Tech Blog

[#1]

I've only r ecently joined not only the iPhone 4 world, but therein the iPhone world as well, so the last five days have been spent downloading apps and learning the ins and outs of the device (it's a good thing that the September issue of MacLife is all about the iPhone 4). There is one feature that I'm really dying to try: FaceTime. My wife doesn't have an iPhone 4 (she will soon though) and while I know several  of my friends have iPhone 4s, I didn't really want to bug them over the weekend. Interesting thing about FaceTime, while Apple is billing FaceTime as a huge thing, it might not be catching on as fast as Apple might have thought. Which might just be okay, because I bet it will.

Marco Arment (lead dev on Tumblr and Instapaper) comments on a MacWorld post from Dan Moren that FaceTime adoption isn't limited by users not wanting it, but by users being able to use it — Marco.org - FaceTime adoption . I agree with him, I know maybe 6 people with iPhone 4s and since I rarely call people (email and IM rule my communication world), it's not likely that I would have called any of them in the last five days. To make it even more interesting is the fact that not only do I have to know the person has an iPhone 4, they have to be connected to WiFi and I have to remember to use FaceTime in the first place! Marco makes similar observations in his post, though at least he didn't try to look for FaceTime in the app store to download it (honestly I thought it was like iBooks and I needed to download it). So isn't this a problem for FaceTime? It's just way, way too early to call this one either way.

Sure, the iPhone 4 has been wildly popular. Sure there are still multi-page waiting lists and lines at stores of people wanting to get their hands on the new "must have" Apple device. The thing is how many iPhone 4s have you seen in the wild? When I go out I see lots and lots of iPhone 3-era models, but not many 4s. And what about WiFi? It isn't ubiquitous. Sure there might be a Starbucks on nearly every corner here in Vancouver and there is lots of free WiFi around, but most of the time I'm not connected to WiFi when I'm roaming around. If a friend calls me out of the blue and I'm out and about…chances are I'm not going to be on WiFi. Sure, at home or when I'm at my Third Place I'm on WiFi, but I think you get my point. Right now FaceTime is new. Right now more people need to have them in their hands so that when you call a friend she/he might have one as well. Then you have to know where they are to know if they are available for FaceTime (maybe you can see with 100% surety on the call info, but I doubt it). All in all these are factors that play against people using FaceTime…for now, not forever.

Image from Apple .

[#2]

My wife and I both have iPhone 4s. Facetime was great when I was separated from my kids for a week ... it was extremely convenient to chat and keep up with them on the phone, rather than sit down and set up a webcam session on MSN or skype. Plus, with the MyWi App (for jailbroken phones) Facetime works perfectly fine over 3G. I was able to chat, as were grandparents, etc, just by passing the phone around. And the kids loved it too.

I must admit that I didn't think I'd use it at all, but it's so much more convenient than setting up the webcam at a laptop. Much more.

A>

[#3]

I have indeed used Facetime, and it absolutely is the future of (some) phone calls.

My buddy in Guelph is getting married next year. I'm his MC. I was able to meet the rest of the wedding party around the table from 3000km away. I can chat with my parents face to face almost anywhere... including the Halo event I went to on Saturday (thank you to the restaurant nearby for providing free Wi-Fi. Also, the sandwich was delicious).

Facetime is going to go 3G shortly - maybe even with the next iteration. of 4.1. It's going to eat up a ton of data, but it'll be perfect for sharing that amazing vista from the top of Grouse mountain, or the gorgeous sunset as seen from Vancouver island. I'm sure there are other pretty places in Canada, but I have a hard time remember where there's so much freakin' majesty up-close.

In the meantime, Facetime isn't meant to replace calling; it's still supposed to be a semi-private event that takes place in your home, and not in a Starbucks. When you watch Apple's commercials, it doesn't show someone sipping a latte and chatting, it shows families connecting.

So when it does go 3D, it would behoove all iPhone 4 owners to remember that phone calls made in public ARE public... and maybe Facetime should be personally restricted to moments and places that you're actually comfortable sharing.