Ask YC: When will FaceTime be open? | Hacker News Reader

Ask YC: When will FaceTime be open?

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15 pointsandreyf7 comments

Is it just me, or is it a bit insincere to call it an open standard if all they did was promise to one day release documentation?

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I'm going to take the long view and say next year. Apple is very Apple centric so I can't see them making a developer based announcement for anyone other than Apple developers. Based on that I'd guess WWDC in June 2011.

Plus they're selling the new iPhone with FaceTime right now so they wouldn't want to give a company like Google the chance to quickly implement it. WWDC 2011 is also when they'll probably announce the next gen. iPhone which presumably will have new features to focus their marketing on.

My bet: When FaceTime is available in Macs, iPads, iPod Touchs.

This way, other vendor will be seen as 'bandwagoning' Apple (by the general public) as they implemented FT year/year-and-a-half later.

Of course Apple created FT. And of course any other vendor implementing it will be 'bandwagoning' Apple. It's just the public who Apple needs to make clear that they lead, and others follow.

The protocol hasn't solidified yet. FaceTime calling via email addresses are still on the way.

The longer FaceTime is kept closed, the higher the chance that it will lose relevance. Skype has a proprietary protocol but is distributing the API, and has a much deeper penetration than Apple's products. With Skype working on every smartphone and computer, and coming to TVs and other appliances, few people will care that its protocol is closed. FaceTime will have a hard time competing...

I would bet:

Late 2010: FaceTime support on iPod Touch

Early 2011: Support on new iPad revision

WWDC 2011: 10.7 announced, support in iChat, API's available

Late 2011: Open specification released for 3rd parties.

when ios supports the w3c device api allowing local camera access from javascript.

They're in no rush. Most Apple fan[boy]s who think video calling is the Next Big Thing are under the impression that it's already an Open Standard (and the best standard!). Apple has the advantage of the impression of being open and the ability to change things around at will. Best of both worlds.

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