Rating: 
Summary: A buggy products not tested
Review: Simply go onto the apple forum section of their site and you can see for yourself that actual users of the iSight are all having similar problems that I have also encounted. Oh, yes, it looks pretty and the picture is clear as anything. HOWEVER, you get a middle of the image distoration that makes anyone's nose look twice its size and if you are conferencing with someone with an inferior connection speed or camera, they get flickered delayed images. But the biggest problem is that the wire that is supplied with the unit "dies" shortly after using. Even Apple suggests replacing it with a thicker one but at your expense. What you will get on your screen if you try to use the iSight is a warning saying that the camera is being used by another application. And Apple has taken the iSight off of many of it's links pages. Seems in summary that Apple would like to sweep this one under the carpet and wish it hadn't happend.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but no software?!?
Review: This is a great camera, but doesn't even come with any software! Apple expects you to purchase a $30 program in order to use it for what it was designed for?!? This is the ONLY webcam I know of that doesn't include any software. That alone has cost it 4 points in this review.(ps. Since it's a firewire cam, other software can use it, including some other videoconferencing apps, but you have to know what you're doing, which makes this Apple product very user-unfriendly because of the missing software)
Rating: 
Summary: Great performance...audio and video
Review: This little camera really adds a new dimension to the internet. Of course, on the mac, you just plug the thing in and it works flawlessly. The ability to have one-way video conferences or just audio conferences makes it nice too. The microphone really does a good job The mounts appear to be rather permanent once the backing is removed, so watch out!
Rating:
Summary: Great performance...audio and video
Review: This little camera really adds a new dimension to the internet. Of course, on the mac, you just plug the thing in and it works flawlessly. The ability to have one-way video conferences or just audio conferences makes it nice too. The microphone really does a good job The mounts appear to be rather permanent once the backing is removed, so watch out!
Rating: 
Summary: talk to friends and family across the world - for FREE!
Review: True video conferencing - the type that has been promised for years now really exists and is affordable for the common man (and woman). All you need is a firewire Mac (all new Macs for the past 4 years have shipped w/ firewire, but you can always install an after-market firewire PCI card if needed) running OS 10.2 or better, iChat/AV (Apple's software that comes free with OS 10.3 - "Panther"), and a broadband connection. There are many iChat related Web sites that contain databases of other iSight owners, so you can always find someone to chat with, even if none of your friends have Macs or broadband connections. The camera can also be used for Yahoo Chat, but Yahoo's software limits your video to snapshot slide shows. iChat/AV allows you to to have live streaming video and audio with full duplexing, so it's like you're on the phone. If you have a bad hair day, you can use the microphone only so you don't have to share the video. The lens cap is built-in, and with a simple twist of the lens, your camera is turned off. The camera is an elegant addition to your Mac goodies, although the mounting has much to be desired. Some third-party companies have come out with some excellent alternatives for mounting the iSight, however, if you don't have a laptop to clip it to and you don't want to "stick" it on your monitor. The camera is in full color and will automatically focus from about 1" to infinity. My less than perfect rating is for two reasons - 1 being the aforementioned mounting options - tacky "stick-on" mounting isn't the choice for most and the laptop clip can be broken easily during transport. My biggest gripe is the white balancing of the camera. This might be eventually corrected w/ a new version of the iChat software, but for now, the color you see is not necessarily reflecting reality. I have my computer next to a window, so in the middle of a sunny day with my overhead light on, the color looks great. At night (no ambient sunlight) with an overhead light, the colors are grainy and flat. If you hold a white piece of paper next to your face while you look at yourself on the camera, the color suddenly corrects, but goes back to awful the minute you put the paper down. Traditional cameras with built-in light meters have an ability to "spot meter" and lock a light meter reading - Apple needs to put this option in with their next incarnation of iChat/AV. For now, I have 2 halogen desk lamps on either side of my monitor. When I chat w/ someone in the evening, I will turn on the hot white lights to illuminate my face so the other person doesn't think they're talking to Darth Vader or the Grim Reaper. I used it a couple of times for audio-only chats - the microphone quality is superb. I have chatted to people in Canada, Israel and Australia without a noticable delay or degredation in quality. If the other user is using a built-in microphone in lieu of an iSight, however, they will probably hear you well, but you may have a hard time hearing them. I have also used the camera for some video/audio chats with people from around the globe. There is a noticable 1 second time difference delay, but it is acceptable all things considered. As with all things Apple, this camera is quite an innovation. Beforehand, there was only one other firewire camera on the market and it did not allow for live streaming video. Thanks to Apple's iChat software, however, you can use some other cameras, but I would not recommend it. With the few failings of iSight, it is still the best there is - and considering what it does, it's well worth the price.
Rating:
Summary: iSight Reigns Supreme
Review: What a terrific web cam! Talk about easy to set up. First make sure you've downloaded Apple's chat software, iChat AV. After that all you do is pulg the included FireWire cable into the iSight, mount it on your mac and plug the other end into a FireWire port and you're ready to start audio and/or video chats with your AIM buddies. The one caveat being that you need a high speed connection for video. I love the simplicity and elegance of the iSight. When I don't want to use the web cam, I don't have to disconnect it, only close the shutter. But honestly the image and sound quality is such that I never close it down. I've used several web cams in the past and this one offers by far the best image quality I've seen. Another small but welcome feature is the iSight's ability to tilt and swivel while mounted to your mac. Now you can position your web cam just right without a lot of fuss. My only complaint is the need to stick the iSIght mount on you mac. The mount for notebooks is much better as it just slips over the edge of the screen and doesn't require you to stick anything to your beautiful mac. I've had mine for a few weeks a now and haven't had a single glitch to deal with. Simple, elegant and high quality. What more can you ask for? Did I hear you say a lower price? Well, you can't have everything right? : )
Rating: 
Summary: Cool, Yes. Pointless, Yes.
Review: Yea, I bought this a few weeks ago. It was cool, but nobody else i knew had it, and the one person who did, well .. . Look, the thing is, the novelty wears off quickly, you'll realize how pointless this extreamly cool device is. The only use i had for it was to moniter my plants while i was on vacation (joke) Anyway, i suggest spending your money elseware, like on Panther.
-Alex Parker
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