Apple Launches $0.99 Mac FaceTime App on Mac App Store

Today is one busy day for Apple, they have just officially launched the FaceTime for Mac App on the Mac App Store for $0.99

The app was in public beta before this, but with the imminent launch of the new MacBook Pros, Apple has launched version 1.0. New MacBook Pro owners will get FaceTime pre-installed, so it appears as if this download is only for existing Mac customers.

Although buyers of new MacBook Pros should have it come preinstalled on their machines, if you want FaceTime on your existing Mac, it’s going to cost you $0.99 and is available through the Mac App Store

According to the Apple website:

Simple to Get Started
• Setup is quick and easy – just enter your Apple ID.
• With just one click, you can make a video call to an iPhone 4, an iPod touch, or another Mac.

Easy-to-Organize Contacts
• Make calls using your existing Address Book contacts – you don’t have to enter your contacts from scratch.
• Add the people you call most often to your Favorites list.
• Quickly review your past calls with Recents.

High-Definition Video
• Receive HD video calls at up to 720p on supported, Intel-based Macs.*
• A Mac with a standard-definition camera delivers up to VGA-quality video for Mac-to-Mac calls.

Elegant Interface
• Window and playback controls fade away so the focus stays on your conversation.
• View transitions smoothly when an iPhone 4 or iPod touch user switches from front to rear cameras or from portrait to landscape views.
• FaceTime’s widescreen aspect ratio makes it easy for families and groups to participate in a call.
• Enjoy your video call full screen, using every inch of your beautiful Mac display.

Ring Anywhere, Any Time
• Incoming calls ring on your Mac, even if FaceTime isn’t running.
• If you have more than one Mac, incoming calls ring on every one so you can answer on the Mac that’s most convenient.

NEW MacBook Pros are here!!!!

When the Apple Store came back online, one of the major changes was the new MacBook Pros

As expected the new MacBook Pros make the leap to Intel’s new architecture, Sandy Bridge, starting with the 13-incher’s 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 CPU and stretching all the way up to the $2499 17-incher’s 2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor.

Furthermore, the MacBook Pro has seen some minor enhancements, too: the entire lineup has dropped in weight, and all models feature a slightly larger trackpad than before, and they include a ‘FaceTime HD’ camera versus the iSight of previous models.

Specs copied from our friends at TUAW.com

13″ MacBook Pro:

• CPU: 2.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with a 3 MB shared L3 cache or 2.7 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7 processor with 4MB shared L3 cache
• Display: 13.3-inch LED-Backlit with 1280×800 resolution; Glossy only
• RAM: 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM clocked at 1333 MHz (2×2 GB), supports up to 8 GB
• HDD: 320 or 500 GB, 5400 RPM Serial ATA hard drive; optional 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB solid-state drive
• Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384 MB DDR3 SDRAM shared memory
• Other features: FaceTime HD camera, 8X slot-loading SuperDrive, Thunderbolt High-Speed E/A and Mini-DisplayPort, 802.11N WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, SDXC, FireWire 800, USB 2.0.
• Price: Starting at $1199

15″ MacBook Pro:

• CPU: 2.0 or 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 processor with 6 MB L3 Cache; optional 2.3 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with 8MB shared L3 cache
• Display: 15.4-inch LED-Backlit with 1440 x 900 resolution; Glossy or Anti-Glare
• RAM: 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM clocked at 1333 MHz (2×2 GB), supports up to 8 GB
• HDD: 500 or 750 GB, 5400 RPM Serial ATA hard drive; optional 750GB 5400-rpm hard drive, 500GB 7200-rpm hard drive, or 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB solid-state drive
• Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6490M with 256 MB GDDR5 RAM or AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 1 GB GDDR5 RAM, Intel HD Graphics 3000
• Other features: FaceTime HD camera, 8X slot-loading SuperDrive, Thunderbolt High-Speed E/A and Mini-DisplayPort, 802.11N WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, SDXC, FireWire 800, USB 2.0.
• Price: Starting at $1,799

17″ MacBook Pro:

• CPU: 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 processor with 6 MB L3 Cache; optional 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with 8MB shared L3 cache
• Display: 17-inch LED-Backlit with 1920 x 1200 resolution; Glossy or Anti-Glare
• RAM: 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM clocked at 1333 MHz (2×2 GB), supports up to 8 GB
• HDD: 750 GB, 5400 RPM Serial ATA hard drive; optional 500GB 7200-rpm hard drive or 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB solid-state drive
• Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 1 GB GDDR5 RAM, Intel HD Graphics 3000
• Other features: FaceTime HD camera, 8X slot-loading SuperDrive, Thunderbolt High-Speed E/A and Mini-DisplayPort, 802.11N WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, ExpressCard/34 slot, FireWire 800, USB 2.0.
• Price: Starting at $2,499

