It’s almost over, but like usual, there just “one more thing” and while we all knew it was coming, it’s the first time it’s been directly confirmed: a front-mounted camera on iPhone 4 that allows for user-to-user video chat.
Calling Jonathan Ive on his iPhone 4 to demo the new iPhone’s video chat capability (after first having issues with a connection and yelling at the audience to turn off their WiFi), Jobs reminisced about growing up with the Jetsons and Star Trek, “dreaming about communicators and video calling. Now it’s real!”
Apple’s calling their user-to-user video calling solution FaceTime.
In addition to utilizing the front-mounted cam, FaceTime allows you to switch to the rear camera so the other person can see what you’re seeing. You can use FaceTime in either portrait or lansdcape.
FaceTime is iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 only (no other iDevice has a front-mounted video camera yet), and it works anywhere with WiFi. What a shock: AT&T’s 3G network just can’t handle it. Apple claims they’ll work with their carrier partners to get it ready later in the year, but look at AT&T’s abysmal record implementing tethering, and my guess we’ve got a long wait ahead of us.
[images via GDGT]
