Posted on 02/24/2011 4:39:46 PM PST by Swordmaker
In tandem with the launch of new MacBook Pros, Apple has brought FaceTime for Mac out of beta. The video calling utility is mainly available through the Mac App Store, where it costs 99 cents. It does however come free on new MacBook Pros.
Users make calls via Address Book contacts, or alternately by turning to Favorites or Recents lists. Incoming calls will ring without launching the app first; alerts also appear on multiple Macs simultaneously in cases where the same Apple ID is being used. Video can be watched fullscreen, or in a normal windowed view.
The primary improvement in the v1.0 app is support for 720p video calling. The option demands a FaceTime HD camera, however, and a 1Mbps symmetrical Internet connection. Normal resolution requires only a 128Kbps connection, and either a standard webcam or a FireWire DV camcorder. The app is limited to Macs running Mac OS X 10.6.6 or better.
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
I already use the beta to talk to my kid when I am away on business. I use my Air and he is using his iPod Touch. Most of the time I’m on a pretty bad hotel internet connection, but it still works pretty well. Better than Skype ever did.
FaceTime isn’t free for existing systems allegedly due to accounting rules.
On the flip side, there are apps for Skype and WebEx if you want to videoconference with a PC.
Are the new MacBook Pros revealed today the only ones with 720p camera?
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