Apple’s FaceTime, will this mark the beginning of mobile device video conferencing integration?
I’m sure that most of you are aware by now of StevieJ’s WWDC keynote earlier this week, where he reached out to fanboys from far and wide, preaching about why you need the forthcoming iPhone 4.
I myself own an iPhone 3G, I skipped the 3G(s) – there was little incentive for me to upgrade. I’ll probably take the plunge on the 4th gen device, where some of the more interesting features include HD Video recording/editing and Apple’s video conferencing solution aka “FaceTime”.
Often Apple are citiisised for their closed approach to technology, this is in many cases true, but not from what it seems with FaceTime. Apple have adopted existing communications standards such as H.264, AAC, SIP, STUN, TURN, ICE, RTP, and SRTP. As you can imagine any video conferencing solutions can only really become widely adopted if they are interoperable with other platforms, and not everyone will have an iPhone, nor will they choose to only make or take these video calls via a mobile device.
My prediction is that it is only a matter of time before other software vendors, like Skype, choose to integrate with Apple’s FaceTime video conferencing solution.
Below is a video demonstration of Apple’s FaceTime taken at WWDC earlier this week – credit: Engadget
