Apple’s FaceTime for OS X now available on Mac App Store for 99 cents

February 24, 2011 By Andrew Couts

Mac-FaceTime-OS-X

Apple has released FaceTime for Mac OS X on the Mac App Store for the price of 99 cents.

Apple is just full of releases today. In conjunction with today’s debut of its new line of MacBook Pro laptops, Apple has launched the FaceTime video calling app for OS X on the Mac App Store for the price of 99 cents. The software will come pre-installed on the new MacBook Pro laptops, which are loaded with built-in FaceTime HD cameras.

The newly-released FaceTime app, which had been in beta for the past four months, lets users send and receive calls from any iPhone 4, a latest-generation iPod Touch or another FaceTime-enabled Mac.

The Mac FaceTime app imports contacts directly from users’ Address Book. As we noted during our tests of the beta version, this could be potentially problematic, if you have an high number of contacts in your Address Book. Also, if you don’t use Address Book to store contacts, you’ll have to re-enter them manually.

The app supports widescreen and full-screen viewing, as well as a more vertical view. Contacts and other control buttons fade away during calls “so the focus stays on your conversation,” says Apple.

Users will also be able to receive high-definiion video calls at up to 720p from other Mac computers — but that’s only on “supported, Intel-based Macs,” according to Apple, which means it must have a built-in FaceTime HD camera, as well as a 1-Mbps Internet connection to work.

For calls made with Macs connected to standard-definition cameras, the video calls will display at VGA quality.

FaceTime users must use either a built-in FaceTime camera, an iSight camera (built-in or external), a USB video class camera, or a FireWire DV camcorder. The app also requires at least 128-Kbps Internet connection. Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.6 or later is also required.

We haven’t yet had a chance to get our hands on the finished product, but based on our beta tests, the app functioned well. That said, we’re sure there will be something to complain about.

Showing 5 comments

Bill Roberson at 9:33pm 25th February 2011 Used it last night to talk with a friend in Japan. Worked perfectly. Excellent image quality.
Luis S. at 7:19pm 24th February 2011 I thought it was free, well maybe that was just the beta... I'll stick with Skype
ioman at 9:01am 24th February 2011 Not that a buck is too much, but why pay for FaceTime when Skype is free?
1. StickMen Creation at 12:55pm 24th February 2011 That's true, people have been saying that over and over. Some only do so for Apple's brand name, not to mention chatting face to face is now usually done with the iPhone. It does comes free with the new Mac Pro though.
  1. ioman at 2:17pm 24th February 2011 I have heard that Apple had to charge money for it to stay in compliance. Not sure what the heck that means. Maybe its illegal to offer something for free that your competitor sells? Wait, that doesn't make sense either!!