Getting FaceTime for Mac
This part’s easy! Just head over to http://www.apple.com/mac/facetime/ and hit the “Download the Beta” button. The download is almost 150MB, so set aside a few minutes (or hours if you have a slower connection), but the software is free, so no complaining! This though brings me to my next point, this software is in beta. I’ve been using it for over a month now and haven’t run into any serious bugs, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t. You just have to keep in mind that you are using a beta product. Also be aware that FaceTime for Mac requires OS X Snow Leopard, so don’t even try installing without it, because it won’t work. Once the download is complete and the software is installed, launch FaceTime and we’re off to the races!
Creating Your FaceTime Account
The first time you launch FaceTime, you’ll be asked to create a FaceTime account. This basically just means setting up an account associated with whatever your most frequently used email address is. This way, when people try to add you, they won’t have a difficult time. You’ll assign a password to your account, or use your iTunes account information (or Apple ID) and FaceTime will import its contact list from your Mac’s Address Book.
Using FaceTime
The first thing you likely want to do is add the contact you think you’ll FaceTime most frequently to your Favorites list. This is accomplished by simply clicking the “+” sign in the top right corner of the below window, and then clicking their name.
Now that you’ve got a few contacts added to your Favorites, simply clicking one will call them. You can tell if someone is available for FaceTime by the camera indicator next to their name. The question mark means they may or may not be available, but the blank camera means they are. Click a name, and a FaceTime call is started! This means you can call people with Mac’s or iPod’s by having their FaceTime account-associated email in your contacts, or call them on their iPhone by having their mobile phone number in your book. Pretty handy if you know a lot of people with FaceTime! Once you’re in a call, the default view looks like this:
Just like in Skype, your picture is minimized to the bottom of the window, and your friend is the main window, making it very natural to focus on the person you’re talking to! Also take note of the menu at the top. Under Video you’ll find a few interesting perks. First is the Enter Full Screen option, giving you a much more focused, even theatre-like, experience.
This menu also offers options for switching to Landscape mode, using different microphones than that which is set to default, and muting your FaceTime call so they can’t hear what you’re saying, just like on a normal telephone or cell phone.
Wrap-Up
Actually using FaceTime for Mac is as simple as most other operations are on a Mac. The layout is simple, clean, and beautiful, and it works quite well. The downsides? In my opinion, the biggest would be that the uninitiated user would see no extremely obvious place that the contacts come from, nor would they see an obvious way to start a call with a contact. If Apple can keep the layout simple, as well as expand the user base, FaceTime for both Mac’s and all other Apple products could become a popular form of communication. Until then though, it will likely continue to be something that enthusiasts are in to more than anyone. What do you think of FaceTime? Do you wish it were more like Skype? Where is Skype with a cross-platform (including mobiles) app anyway? Tell us what you think in the comments!
