It seems to me that Apple loses interest in some of its hobbies from time to time. This is understandable the company is designed to be able to focus on only a few products at a time. FaceTime, it would seem, is not one of those projects receiving a lot of attention now. After all, they haven't even released a standard for interoperability!
If Apple really wants to compete in the Skype space, why in the world did they make FaceTime a Snow Leopard only app? They can't seriously expect it to become a standard if the only ones who can use it are those with a latest generation Mac and a latest generation iPhone and iPod touch.
I have an older Mac (first Intel Core Duo) and I think it will falter with Snow Leopard so I don't want to upgrade.
My wife's MacBook is newer (first unibody) but she doesn't want to bother updating the OS because Snow Leopard does not have any compelling new feature she cares about. Don't really need Grand Central to surf and check email.
And my Brother and Sister have PC's.
So I use skype, not necessarily because it's "better" but because it works. And it works on 3G as well as Wi Fi.
I'm trying to live in the Apple garden, but they're not making it easy for me with FaceTime. Come on, Apple. Make this thing backward compatible, at least to Leopard users!
As you say, you just use Skype on the Macs to solve your problems for now. Hopefully iCloud will be better.
I recall Stevo saying FaceTime would be open source when he first announced it... No? Did they renege? But I do agree they should release a version for PCs and Android or open source it. IMO it does not give them an advantage keeping it only on iOS or Mac.
Completely agree. What does Apple intend to do with FaceTime only for Mac/iOS users? Do they think that's enough to be chosen as the default and prefered video chat for everybody? Everybody doesn't have a Mac/iOS device. How am I suppose to use FaceTime with my sister (in Las Vegas) if she only have a 1st Gen iPad and all her machines are PC's?
Before release FaceTime they should have bought Skype or at least Yahoo! Messenger to implement it there. Was Apple dreaming that every other video IM was going to implement FaceTime because of the millions and millions of iOS devices? hah! Dream on!!
But the most ridiculous thing is that FaceTime isn't integrated in their own IM iChat. iChat A/V!!! What were they thinking??? It is an obvious move at least.
When they announced that they had $50b in cash I thought: "Ok, time to buy Skype and Dropbox". Nothing. Plain stupid.
And now, FaceTime, the best A/V chat out there is alone in its Apple garden... Typical of Old Apple.
I hope they open their eyes and take action. There's still time.
8,000,000,000.00 USA dollars CASH FOR a company that made how much money last year ?
?
This purchase follows 2 or 3 other idiotic buys for tiny money less companies that have a name and thats all .
MICRO SOFT COULD spend 3 billion dollars and make their own SKYPE and give a free phone to each custer also . With the 5 billion left over they could buy apple stock and hold it for 5 yrs .
Was this a secret bidding war with google gone bad ???
Isn't there a law against being so stupid ??
9
ps Apples face time along with Apple TV could grow for little money spent by apple into a 300 million a year rev stream .
Completely agree. What does Apple intend to do with FaceTime only for Mac/iOS users? Do they think that's enough to be chosen as the default and prefered video chat for everybody? Everybody doesn't have a Mac/iOS device. How am I suppose to use FaceTime with my sister (in Las Vegas) if she only have a 1st Gen iPad and all her machines are PC's?
Before release FaceTime they should have bought Skype or at least Yahoo! Messenger to implement it there. Was Apple dreaming that every other video IM was going to implement FaceTime because of the millions and millions of iOS devices? hah! Dream on!!
But the most ridiculous thing is that FaceTime isn't integrated in their own IM iChat. iChat A/V!!! What were they thinking??? It is an obvious move at least.
When they announced that they had $50b in cash I thought: "Ok, time to buy Skype and Dropbox". Nothing. Plain stupid.
And now, FaceTime, the best A/V chat out there is alone in its Apple garden... Typical of Old Apple.
I hope they open their eyes and take action. There's still time.
Apple already has over 200 million devices with face time built in. So when the server farm grows up and bears fruit . Apple has then some key parts ready to offer free phone chat along with buying their nano phone .
They could also be attempting a built in VOIP client for WPx... but I doubt they have the clout with carriers to pull off something like that.
Umm Microsoft is pretty big customer to for the carriers in US and Canada. Plus with their Mediaroom IPTV platform being used in the two ILECs in Canada, i'm sure they can get some "backing".
Comments
If Apple really wants to compete in the Skype space, why in the world did they make FaceTime a Snow Leopard only app? They can't seriously expect it to become a standard if the only ones who can use it are those with a latest generation Mac and a latest generation iPhone and iPod touch.
