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Apple is in a well-deserved position to make all things digital fun and acceptable. Witness its lead in everything from selling music online (iTunes) to wireless network gear (AirPort) to playing MP3s (iPod) to cutting edge design (from the iMac to the 23-inch Cinema Display). And now, with its new iSight camera and iChat software, it may do the same thing for see-you-see-me (or ‘video telephony / ‘video conferencing’, also known as the 40-year promise of video phones being the Next Big Thing). iChat allows users to create instant message-style buddy lists, and the camera has nice Apple-touches like a green ‘on air’ light, and a feature that allows you to mute the video by closing the lens cover without disconnecting you from the conversation. And yes, it looks nice, too.

Opportunities

If iChat/iSight becomes another Apple success story, the real opportunities may be found in the much bigger world of Windows, where competitors are nowadays quick to follow Apple’s moves — witness buymusic.com‘s Windows clone of the iTunes store. With broadband becoming ubiquitous, iSight may just be the push that video conferencing and VOIP needed: start stocking up on cameras and video walls 😉