Apple’s new FaceTime video calling software is only available for the iPhone 4 at the moment. That makes sense, since it’s the only mobile device from Apple (not counting laptops) which has a front-facing camera. But Boy Genius Report has uncovered some details that seem to sugest that FaceTime will eventually be available for the iPod touch and iPad as well.
There are two somewhat surprising things about that. First, that probably means that new versions of both devices are in the works, complete with front-facing cameras. But second, it means that Apple is going to have to let users initiate FaceTime calls without making a phone call first — since the iPad and iPod touch don’t make phone calls.
According to Boy Genius Report, Apple will simply tie your account to your Apple ID, allowing people to reach you by using your email address.
The system makes a lot of sense. FaceTime for iPhone 4 already requires you to use a WiFi connection to make video calls, so there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to make calls on other iOS devices over a WiFi connection. What we still don’t know is whether Apple has plans to release a desktop client for FaceTime that would let you make video calls from a Mac or PC, which would put FaceTime in pretty direct competition with Skype.