I have an older Mac (first Intel Core Duo) and I think it will falter with Snow Leopard so I don't want to upgrade.
My wife's MacBook is newer (first unibody) but she doesn't want to bother updating the OS because Snow Leopard does not have any compelling new feature she cares about. Don't really need Grand Central to surf and check email.
And my Brother and Sister have PC's.
So I use skype, not necessarily because it's "better" but because it works. And it works on 3G as well as Wi Fi.
I'm trying to live in the Apple garden, but they're not making it easy for me with FaceTime. Come on, Apple. Make this thing backward compatible, at least to Leopard users!
As you say, you just use Skype on the Macs to solve your problems for now. Hopefully iCloud will be better.
Um.. for 1B I'll make a better than skype client!
could they even possibly overpay anymore?
Will you bring along a few hundred million customers and a strong brand at the same time? If so, you should have a chat with them.
I recall Stevo saying FaceTime would be open source when he first announced it... No? Did they renege? But I do agree they should release a version for PCs and Android or open source it. IMO it does not give them an advantage keeping it only on iOS or Mac.
Completely agree. What does Apple intend to do with FaceTime only for Mac/iOS users? Do they think that's enough to be chosen as the default and prefered video chat for everybody? Everybody doesn't have a Mac/iOS device. How am I suppose to use FaceTime with my sister (in Las Vegas) if she only have a 1st Gen iPad and all her machines are PC's?
Before release FaceTime they should have bought Skype or at least Yahoo! Messenger to implement it there. Was Apple dreaming that every other video IM was going to implement FaceTime because of the millions and millions of iOS devices? hah! Dream on!!
But the most ridiculous thing is that FaceTime isn't integrated in their own IM iChat. iChat A/V!!! What were they thinking??? It is an obvious move at least.
When they announced that they had $50b in cash I thought: "Ok, time to buy Skype and Dropbox". Nothing. Plain stupid.
And now, FaceTime, the best A/V chat out there is alone in its Apple garden... Typical of Old Apple.
I hope they open their eyes and take action. There's still time.
let's review .
8,000,000,000.00 USA dollars CASH FOR a company that made how much money last year ?
?
This purchase follows 2 or 3 other idiotic buys for tiny money less companies that have a name and thats all .
MICRO SOFT COULD spend 3 billion dollars and make their own SKYPE and give a free phone to each custer also . With the 5 billion left over they could buy apple stock and hold it for 5 yrs .
Was this a secret bidding war with google gone bad ???
Isn't there a law against being so stupid ??
9
ps Apples face time along with Apple TV could grow for little money spent by apple into a 300 million a year rev stream .
Completely agree. What does Apple intend to do with FaceTime only for Mac/iOS users? Do they think that's enough to be chosen as the default and prefered video chat for everybody? Everybody doesn't have a Mac/iOS device. How am I suppose to use FaceTime with my sister (in Las Vegas) if she only have a 1st Gen iPad and all her machines are PC's?
Before release FaceTime they should have bought Skype or at least Yahoo! Messenger to implement it there. Was Apple dreaming that every other video IM was going to implement FaceTime because of the millions and millions of iOS devices? hah! Dream on!!
But the most ridiculous thing is that FaceTime isn't integrated in their own IM iChat. iChat A/V!!! What were they thinking??? It is an obvious move at least.
When they announced that they had $50b in cash I thought: "Ok, time to buy Skype and Dropbox". Nothing. Plain stupid.
And now, FaceTime, the best A/V chat out there is alone in its Apple garden... Typical of Old Apple.
I hope they open their eyes and take action. There's still time.
Apple already has over 200 million devices with face time built in. So when the server farm grows up and bears fruit . Apple has then some key parts ready to offer free phone chat along with buying their nano phone .
Agreed that apple has to get moving on this.
peace
9
They could also be attempting a built in VOIP client for WPx... but I doubt they have the clout with carriers to pull off something like that.
Umm Microsoft is pretty big customer to for the carriers in US and Canada. Plus with their Mediaroom IPTV platform being used in the two ILECs in Canada, i'm sure they can get some "backing".
I have an older Mac (first Intel Core Duo) and I think it will falter with Snow Leopard so I don't want to upgrade.
You are seriously uninformed. Snow Leopard is LESS resource intensive than Tiger or Leopard. It should run BETTER on your Core 2 Mac.