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Facetime to Windows?

I am just about to get a new facetime-ready iMac, and wondered whether facetime will work to users on Windows computers. And if so, what application would they need?


Most of my contacts are as-yet-unconverted Windows users.


Thanks.

iMac G5 (1st gen). MacBook, Mac OS X (10.5.8), Bluetooth mouse/KB. Airport card. VirtualPC. WD 500GB MyBook E

Posted on May 4, 2011 12:14 PM

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Posted on May 4, 2011 12:16 PM

No.


Allan

20 replies

Sep 28, 2011 5:33 PM in response to Paul Fryer

To Apple:


If you ever plan to compete with now microsoft owned Skype, you must make a client for Windows PC's. If you don't, FaceTime will fail. Simple as that. I would be surprised if you dont, seeing how you claim to put what the user wants before much else. And users want to be able to call everyone on facetime. Trust me, do a good job and you will quite quickly destroy Skype.

Sep 28, 2011 5:46 PM in response to kirkland y

kirkland y wrote:


To Apple:


If you ever plan to compete with now microsoft owned Skype, you must make a client for Windows PC's. If you don't, FaceTime will fail. Simple as that. I would be surprised if you dont, seeing how you claim to put what the user wants before much else. And users want to be able to call everyone on facetime. Trust me, do a good job and you will quite quickly destroy Skype.

Note: this is a user-to-user forum and Apple doesn't necessarily read anything in here. If you wish, you can tell Apple your thoughts:


http://www.apple.com/feedback/

Jan 25, 2012 2:50 PM in response to commodore256

commodore256 wrote:


Why do you insist on facetime anyway?


Skype is cross-platform 🙂


I tried many mobile communication apps (Skype and many using Google Voice) over wi-fi for our park of 20 Ipod Touch 4. Facetime/iMessage is the best by far.


The key is integration, IMO.


With Skype, you have to make sure that application is running on both devices. With Facetime, you don't have to bother.


Facetime on iOS seems also to have an higher processor priority over other applications (including Skype) and it shows by its great performance.


For the future version of Mobile Windows, I read that Skype might be integrated. For now, Facetime is still ahead of the game in mobile devices.


It would be fantastic to us if there could be a Windows 7 application that would talk to Factime devices. Why not a plug-in (or equivalent) for web browsers?

Jul 12, 2012 7:46 AM in response to commodore256

My guess would be because it is a good, stable application that isn't owned my Microsoft and come pre-installed on Macs, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. As an IT support tech for years I will vouche for how nice it is to have as few third-party applications as possible. Its a hassle to need to use application 'a' to talk to these 10 people but for these other 20 people you need application 'b' and that means no way to have all 30 on the same conversation. Plus it means additional training and so on.


Rather than make everyone with an iPhone use Skype it might be a lot easier in their enterprise to just have the 3 PC users install an Apple developed Facetime application for PC.

Jul 12, 2012 8:21 AM in response to Michael Cheung

I think one of the biggest considerations should be standards.

Facetime protocol is an open industry standard. Skype and Google are not. Apple gave out the protocol to the world to be freely supported and show complete transparancy. Skype and Google are owned propriatory formats that do have API's for programmers. So that means the true nature of what those protocols are doing isn't seen by the coding community at large: They just have commands they can call to activate features. For those that care about security that's important. Facetime isn't encrypted, so it isn't what I would consider 'secure' but at least I can see that my log-in information isn't being deliberately copied and databased to the Skype (Microsoft) servers or sent off-shore to India.


Apple develops a LOT that it later just gives to the world. The Facetime protocol most recently, Firewire before that and I'm sure a lot more that I just don't track. Its one of the reasons I support them. Its also one of the reasons their laptops are $2500 for something of the same power as a $1500 PC: All that R&D has to get paid for someplace.

Facetime to Windows?

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