Rumor: FaceTime for iPod touch will use email address

There are rumors about the next iPod touch getting a front-facing camera with support for FaceTime. Once it gets an A4 processor and some more RAM, we can't see why it wouldn't.

Since there's no phone app, however, how will users initiate FaceTime calls from an iPod touch? According to Boy Genius Report (BGR), the FaceTime app will look for a registered email address.

Paraphrasing an anonymous source, BGR claims that users will register their Apple IDs (typically a MobileMe email address) on a given device. That way, iPod touch owners can initiate a FaceTime call via this registered address. Push notifications will inform you of an incoming FaceTime call.

It's still unclear how an iPod touch will initiate a call with an iPhone, as that currently requires the iPhone's phone number. BGR speculates that the registered email address method will be carried over to all devices. iPods are typically refreshed in September, so we'll see if anything about this surfaces before then.

[Via Engadget]

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Source: http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/07/15/exclusive-apples-f…

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iPod touch

There are rumors about the next iPod touch getting a front-facing camera with support for FaceTime. Once it gets an A4 processor and some...

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Rego

I hope Apple merges iChat and Facetime into a full audio/video voip over wifi (and cell) product.

Maybe the new facility will host this service either independently or as part of MobileMe. If Apple created such a product it would allow users to replace their landlines (or greatly reduce landlines costs) and would make MobileMe worth it for that feature alone, particularly for people who don't currently have iPhones. This assumes a new iPod Touch with a built in Mic and FaceTime camera would be available, or one could use an iPad.

July 16 2010 at 3:41 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

NOAH BERKOWITZ

The prototype they found only had a camera in the back. But then again, it was running a fake iOS

July 16 2010 at 3:33 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Mike

I'm thinking this will go hand-in-hand with an update to iChat (maybe in 10.7?) that will rename video calling to FaceTime calling and work with the iPhone 4/iPod touch 4.

That seems to make the most sense. iChat would use FaceTime for iChat-to-iChat calling as well as iChat-to-iDevice calling.

July 16 2010 at 12:25 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Josh

I don't see what the big deal is with Mobile Me, I have it and it works great.

July 16 2010 at 12:22 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Kyle Derouen

The mobile me thing is a little ridiculous guys, but it brings up a good point; what if Apple makes you get MobileMe to use FaceTime on iPod? It would certainly bolster sales of MobileMe, and piss a lot of people off :P

July 16 2010 at 12:11 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

David Emery

What about the same capabilities for MacOS computers?

July 16 2010 at 11:23 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Byran

Like Alisha.bell said, it's not news. And um... "typically a MobileMe email address"? Are you crazy, or did you smear extra fanboy on your toast this morning? Sometimes TUAW should be called TOAFBW.

July 16 2010 at 11:19 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

drudolph

This could mean that iChat is coming to iOS since this is the way you set up an ichat account.

July 16 2010 at 11:16 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to drudolph's comment

kelly

Seems Apple wants to control this area.

My guess... FaceTime will come to OS X; not the other way around. I'd say the brand 'iChat' may devolve to just text or more likely become evolve FaceTime capabilities and take its name.

July 16 2010 at 12:12 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

alisha.bell

TUAW, if you weren't so busy hyping the iPhone 4 antenna nonissue, you would have caught this FaceTime for iPod story yesterday when it was actually news.

July 16 2010 at 11:06 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

2 replies to alisha.bell's comment

Yeah, a non issue....reality distortion field effect is obviously working on you. The rest of us are living in actual reality.

July 16 2010 at 11:25 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Mike

No one I've ever met has had the "issue" and I've never been able to reproduce it on the phones I've tried. A MINORITY of people have the problem. It's a nonissue.

Also, it's been old news for about a month. We all know: the reception goes away on certain phones. What more is there to say?

Breaking News: Some iPhone 4s still have connectivity issues, even after users have complained about it for quite a while. Yet another test was conducted on the iPhone 4 yesterday, confirming something everyone already knows and doesn't really need to hear again.

Also, here's some more breaking news: sources say that the sky is still blue, and grass is still on the ground. More tests will be conducted to ensure that we definitely know for sure if this is true or not.

July 16 2010 at 12:32 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply