Facebook, Skype team up for video calling to compete with Apple's FaceTime
Facebook announced on Wednesday that it is partnering with Skype to bring video calling to the social networking service, a feature that will compete with Apple's own FaceTime.
The new video calling feature was unveiled by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at a presentation at his company's headquarters on Wednesday. It was unveiled alongside two other new features: group chat, and a redesigned chat and friends list interface.
Zuckerberg said Facebook's partnership with an outside company like Skype, which was recently bought by Microsoft, is important because it represents his company's belief that individual applications are best created by those who specialize in them. He said implementing Skype technology is a better option than Facebook attempting to create its own sub-standard services.
"We build the infrastructure, we're years ahead in wiring it up, and we're going to enable folks to build world-class apps on top of that," he said of his company's strategy.
Facebook engineer named Philip Su gave a run-down of the new video call feature. One click to a video call button in a Web browser brings up a call. Wednesday's live demonstration of the service was conducted on a Mac.
Su showed how the video chat is enabled by downloading an applet in a browser with just two clicks. He said most users on a broadband connection should be able to download and enable the service within 30 seconds.
Video chat will begin rolling out today, and Facebook has touted the ease of use with Skype integration, which will make it possible for non-technical users to engage in video chat.
"No separate accounts, no separate websites to go to," Su said. "The download is small and easy."
Of course, Apple has its own video chat protocol designed to be simple and easy for end users: FaceTime. That Apple-only service is available on iOS devices with forward-facing cameras, namely the iPhone 4, iPad 2, fourth-generation iPod touch. It can also be used on Macs with Apple's FaceTime application.
But while FaceTime is available on mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad, Zuckerberg said Wednesday that Skype video chat in Facebook is a Web-only feature "for now," meaning it will not be available in Facebook's iPhone application.
Zuckerberg promised more products set to launch in the coming weeks and months. He referred to this period as Facebook's "launching season" of 2011.
One product likely to launch is an official Facebook application for iPad that is said to be in the works. Last month, The New York Times said that the social network would release an application optimized for the 9.7-inch display of the iPad.
Facebook is also said to be at work on a secret HTML5-based Web application platform dubbed "Project Spartan." One rumor last month claimed that Apple is helping Facebook to the development of the project.
The new video calling feature was unveiled by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at a presentation at his company's headquarters on Wednesday. It was unveiled alongside two other new features: group chat, and a redesigned chat and friends list interface.
Zuckerberg said Facebook's partnership with an outside company like Skype, which was recently bought by Microsoft, is important because it represents his company's belief that individual applications are best created by those who specialize in them. He said implementing Skype technology is a better option than Facebook attempting to create its own sub-standard services.
"We build the infrastructure, we're years ahead in wiring it up, and we're going to enable folks to build world-class apps on top of that," he said of his company's strategy.
Facebook engineer named Philip Su gave a run-down of the new video call feature. One click to a video call button in a Web browser brings up a call. Wednesday's live demonstration of the service was conducted on a Mac.
Su showed how the video chat is enabled by downloading an applet in a browser with just two clicks. He said most users on a broadband connection should be able to download and enable the service within 30 seconds.
Video chat will begin rolling out today, and Facebook has touted the ease of use with Skype integration, which will make it possible for non-technical users to engage in video chat.
"No separate accounts, no separate websites to go to," Su said. "The download is small and easy."
Of course, Apple has its own video chat protocol designed to be simple and easy for end users: FaceTime. That Apple-only service is available on iOS devices with forward-facing cameras, namely the iPhone 4, iPad 2, fourth-generation iPod touch. It can also be used on Macs with Apple's FaceTime application.
But while FaceTime is available on mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad, Zuckerberg said Wednesday that Skype video chat in Facebook is a Web-only feature "for now," meaning it will not be available in Facebook's iPhone application.
Zuckerberg promised more products set to launch in the coming weeks and months. He referred to this period as Facebook's "launching season" of 2011.
One product likely to launch is an official Facebook application for iPad that is said to be in the works. Last month, The New York Times said that the social network would release an application optimized for the 9.7-inch display of the iPad.
Facebook is also said to be at work on a secret HTML5-based Web application platform dubbed "Project Spartan." One rumor last month claimed that Apple is helping Facebook to the development of the project.
Comments
OH WAIT, NO ONE CARES ABOUT ACTUALLY BEING COMPATIBLE.
FaceTime is BUILT IN to every (current) iOS device and every Mac running Lion,
But you don't have to use it.
plus you don't have to give Facebook or Microsoft any of your information.
To use video, you do. For both of them. And FaceTime. It's the same all around.
FaceTime is BUILT IN to every (current) iOS device and every Mac running Lion, plus you don't have to give Facebook or Microsoft any of your information.
Apple has your email address and/or you phone number credit card info and other things if you use facetime also.
This hardly competes with Facetime. Seeing as how Apple doesn't make any money off FaceTime, they probably couldn't care less which videochat service you use. FaceTime exists so there is always, at the very least, a built-in, easy to use service. Apple built Facetime in order to not depend on anyone else for key services.
I would have to totally disagree. It does compete with Factime. The more users Facebook gets to use Skype the more relevant the Skype platform becomes. What it does is marginalize Facetime. People who may not have used Skype in the past will not get a account and eventually use it elsewhere too. By that I mean on all of their devices. It is huge for Skype.
