What’s the future of FaceTime?

Whats the future of FaceTime? When Apple announced the iPhone 4 in June of 2010, it really felt like the future. Video calls — right from a handset — is just so Jetsons.

For me, it’s been great to be able to see my kids and even tell them goodnight if I’m not home.

Since then, FaceTime has come to the iPod touch, Mac and iPad 2. Calls can be made to and from email addresses as well as phone numbers.

FaceTime still requires a Wi-Fi connection, even though the service technically works over 3G networks. Besides this restriction, what’s next for the technology that has brought video calls to the masses?

When FaceTime was announced, Steve Jobs said that FaceTime would become an open standard.

However, today, 8 months later, what progress has been made? Yes, apps like Skype can use the iPhone 4′s cameras for video chat, but the data is being passed via Skype’s app and its technologies.

It’s great that now all of Apple’s main products can tap into the FaceTime universe. While most people I know aren’t using it on the Mac, I think the number will continue to grow.

I would love to be able to FaceTime my buddy who carries a Motorola Droid X, though. I’d love to be able to FaceTime with PC users I work with. Maybe those things aren’t too far off, but I’d love to see some more information from Apple on just how far the company has gotten in getting the FaceTime standard completed and open.

Let’s press a little further into the future, guys.

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About Stephen M. Hackett

Stephen Hackett, formerly a Lead Mac Genius at Apple, now spends his days running the IT department of a large non-profit in Memphis, TN. He writes about Apple, design and journalism at forkbombr.net. Like all twenty-somethings, you can find him on Twitter. Oh, and he has a dogcow tattoo.

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Tuscanidream

Unless they allow this over 3G and release a public API... What's the difference between FaceTime and videochat over a service like aim with iChat or something similar?!??

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Stephen Hackett

The big difference is that it can be device-to-device, without needing a service like AIM in-between.

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Jeffrey Mann

I've have been saying this for a while. I can't believe that they haven't released an API for facetime. It would be great for so many plateforms.

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bergerinc

You can do all of those things - just tell them to buy an Apple product. Isn't that the point really? If you want the best, then you buy Apple.

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Michael Shepanski

Typical Apple troll response.

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word is bond

he did inadvertently raise a good point though. I don't expect Apple to allow non-Apple devices to use facetime, because they want to keep it an Apple exclusive. It's a decision RIM is balancing right now. If they bring BBM to iOS & Android than they have expanded their service to more customers, but may lose customers buying their devices. I know many people who won't leave Blackberry because they couldn't stand to lose BBM, but they may if the rumors are true. I doubt Apple will take the same route. I think they hope facetime won't become a standard service on all devices, but one of the reasons Apple devices become the standard

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