Biggest Apple accomplishments of 2010

source:tuaw.com

2010 was packed with Apple announcements, some planned and one unplanned. The iPad was revealed and released, the iPhone 4 was introduced, and all everyone talked about was air, the MacBook Air.

iPad

In 2010 the iPad was revealed, and everyone rejoiced except for the netbook industry that really felt the impact as Apple continued to eat into their market share. We are expecting to see more tablet releases during 2011, perhaps even with one from Apple, with a definite hardware and a rumored design update.

iPhone 4

We all knew the iPhone 4 was coming thanks to a forgetful Apple employee and some poorly executed shenanigans from Gizmodo. If only they had tested the antenna!

MacBook Air

The new MacBook Air is aimed squarely at consumers, with the cheapest model entering the fray at a tempting $999. As a sexy consumer notebook, the Air has finally come into its own and will likely continue to make inroads in the sub-notebook market as prices drop and speeds increase.

iOS updated

iOS 4 in itself was a big deal. Finally iOS users who were able to upgrade their devices with custom wallpapers, backgrounds and do more useful things like access a unified inbox and multitask with apps.

What surprises does Apple have for us on the Macintosh side of the house? 2011 will be an interesting year (again) to watch!

Apple releases iOS 4.2!

Today is the day that we have all been waiting for! Finally. Apple is shipping iOS 4.2 to iPads, the iPhone 3G, 3GS and 4, and second, third and fourth generation iPod touches.

Those of us that have an iPad gain the most, since we will be getting app folder enhancements and multitasking for the first time. The update also includes Game Center, AirPlay and AirPrint for all devices. Furthermore Apple has announced that Find My iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is now free to use without a MobileMe subscription.

The update should be available for downloading around 10:00 AM PST today. You’ll need the latest copy of iTunes (version 10.1) so make sure your Mac is up-to-date. Afterwards tether your iOS device to your Mac and check for updates in iTunes after the appointed time.

Check out Apple’s press release for complete details on this exciting new iOS release.

For those who prefer the direct downloads, here are the links!
Direct download for iPad here.
Direct download for iPhone 4 here.

Adium gets update!

The duck is back with a new new milestone, version 1.4. The new version includes:

• support for Twitter messaging
• full IRC support
• improved group chat services
• bookmarks for persistent chats

The new build requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or newer.

Adium supports popular chat networks such as AIM/MobileMe, Google Talk (along with all other Jabber/XMPP-based chat services), MSN and Yahoo! Messenger; it also connects to Facebook chat and other services like QQ, Gadu-Gadu, Lotus Sametime and Novell Groupwise. While the program doesn’t suppoer voice or video chat it is still one of the most popular chat apps among  Mac users.

All the new Apple products in ONE post!

THIS POST IS A DIRECT COPY FROM GIZMODO.COM WE DO NOT TAKE ANY CREDIT FOR IT!

As expected Apple’s Mac and OS X event was full of so much news that your head might still be spinning. So in case you struggled to keep up with everything or need a review, here are the highlights from the event:

Mac OS X Lion: The Best Features

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is here. It’s a beautiful evolution of the previous version, with a more elegant interface. Here’s everything you need to learn about it, a visual guide to its best features.

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FaceTime For Mac Looks Like This, Works Quite Well
FaceTime for Mac, which you can download right now, works pretty flawlessly so long as you have entries in your Address Book. Here’s how it looks doing Mac to Mac and Mac to iPhone. There’s even iChat comparison.

 

 

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iLife ’11: The Best New Tricks in iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand
At last, there’s a new version of iLife. It’s got all new, enhanced versions of iPhoto and iMovie to start. And they’re pretty fancy looking, more iPad-inspired.

 

 

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New MacBook Airs: Faster, Lighter, Instant On, 30 Day Standby Power
It’s been two years since the last MacBook Air refresh, but Apple’s made up for lost time: the redesigned MacBook Air comes in 13.3 and 11.6-inch flavors with complete unibody construction. And a storage secret.

