back to article AT&T may charge fanbois for FaceTime vid chat, hints iOS 6

Early adopters playing with iOS 6 fear users will have to beg AT&T to let them make FaceTime video calls over the cellular network. An alert box, shown over at MacRumours, pops up and urges fanbois to have a word with the telco if they attempt to make a FaceTime call and Wi-Fi isn't available. The discovery sparked rumours …

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  1. Ed 11

    Are all iPhone customers fanbois?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Not all Apple owners are fanboys, they just often haven't seen anything they like as much in terms of design or ease of use.

      Once you've had an Apple laptop everything else looks a bit crap. Often the actual laptops look passable, but then they supply a really ugly black brick PSU. Apple's magsafe adapters are much nicer in terms of design.

      As for the iPhone. It's partly about the design but also about ease of use. But my own opinion is that the OS just keeps getting a lick of paint and a few new features. I might have a look at a Windows Phone 8 device when one comes out. Sometimes you just get used to something and want a change.

      1. ItsNotMe
        FAIL

        Re: AC @ 18:21 GMT

        "Once you've had an Apple laptop everything else looks a bit crap. Often the actual laptops look passable, but then they supply a really ugly black brick PSU. Apple's magsafe adapters are much nicer in terms of design."

        Really? Well...you're wrong.

        I have both an Intel MacBook Pro and a Dell Studio XPS 16 laptop, and the Dell PSU is HALF the size & weight of the one for the MBP. And the power cord storage on the PSU for the MBP is non-existant, whereas the Dell PSU has a very nice ability to wrap around itself, and be secured with a rubber strap.

        And the Dell laptop outperforms the MBP...by a lot.

        Back under the bridge.

    2. Droid on Droid

      It's clear from the numbers that most iPhone users have to be Windows users, followed by Mac and Linux. In other words, just the same as every other smart phone user, though probably a higher proportion of Mac users. That's a guess, since I only know 1 Mac user.

      The whole article is strangely written, I mean how many people know that Skype is owned by Microsoft? and why would they care after all Office on Mac is supposed to be very profitable. The thing that gets me is that if you have paid AT&T for the data plan. Then why does AT&T care if you use FaceTime over it's network, I would have thought that FaceTime would use data fast which just means more cash to AT&T.

    3. Annihilator
      Thumb Up

      Good question

      Short answer, no. It's not hard for someone to make a reasoned choice between (let's face it) 2 phone-types without becoming the blithering-foaming-at-the-mouth-idiot they're made out to be. By the same logic, Android users are fanbois.

      Me? I use a device I prefer. I don't love one and hate the other, I just prefer one.

    4. leexgx

      what cida shocked me an little was why facetime could not use mobile data

      i am an adroid user so this was new to me was at an customers house and i assumed that you could make 3g calls with facetime as what's the point of the feature if you cant use it when your not at home wifi, at least the next IOS that be Fixed so you can use mobile data, Skype and other voice and video have been happy for some time using mobile data (on 3 UK you got the One Plan so facetime should work over mobile data due to unlimited data)

  2. Silverburn

    Sorry, but Skype - for all its problems - is at least platform agnostic, and even Fanbois realise that not all their friends have been absorbed into the Apple Collective.

    So there's a surprising amount of iphone users with it installed.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      There is hope for them yet then?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Obviously!

        Still following the Apple threads then? Your a secret fanboi aren't you...

        1. Silverburn

          Re: Obviously!

          Looks like you're an *even more* secret Fanboi, Mr "AC-whos-post-history-is-concealed".

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Obviously!

          Intrigued eh?

          Enough to view my posting history!

  3. Dazed and Confused
    Joke

    Skype

    Obviously doesn't yet support video calling over the 3G network as Apple haven't yet invented it. Once Apple have invented it, then Skype will have copied the idea.

  4. TheRealRoland
    Unhappy

    Am not surprised

    When using Blackberry Bridge to connect a BBerry phone to the Playbook - if you use the Blackberry Bridge software provided by AT&T, it signals you that you need to pay up to use this functionality.

