Messages Beta (for Lion 10.7) expires Dec. 14th

[blairwillis]

I just received the following email from Apple:

The Messages Beta program for Lion will end on Friday, December 14, 2012. We hope you've enjoyed the opportunity to preview Messages.

If you'd like to continue using Messages, upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion from the Mac App Store. Messages is one of many great new apps and features built right into OS X Mountain Lion. Learn More.

Thank you for your participation in the Messages Beta program.

I'll be the first to admit that I've been aware that this was only a Beta from the start. However, I'd hoped that the finished product would be available for Lion, even if for a small fee ($0.99-$2.99?). Sorry to hear that's not the case, apparently.

Yes, I plan to eventually upgrade to Mountain Lion, but I was not prepared to do so in the next month. That's not my point. I'm frustrated that Apple continues to follow this policy of withholding features to existing hardware/software setups that are perfectly capable of handling them (both on OS X and iOS).

Messages has been working quite well for me on my Mac... Why disconnect it?

On the flip side, perhaps there are new features coming to Messages that just won't work with Lion. Maybe there's a good reason behind this.

[dead_smed]

I also find it annoying that it's soon going to expire. I have an old Mac Mini that isn't capable of running 10.8 and can't justify buying new hardware just for desktop iMessaging.

[Kaibelf]

Originally Posted by dead_smed

I also find it annoying that it's soon going to expire. I have an old Mac Mini that isn't capable of running 10.8 and can't justify buying new hardware just for desktop iMessaging.

Then do without. Problem solved.

[faroZ06]

Originally Posted by dead_smed

I also find it annoying that it's soon going to expire. I have an old Mac Mini that isn't capable of running 10.8 and can't justify buying new hardware just for desktop iMessaging.

Whatever, use iChat. It's clear that Apple doesn't want us to use Messages and iMessage. It's not an evil Apple move, just a stupid Apple move.

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Solution 2: Everyone submit a bunch of Lion bug reports that say that Messages won't work.

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Originally Posted by ipure

This is a lot like the way they took Siri out for iphone 4 users. If you don't buy their new ****, then say goodbye to your app.
****** Apple !

Wait, did your iPhone 4 uninstall Siri once it was removed from the App Store?

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Originally Posted by jroz

This. I used the beta version of Messages on my '06 mbp earlier this year and uninstalled it because I didn't like it. It went right back to iChat.

It's the same thing as iChat except that it has a couple extra features and can use iMessage. You have to enable the buddy list as it is not enabled by default, and once you do, it looks and feels just like iChat.

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Originally Posted by atMac

Yes you can, they shouldn't have released the beta to begin with if they didn't intend to release a final client.

It's better than nothing. Barely, barely better.

[jroz]

Originally Posted by faroZ06

It's the same thing as iChat except that it has a couple extra features and can use iMessage. You have to enable the buddy list as it is not enabled by default, and once you do, it looks and feels just like iChat.

It's better than nothing. Barely, barely better.

Yeah, I remember. I just wasn't a fan of the the appearance, like having all the chats in one window if there was more than one. You couldn't have them separate if you wanted to. Plus for some reason it seemed like every other time I logged in, I'd be in the middle of a conversation and old messages from the previous day(s) would all of a sudden pop up and keep going and going and going...it was strange.

[t22design]

Yep it's annoying. I'm a MacBook user that can't upgrade to Mountain Lion and these constant fake limitations drive me mad. At least I can do Photo stream sharing on my Windows machine.

[ConCat]

Originally Posted by t22design

Yep it's annoying. I'm a MacBook user that can't upgrade to Mountain Lion and these constant fake limitations drive me mad. At least I can do Photo stream sharing on my Windows machine.

If they didn't have limitations, they'd have very little way to justify OS upgrades. They could have brought Time Machine to Tiger, Grand Central Dispatch to Leopard, Dashboard to Snow Leopard, etc, but then there would have been less of a reason to upgrade, and people would have whined about the lack of unique features in the new OS. Nobody likes having to pay for things, but once they're done putting time and effort into a feature, they prefer to get compensated for their efforts. Can't blame them.

[Mackan]

Originally Posted by t22design

Yep it's annoying. I'm a MacBook user that can't upgrade to Mountain Lion and these constant fake limitations drive me mad. At least I can do Photo stream sharing on my Windows machine.

