# Does anyone actually use Facetime (more than once or twice)?



## bshell (Oct 4, 2007)

When Apple came out with Facetime I predicted it would not take off. This is based on the long history of videophones simply not being adopted by people, even though they've been available since the 1960s. From Wikipedia's entry on videophones: "AT&T's initial Mod I and its upgraded Picturephone Mod II programs, researched principally at its Bell Labs, spanned 15 years and consumed US$500 million, eventually meeting with commercial failure.[31] AT&T concluded that its early videophone was a "concept looking for a market"[citation needed] and discontinued its Picturephone service in the late 1970s."

My experience, and also what I observe, is that people make a video call once or twice "for the fun of it" and then realize that it's easier and simpler to make audio calls after that. I have always predicted that Facetime would have the same fate as all other videophone marketing efforts in the past: failure. 

Now we have the iPad 2 with Facetime adding to the potential adoption of this service. But is anyone using it? I don't think so. I see people using their iPhone 4s and iPad 2s for lots of things, but not for Facetime calls.

Ideally, I'd like to see a poll on how many people **regularly** use Facetime. It does not count if you've used it just once or twice, or even three times. How many people use Facetime?


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## Rounder (Aug 9, 2008)

My girlfriend and I use Facetime quite a bit, usually calling her parents (which we got an iPod Touch 4G for), or I use it to call my brother. It's a great feature IMO.

Also, two weeks ago when we were in Europe for vacation we were using it quite a bit to phone her folks, was great to even show them around Paris and Rome


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## harzack86 (Jan 30, 2005)

I use it once in a while, but what kills it mostly in my opinion is that:
- it requires a wifi connection. So, when I'm at home with wifi, I can use iChat instead, and when I'm on the go with the iPhone, I rarely have a wifi connection so I can't use facetime. In this case, I'll use skype which works even on 3G.
- it requires someone to have an iPhone 4 or buy facetime on a Mac. Compare that to the skype install base...

In short, if facetime worked on 3G and everyone could have a client (Mac, PC, other phones) that is compatible, then facetime would take off better than it does now!


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## Andrew Pratt (Feb 16, 2007)

I use it all the time if my wife or I am traveling to chat with each other and kids but we don't use it otherwise. Basically its a replacement for Skype


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## Paul82 (Sep 19, 2007)

I use it once or twice a week mainly for phoning home, it saves long distance charges and sound quality I find to be better than over fidos crappy network. For me it's more been a replacement to gmail video chat that I used to use on my iMac. And now that my moms seen me using it on the iPad 2 she's decided she wants one for that reason alone. They already webcam a lot as both my brother and I have moved far from home.


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

I use it when I'm out of town to call the family.


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## Bjornbro (Feb 19, 2000)

bshell said:


> and then realize that it's easier and simpler to make audio calls after that.


Voice only? Easier? Maybe, it does save that extra button click. 



bshell said:


> I have always predicted that Facetime would have the same fate as all other videophone marketing efforts in the past: failure.


Being that Facetime is now on every new iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad and Mac now and for the future (imagine the uproar if Apple took the cameras away) and those devices are sold in the tens of millions, I'd hardly call it a failure. 



bshell said:


> But is anyone using it? I don't think so. I see people using their iPhone 4s and iPad 2s for lots of things, but not for Facetime calls.


Canada's wireless infrastructure doesn't support cellular video calls yet. You can only use Facetime when you're connected through Wi-Fi, remember? 




bshell said:


> Ideally, I'd like to see a poll on how many people **regularly** use Facetime


Why don't you make one?


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## bringonthenite (Aug 7, 2007)

I use it to chat with my wife while we are at work.


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## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

I don't use FaceTime regularly but we do use Skype frequently for both audio and video calls.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

Never... this might have been a good opportunity for a poll.....


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## jeepguy (Apr 4, 2008)

considering we are the black sheep of the family (only ones with macs and iphones) the answer is no.


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## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

We use Facetime frequently (daily) and prefer it to Skype as it seems to have superior audio and video quality. I don't think we have used Skype a single time since the Facetime beta first appeared.


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## Garry (Jan 27, 2002)

I use FaceTime quite a bit.. Most of my friends have macs, and we'll video conference a fair bit.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

Garry said:


> I use FaceTime quite a bit.. Most of my friends have macs, and we'll video conference a fair bit.


Your lucky then.


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## panzergruppe (Nov 16, 2007)

no. Not really useful.


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## Glipt (Aug 7, 2003)

Never. My whole family has Macs and we have never been able to get Apples video calling to work since the days of iChat. Was exited to try facetime only to hear static. We all use Skype. Hey "It just works". No problems calling my PC weenie friends either.


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## Limit77 (Oct 6, 2010)

Use it daily... 4 times today in fact.


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## iphoneottawa (Apr 21, 2010)

Daily also.


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## Choopi (May 23, 2009)

When I had my iphone, I would use it 2-3 times a day at horrendously inappropriate times.. So, for comedic sake it was priceless.


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## PosterBoy (Jan 22, 2002)

I use it with people who are out of town, and when I need to show someone something. Not daily, but weekly anyway.

The problem is twofold for me: first, video calling is a little more intrusive so I only end up really doing it when I have a bit of privacy (at home for example) and second, it's a lot harder to multitask with a video call than a regular phone call.

I kind of wish that they'd do a "voice time" option but I think the carriers likely wouldnt stand for it. Yet.


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

Haven't used it once and probably never will. Video calling is so 90s.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

I use it infrequently, mostly due to a lack of friends who have ponied up for the iPhone 4. For long-distance chats, however, it's just wonderful: simpler and better than Skype (which I love and use all the time, btw). If you have someone you're separated from who is cool enough to be an Apple tech buff, chances are FaceTime is something you use regularly. I don't know many people who use it all the time, but I know a few who use it daily.


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## Adrian. (Nov 28, 2007)

Use Skype instead.


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## jayman (Jan 4, 2008)

I use it regularly, mostly to my parents who live 4 hours away. I use my iPhone when talking to them so I can follow their 17 month old grandson around our house. They love it, and my little guy likes to see Nana and Papa on the phone.


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## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

Uh oh. Seems like there is a potentially serious issue with FaceTime. Be careful out there....

FaceTime glitch shows random pictures iPhone captured itself ? Apple / Mac Software Updates, News, Apps | Geek.com


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