14 DAY TRIAL // Recent versions of OS X don’t require a standalone download to get FaceTime, as they all come with the utility pre-installed. That can’t be said about OS X 10.6, aka Snow Leopard. In case you didn’t know (or forgot) Apple still maintains the $0.99/€0.89 FaceTime app on its Mac App Store.
It’s there to be downloaded exclusively by Snow Leopard customers who are running OS X version 10.6.6, 10.6.7 or 10.6.8 (the absolute last update). It shouldn’t be surprising either that Apple still maintains the software. Snow Leopard still has a hefty install base which admittedly dwindles down with the passing of every day.
FaceTime 1.0.4 is indeed just a maintenance update. No new features are added, just fixes. Apple says, “This update resolves connection issues in FaceTime, and is recommended for all users of FaceTime on OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.”
Supported languages include English, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish.
Apple continues to market the application by saying that “FaceTime for Mac makes it easy to talk, smile and laugh with friends and family on their iPhone 4, iPad 2, iPod touch or Mac.”
Since writing this description, the Cupertino giant has unleashed a bevy of new iPhones and iPads, leaving those aforementioned device models in a trail of dust.
“Getting started is quick and easy — simply enter your Apple ID and you're ready to go,” the company adds. “Whether you're talking to someone on an iPhone or on another Mac, video calls with FaceTime look great. There's no better way to keep all your favorite faces just a click away.”
The reality is that the description still does FaceTime justice. Arguably one of the highest-quality services of its kind, FaceTime is users by more people than you’d care to imagine. However, it is currently unknown just how many people are actually using it on their Macs.
Generally, Mac owners also have an iPhone or an iPad laying around, and it’s much more convenient to use those products instead as you move around the house talking to your wife, kids, or parents.
The company further notes that “Video calls require a built-in FaceTime camera, an iSight camera (built-in or external), a USB video class (UVC) camera, or a FireWire DV camcorder; and a 128-Kbps upstream and downstream Internet connection.”
Not all Macintosh computers comes with a built-in web cam (such as the Mac mini or the Mac Pro), so Apple needs to make this clear before the user plucks $0.99 / €0.89 to download FaceTime.