During its Back to the Mac special event today, Apple announced the release of FaceTime for the Mac. Currently in Beta, the new standalone application allows Mac users running OS X 10.6.4 or later to FaceTime video chat with iPhone 4 and fourth-generation iPod touch users. The software integrates with the Mac’s built-in Address Book, and automatically rotates the image on the Mac end when an iPhone or iPod touch user rotates their device on the other end of a call. Notably, the screen aspect ratios of the iPhone and iPod touch are different than those of some Macs, leading to black bars on certain Mac models when performing full screen FaceTime chats.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs said during the event that there are now over 19 million mobile FaceTime users, meaning that the company has sold at least 19 million iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4G units. In addition to the new software, Apple also announced downloads of over 7 billion apps from the App Store, before announcing a new App Store for Mac which the company plans to launch within 90 days. FaceTime for the Mac Beta is available now as a free download from Apple’s website.