    But if you download and install the same software provided by any other provider, you can bridge as much as you want, free of charge...

    So, i switched to another provider.

    But guess what? They're just as bad. They're not there for you - you're there for them, to be milked as much as possible, while 'providing' you with the least amount of service that you're willing to live with. So, pick your poison.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Premium charge

    Apple's facetime will be a premium service and therefore AT&T see the chance of earning mucho $$$ from people who enjoy paying for a premium services.

    I guess that to make it work well it hits the network hard, harder than websufing or even streaming video where you can get laggy connections without hitting the QoS. Video calling needs timely packet delivery and can't be buffered up much. So its going to be hard work on the network infrastructure.

    Where the performance of Skype isn't too good Joe Public is likely to blame Skype. After all its free.

    Where the performance of Apple something isn't perfect, Joe Public is likely to blame the network, since its Apple, it just works... therefore any problems are someone else's problem.

    So AT&T see themselves being hit with a big stick without any financial rewards being in the offing.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Premium charge

      Shockingly I can use Google talk video on my mobile when on 3g and it works perfectly fine!

      Then again I've been able to make video calls over 3G since my first 3G phone about 6 years ago...

      I considered getting an iPhone for facetime as my android phone at the time didn't have any decent video chat software (really what took SO long for google to do it?) but without being able to call on 3G, its pointless

  6. JDX Gold badge

    I thought FaceTime was WiFi-only? Maybe I dreamed it.

    Anyway If you're using 3G, what is the fuss about being charged by your operator for it? I feel I'm missing some angle here because my operator has a tariff for video calls already.

    1. Test Man

      FaceTime will be 3G-enabled on iOS 6

      I think the fuss is more over stateside, where it seems video calling's been a very minor feature that was "here today, gone tomorrow". Here in the UK, video calling has indeed been available for years and is a chargeable feature, although it hasn't really taken off here much. FaceTime, however, is Apple's implementation of video calling but operators will probably want this chargeable also.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What's so special?

    I've had video calls on my "dumb" phones for many many years now... Same cost as a normal call too. Or is this just some weird american thing where they're 10 years behind the rest of the world?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What's so special?

      Not true for all networks and plans, for example O2 UK alays charges 50p/minute for 3G video calls on all PAYG plans, any existing voice bundle is not applicable.

      The quality of 3G video calls is also very poor compared to modern protocols and codecs such as those used for Skype or FaceTime.

    2. Dazed and Confused

      Re: What's so special?

      The problem is that the network operator sells a iPhone contract with an all you can eat unlimited network usage. But they assume that you won't actually use very much. If you start to use your iPhone as a hot spot then you'll probably use more bandwidth than someone who is just using data on the phone itself. So AT&T want more $$$.

      Now with FaceTime moving to the 3G network, they are seeing more traffic coming their way and want more $$$ to cope with it.

      Same problem as we have over here with ISP selling "unlimited" contracts and then wanting to limit the usage.

      Mobile contracts are priced on an assumption of excepted usage. This new facetime option throws the expected usage numbers out the window. So the telco wants to charge for it.

      1. Droid on Droid
        Flame

        "unlimited" contracts

        That is a very bad joke, I've never managed more than 60% of the quoted broadband speed and my exchange is less than 800 meters away. But for some reason "false advertising" doesn't seem to apply to phone companies.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: "unlimited" contracts @ Droid on Droid

          Unfortunately there is little the ISP can do without replacing the cable to your home, there is probably some flaw on it.. the best thing you can do is talk to your ISP and get them to test your line

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "They could use Skype, of course, which happily supports video calling over mobile networks, but Skype is owned by Microsoft and that will be enough to prevent most Apple users from considering it."

    SAYS IT ALL about iOS users!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Ah, an iOS thread. Oh look, 50% of the comments by Obviously!, who really is not bothered about iPhones. No, really, he has no opinion on any aspect of iPhones, and he is entirely ambivalent about them and doesn't obsess day and night about all the idiots buying iPhones. Someone like that would be a bit strange, eh?

