iChat, iSpat

Back in 2001 when I got this here cute little iBook as a sweet birthday present, it was the "top of the line" iBook from Apple.

And now, in mid-2003, the latest iChat iteration or "AV" as its called, won't do videoconferencing on my now-aged iBook.

Or will it?

Y'see, these guys at the cleverly named,
Ecamm Network, have a solution to my woes.

In fact, it's a $9.95 answer for me and others who've been snubbed by Apple's efforts to create innovative software. Not only does their software enable video on my iBook (I use a Canon videocamera via Firewire) to VC through AV, but it'll also enable VC through all manner of crappy USB cameras.

Boy, Apple hates USB. Actually, they just "prefer" Firewire.

So why couldn't Apple do this? I have to feel a little sorry for them. You don't hear about Apple buying up 5,000 plus brilliant software developers, or increasing their R&D budget by BILLIONS of dollars, do you? Well, that's because they can't afford to write drivers and such for all manner of crappy hardware. That's Microsoft's job.

Yes, every time a PC user fires up his machine and plugs in whatever carnival prize he's got for a USB camera, he can moan and whine about the picture quality, or the blue screen, or whatever, but he can rest assured the guy next door with a Mac and Nikon camera isn't suffering the same fate.

'kay, that's all for now.
- posted by Victor Agreda, Jr. @ 8:21 PM