 

 

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How Apple Will Do Multitouch On Macs
Trying to multitouch-touch-touch your Mac’s screen, as Steve Jobs said, would make your arm want to fall off. But OS X Lion is without a doubt Apple’s most touchable operating system to date. So how are they gonna do it?

 

 

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What Is Apple’s Mission Control?
Apple’s consolidating some of its key OS features-Expose, Dashboard, full screen apps, and Spaces-and consolidated them into something called Mission Control. It’s a fancier Expose, and is perfect for multitouch gestures, with all the various open programs displayed.

 

 

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App Store is Coming to Mac
Apps aren’t just for iPods, iPhones and iPads. They’re coming to Mac! Both free and paid-for, with the icon located in the dock. Once downloaded, the app automatically snuggles into your dock.

 

 

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FaceTime For Mac Is Here and You Can Try It Today
Apple just announced FaceTime for Mac, allowing people to videochat with iPhone 4 and iPod Touch users right from their computer. You can download a beta version today.

 

 

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First Impressions of the New MacBook Airs
The new MacBook Airs are slimmer, snappier, and better suited for cutting cheese than ever. Here’s what people are saying about actually using them.

 

Apple releases long awaited iOS 4.1.

Apple just released the long awaited iOS 4.1. so don’t just sit there, go get it!

The update varies in size, depending on your device, and can be downloaded directly through the iTunes update service. As expected the update for iPhone and iPod touch includes lots of bug fixes, as well as new features like HDR photos, HD video upload, TV show rentals and Game Center.

The update is compatible with iPhone 4; iPhone 3G and GS; and iPod touch 2G, however you should note that not all features work on all devices however. Those of you hoping for an iPad update anytime soon will be disappointed to hear that Apple isn’t planning any update for the device prior to the November expected release of iOS 4.2.

Doctors use iPhone 4 FaceTime for consulting with other doctors.

We have always thought the new FaceTime app for iPhone 4 is an amazing introduction, so far we have heard rumors that it might gain popularity in the video sex industry, now however there is a new group of potential users.

In what may be the first documented iPhone 4 medical video consultation, University of Arizona surgeon David G. Armstrong, connected via FaceTime with Los Angeles Surgeon Lee Rogers in order to allow him to have a look at one of his patients who had undergone foot reconstruction at the University’s Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance (SALSA).

According to Armstrong the docs decided to use the iPhone since “the ability to communicate quickly with something that is an afterthought has the potential to alter how we work with our colleagues and patients”.

We think it is great that the iPhone 4 is “helping” people, we are sure that it will gain in popularity as the iPhone 4 becomes more popular. The fact that it allows everyone (including doctors) to communicate with anyone else anywhere on the planet.

Want to try FaceTime, then call Apple.

So you have the awesome new iPhone 4 and want to try FaceTime, sounds great, except for the fact that none of your friends have the phone yet…There is a solution for that, Apple has provided a toll-free number for users to call and video chat with a company representative.

Last week Apple sent out e-mails to all new customers, letting them know that they could try out FaceTime by calling the toll-free 1-888-FACETIME (322-3846) number. The hotline is available between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. CDT.

“Want to try FaceTime? Give us a call,” the note reads. “An Apple representative will show you the basics and a few advanced tips. Before you call, make sure you have a Wi-Fi connection.”

When you call Apple, you will first reach a representative who will ask you a few questions about which configuration you are running, and whether or not you are connected to Wi-Fi, after this has been completed, they will then engage in a FaceTime conversation, where they will give you an overview of the most basic features of FaceTime.

Right now you don’t need to make any changes in order to use FaceTime, furthermore you can use both the front or rear camera, since it runs over Wi-Fi you don’t need to worry about using up your cell minutes.

Will skype release an update to include FaceTime.

According to sources, Skype is eager to work with any companies that might want to work with their potential video chatting features as soon as they’re ready.

Endgadget quotes that Skype “would welcome the opportunity to work with Apple,” such as meshing with the FaceTime capabilities into Skype’s app.

The source also told Engadget that Skype would definitely “welcome the opportunity to work with Apple to bring mobile video calling not only to our many millions of Skype users on iPhone around the world, but also to the countless more making video calls on desktops, TVs and other connected devices.”

Of course as with most rumors, no details, nor a timeframe has been considered yet, so of course this rumor should e taken for what it currently is, a rumor. We believe however that when you look at how much FaceTime has to offer, certainly more video calling apps like what Skype offers will be released in the future.

Since Apple even have their own chat tool that includes video, you might expect that iChat will be FaceTime friendly before too long.