      1. Volker Hett

        I know a lot of people with iphones and still some with ipads. All of them have Skype on both and Whatsapp on their phones. I tried it once with a friend because I had facetime on my macbook and don't own an iPhone, but that's it. As far as I'm concerned, NOBODY uses Facetime.

    2. Volker Hett

      I know a lot of people with iphones and still some with ipads. All of them have Skype on both and Whatsapp on their phones. Nobody uses Facebook. Ok, I tried it once with a friend because I had facetime on my macbook and don't own an iPhone, but that's it. As far as I'm concerned, NOBODY uses Facetime.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Bin your rubbish, looks as stylish as 80's wall paper "phone" *sniggers*, and get yourself a phone that DOES do video calling over 3G!

    1. GettinSadda

      Like an iPhone (with Skype)

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I smell a troll

      Obviously!

      Trolling again, really?

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Do you get paid for this Obivously? you clearly put in a lot of effort into this thread.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        1) Im not an AC

        2) Im not interested in others histories, i say it as it is.

        BAAAA!

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    FaceTime works better than Skype

    Picture quality is smoother and clearer.

    1. Andrew_b65

      Re: FaceTime works better than Skype

      Yup, for sure. I've seen the Apple adverts on TV and the quality of their iFacetime video calling looks fantastic, on a par with the HD video call quality I get on Skype desktop. iPotato owners must be so pleased with this amazing service. It's magic. One of my kids' friends tried video Skyping him on his iToy over WiFi and the video was shit. So on this evidence, iFacetime is better than Skype video.

      Come to think of it, they also tried iFacetime with two iToys and it was still shit. Could the adverts be exaggerating the quality? I dread to think what it would be like over 3G.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: FaceTime works better than Skype

      just not over 3G

  11. D@v3

    3G

    I see the big problem with this in the UK, being the fact that there are still massive areas that have somewhere between poor and no 3G coverage. i'll stick to using it on wi-fi thanks.

  12. Ian Johnston Silver badge
    WTF?

    Mobile Network Operators Charge For Data

    Shock Horror Probe.

  13. Ilsa Loving

    Unfortunately Skype is the way for now

    I really don't like Skype very much. I've had lots of problems with call quality, but it's the only system that has a client on every major OS.

    I'd rather use facetime too but not everyone I talk to has (Mac|i)OS, which makes facetime a non-starter.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I wouldn't mind paying a bit for it just as long as networks would give it guaranteed QoS. It's a useful service and free alternatives like Skype often suffer from clear lack of bandwidth.

  15. Steve Evans

    Video calling?

    Video calling? On a phone? Wow...

    Haven't seen that before... Sorry, I don't mean before, I mean used in the last 5 years due to horrendous per minute fees, that was it.

    However I assume Apple will be granted a US patent for it any day now.

  16. johnnymotel

    you gotta be kidding?

    "They could use Skype, of course, which happily supports video calling over mobile networks, but Skype is owned by Microsoft and that will be enough to prevent most Apple users from considering it."

    I ONLY use Skype on my Mac and so do all my friends with Macs or iPhones.

    I looked at FaceTime, then I realised it was only for Mac users, immediately forgot about it and went on happily with Skype.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Not "kidding", but "baiting"

      and it worked. Welcome to tech "journalism".

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I smell a hissy fit

    Given that Apple's iMessage just stuck a knife between the ribs of AT&T's highly lucrative SMS messaging business for iPhone users, it's not surprising that AT&T have decided that they want a taste of any data action.

    Personally, I think the carriers are about to experience the same fear and suffering that they inflicted on the landline business a few years ago. The app people are going to eat their lunch and relegate them to mere pipes. Data is king. Either find a way to make money from it or die.

  18. Volker Hett

    Skype and UMTS on HTC Desire

    does not allow telephony at all. Text only. At least here in germany.

    But as soon as you fool it into believing it's on wifi, with a MiFi or via tethering to another phone, it does happily make video calls, without my ugly face, missing front camera and such.

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