calls) but the problem is that the other party has to have the app installed.
 
spinedoc77 said:
Oh I agree, it's not all Apple's fault. But at the end of the day it's their "revolutionary" product which ends up being just another gadget not many use. Facetime is one of those things which was just screaming to be in Apple's "It just works" hierarchy. You could get a 9 year old or a 90 year old to figure out how to make a phone call in seconds, but unless you are inside wifi and calling another iphone4 phone they will never figure out how to video chat.

If Apple wanted facetime to be ubiquitous they would have considered building a platform for all OSes, including all Mobile OS ie: Windows mobile, Android, palm, meego, etc etc., maybe they wouldn't get support across the board but they could at least make an app and distribute it to those app stores for example.

Sure it's still early, but there are a lot of apps which are catching on that do the same thing. I think its Qik, not sure if that's the right spelling, that Sprint included on my friends EVO. After being frustrated I couldnt video chat with him I found out I could download the Qik app for my iphone, and voila I was video chatting with him over 3g no less, why did I have to hurdle this obstacle in order to video call my friend?
Click to expand...

All very good points. And I'm 100% behind the 'just make it work universally' movement (didn't Jobs mention something about releasing FaceTime as an open standard?). As you pointed out, I DO think it's still early in the game as far as FaceTime is concerned. I hope it becomes far more robust and far more universal.
I've used Tango and my experiences with it have been a lot less positive than when I've used FaceTime. Very choppy. But then again, it works over 3g and that's great! I've also noticed that FaceTime can also be somewhat degraded if you're in an area where there is marginal wifi. And look, I know that video calling has been around for a very long time. But I like the idea of having it become a lot more ubiquitous. It's not for everyone or every call, but when sharing something visual is appropriate, I like the idea of having the same app on my phone and my computer, regardless of the phone or the type of computer I'm using.
 
Tons of my friends and colleagues here in Japan have iP4s but we never use FT because it's only WiFi. Were are waiting for native 3G capable FT. 2012 maybe.
 
I will use facetime once everyone else in my family is eligible to upgrade to the iPhone 4.

They are all stuck on the 3GS and weren't eligible for an upgrade. Once they are, I will be facetiming them constantly.
 
I used it recently for the first time to avoid a bad 3G connection.

I was in a hotel in Chicago on a business trip, and my iPhone there gets fine reception on the ground, but it seems like every hotel there has an AT&T blocker above the first floor. After numerous terrible phone connections home, I called my wife's iP4 from mine, and we did Facetime for the first real time (besides testing from two different rooms in the same house when we first got the phone).

We were blown away. It really felt like one of those commercials. Way more intimate (and not in a dirty way) than just a phone call. Will definitely do again on the next business trip.
 
I used it to communicate with someone in the US when I went to Jamaica in October. It was crystal clear. Everyone was sneaking a peak.

I also used it when I went to Canada. Everyone was passing it around the dining room table to talk with relatives in the US.

Do I use it all the time? No. At the same time, you have to remember that not all features will appeal to everyone. Some buy the iPhone and barely use it as a phone.

To each his own.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7E18 Safari/528.16)

I've used it a handful of times to contact family over holidays. It's nice.
 
Just an update to my earlier post in this thread...

I am using video more and more on my iPhone now - almost twice daily. However, I only use FaceTime very rarely these days. It has been replaced for my daily home calls with Skype video. This is simply based on ease of use for my wife/kids/remote family to use Skype on their laptops/desktops while I am on my mobile. It is also surprisingly easy to drop and reconnect from my laptop once I get home (nicely done Skype).

My work calls are almost always via ClearSea video now. This is simply due to it being the best SIP/H.323 business class video client currently available for the iPhone. I would love for there to be more competition on standards based video clients but, as of today ClearSea is way better than the others I've tested.

Overall I'd still say FaceTime is excellent at what it does but, the fact that it uses a proprietary wrapper and is still WiFi only limits its usefulness for me. And thankfully, we have other options now :)
 
Sounds like a me thread :)

And, really -- in regards to FaceTime or use of a front facing camera/photobooth on both an iPhone and iPad -- I wouldn't be sad if it didn't exist.

The only new feature that I personally care about in the new iPad is the high-res display. Other than that, my 1st gen iPad is just as good.
 
Since my GF got an iPhone 4, I've used facetime more in the past two weeks than the last 7 months combined. Plus being jailbroken, I don't have the wifi restriction so it's pretty useful.
 
Facetime is just another of Apple's failures... throw it on the pile with MobileMe, FinalCut X, Mini Displayport, iOS5/iCloud (when released :p)... etc etc.
 
Tested it with my father who owns an iPhone 4 just like me, but never used it ever since. I think people are just not into that kind of thing. I prefer a voice call or an sms exchange, but FaceTime? No thanks, but nice effort.
 
As a Dad that travels fairly often, even if just overnight, I love it, and use it, every time I'm away from home. Rather than phoning in my "love you, have a good nights", I facetime them on one of our home computers from whatever hotel I'm in. I love it, they love it, and it's much nicer than just "talk". :)
 
As more and more people buy iPad 2, iPhone 4, and the latest gen iPod Touch, I am using FaceTime more and more. I think it's a terrific feature, and I really wish they would unlock it for 3G usage.
 
I gave my parents a MacBook specifically so they could FT with their grandson. We use it multiple times a week.

I am going to be stoked when we aren't limited to WiFi FT.
 
Ashin said:
Facetime is just another of Apple's failures... throw it on the pile with MobileMe, FinalCut X, Mini Displayport, iOS5/iCloud (when released :p)... etc etc.
Click to expand...

Failure? Why because you don't use it?

Speak for yourself... I use it all the time. The only downside is that it only works on WIFI. Hoping that the next update in ios software will fix that. Until then apps like Tango will fill the need.
 
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