There are currently 700 million Facebook users. If Skype captures just a small fraction of the users that will be HUGE for the platform and again will relegate Facetime to only a specialized product used on Apple's iOS devices.
Do you really think that iTunes would be such a monster platform if it were not on Windows? Windows addresses the largest user base and that is the advantage that Skype has over Facetime. Apple needs to free Facetime from apple only products. Then it too can become dominant like iTunes.
This hardly competes with Facetime. Seeing as how Apple doesn't make any money off FaceTime, they probably couldn't care less which videochat service you use. FaceTime exists so there is always, at the very least, a built-in, easy to use service. Apple built Facetime in order to not depend on anyone else for key services.
I would have to totally disagree. It does compete with Factime. The more users Facebook gets to use Skype the more relevant the Skype platform becomes. What it does is marginalize Facetime. People who may not have used Skype in the past will now get a account and eventually use it elsewhere too. By that I mean on all of their devices. It is huge for Skype.
There are currently 700 million Facebook users. If Skype captures just a small fraction of the users that will be HUGE for the platform and again will relegate Facetime to only a specialized product used on Apple's iOS devices.
Do you really think that iTunes would be such a monster platform if it were not on Windows? Windows addresses the largest user base and that is the advantage that Skype has over Facetime. Apple needs to free Facetime from apple only products. Then it too can become dominant like iTunes.
Apple?Not so much.
This hardly competes with Facetime. Seeing as how Apple doesn't make any money off FaceTime, they probably couldn't care less which videochat service you use. FaceTime exists so there is always, at the very least, a built-in, easy to use service. Apple built Facetime in order to not depend on anyone else for key services.
I would have to totally disagree. It does compete with Factime. The more users Facebook gets to use Skype the more relevant the Skype platform becomes. What it does is marginalize Facetime. People who may not have used Skype in the past will now get a account and eventually use it elsewhere too. By that I mean on all of their devices. It is huge for Skype.
There are currently 700 million Facebook users. If Skype captures just a small fraction of the users that will be HUGE for the platform and again will relegate Facetime to only a specialized product used on Apple's iOS devices.
Do you really think that iTunes would be such a monster platform if it were not on Windows? Windows addresses the largest user base and that is the advantage that Skype has over Facetime. Apple needs to free Facetime from apple only products. Then it too can become dominant like iTunes.
Seeing as how Apple doesn't make any money off FaceTime, they probably couldn't care less which videochat service you use. FaceTime exists so there is always, at the very least, a built-in, easy to use service. Apple built Facetime in order to not depend on anyone else for key services.
I think this is true. If Facebook's thing works better, great. They'll need a mobile device to run it on, it doesn't drive anyone to a competing platform, so why should Apple care?
However, since MS owns Skype and Ballmer runs MS, I have every confidence they can still screw this up.
Apple needs to free Facetime from apple only products. Then it too can become dominant like iTunes.
Facetime is an open platform. Didn't you get the memo?
I would have to totally disagree. It does compete with Factime. The more users Facebook gets to use Skype the more relevant the Skype platform becomes. What it does is marginalize Facetime. People who may not have used Skype in the past will not get a account and eventually use it elsewhere too. By that I mean on all of their devices. It is huge for Skype.
There are currently 700 million Facebook users. If Skype captures just a small fraction of the users that will be HUGE for the platform and again will relegate Facetime to only a specialized product used on Apple's iOS devices.
Do you really think that iTunes would be such a monster platform if it were not on Windows? Windows addresses the largest user base and that is the advantage that Skype has over Facetime. Apple needs to free Facetime from apple only products. Then it too can become dominant like iTunes.
this is a big win for microsoft. don't count them out yet. unless ms screws up skype (quite possible) then facetime has no chance. the competition will be google.
Facetime is an open platform. Didn't you get the memo?
O RLY?
http://daringfireball.net/linked/201...etime-standard
Apple has your email address and/or you phone number credit card info and other things if you use facetime also.
I trust Apple with my info. I'm not on Facebook and I don't trust them with my info and I don't trust Google either. They're advertising companies and that's where they get their profit from.
1. Release Facetime for Windows platform
2. Integrate Facebook video chat into Facetime so users will have an option to chat with users using iDevices and / or Facebook users
On a side note, I always believed Apple should've bought Skype & integrate it into iOS & Lion.
Apple has your email address and/or you phone number credit card info and other things if you use facetime also.
Actually you can use ANY email (it does not have to be your Apple ID) to do a FaceTime call. As long as you register that email with Apple, your done! No CC no info just your email!
2. Integrate Facebook video chat into Facetime so users will have an option to chat with users using iDevices and / or Facebook users
Or how about Facebook actually using open standards instead of proprietary crap?
But you don't have to use it.
To use video, you do. For both of them. And FaceTime. It's the same all around.
I hate Facebook and all the social kissing kssiy stuff.
i have like 9000 friends who all so needy .
FACETIME IS GREAT .
9
"We build the infrastructure, we're years ahead in wiring it up, and we're going to enable folks to build world-class apps on top of that," he said of his company's strategy.
Sorry, Facebook is not infrastructure and it's not world class app building.
The infrastructure is what allows Facebook to exist. That's the OS, WebKit/Gecko/HTML5/CSS2,3/WebGL/OpenGL/WebCL/OpenCL/TCP/IP/Sockets/Network Communication Standards/Telco backbone, etc.
Skype doesn't exist without all that infrastructure and standards bodies ratifying VOIP specs, etc.