Apple in a nutshell. They constantly force their users to upgrade software and hardware on baseless reasons. It's part of their philosophy. You want to be part of this, always have the $$ ready.

[tomhut]

Originally Posted by Mackan

Apple in a nutshell. They constantly force their users to upgrade software and hardware on baseless reasons. It's part of their philosophy. You want to be part of this, always have the $$ ready.

Apple are not forcing you to do anything. Back porting the final version of Messages would have taken a fair amount of work and there is no incentive for Apple to do so. People need to stop their sense of self entitlement.

[MagnusVonMagnum]

Originally Posted by tomhut

Apple are not forcing you to do anything. Back porting the final version of Messages would have taken a fair amount of work and there is no incentive for Apple to do so. People need to stop their sense of self entitlement.

It's not self-entitlement. It's a reasonable expectation for an operating system to continue to function for more than a flipping YEAR. I barely even noticed Lion existed before Mountain Lion came out and thus I still have Snow Leopard on my MBP.

It's great Apple wants to add new features to OSX, but maybe they should take a page out of OSX 10.4 and extend such basic things to the existing operating system through system updates rather than arbitrary "major" updates that feel like very small point updates to me. I just got a Macbook Pro 13" for my mother since she has a hard time with all the crap in Windows constantly updating and virus checking, etc. and just getting in the way of using the computer. She's ALREADY commented that OSX is nagging her to do software updates just like Windows did. Having not updated my day-to-day PPC Mac for ages and routinely having very few things TO update on my Snow Leopard machine, I hadn't realized how bad it would be to new user with a new computer using the latest OS.

Frankly, there's something to be said for a STABLE OS platform that is NOT updated every other week. Updating SOFTWARE (and Messages IS really just software) shouldn't mean updating the entire flipping operating system in order to update a simple application. It's getting ridiculous and it has a LOT to do with the speed at which the mobile market moves where technology is still rapidly developing and hardware is being constantly updated (unlike a desktop environment where you only need so much power to run things like Microsoft Word and a web browser).

It's all the more reason Apple should consider using public "development" operating system builds and leave things stable for major releases. In other words, until Mountain Lion is complete, Lion should not have to suffer any loss of function (i.e. the basic apps like iChat should be stable and not be getting messages like, "if you wish to continue using something that's been in OSX for the past decade, you MUST update to Mountain Lion and that means forking over money. If your computer CAN'T update, FRAK YOU. Go buy some newer hardware you LEECH!" And THAT is the truth of what Apple is REALLY saying, I'm afraid.

Microsoft should NOT be trying to emulate Apple's mobile success, IMO. They should be the ROCK that is STABLE and RELIABLE instead. Windows8 fails in that regard by negating the interface everyone is already used to. If they want a new interface, make it an OPTION for goodness sake, not the new default! I don't think Apple or Microsoft seem to get that some of us might like to CHOOSE how our desktop looks and behaves rather than someone else DICTATING it.

OTOH, let's get back to point updates versus major ones. I've now used OSX 10.8.2 and to be honest, other than the launch pad/mission control thing, it looks/feels EXACTLY like Leopard (10.5) and frankly, very similar to 10.4 and 10.3, etc. That's a GOOD thing for the most part, IMO because there's nothing wrong with the OSX interface (although things like multi-monitor support with docks/menus could use a BIG improvement and yet that's the one area Apple REFUSES to work on!!!)

The problem is when they start artificially limiting what software can run on what hardware. They want you to upgrade to 10.8. Fine. Hold on a second. There's an increasing list of hardware that isn't allowed to run 10.8. Is there something wrong with those computers? No. Apple would just prefer to 'encourage' you to buy hardware you don't need. How about ENTICING me to upgrade with actual hardware improvements that I care about rather than an aribitrary decision on some greedy accountant's part (oh wait that would be Tim Cook ).

Sadly, the only thing the consumer can do is provide feedback and vote with their wallets. That appears to be the ONLY thing Apple understands.

[stepmuel]

Don't be naive. Of course there are technical reasons. They need to maintain a separate version that links to all the old frameworks and can't use the new system features.

Of course you can argue that Apple should take the effort for a probably very small amount of users. Or that Apple thinks it is somehow smart to push a couple of users to a new system version. But the technical argument makes just much more sense.

[linuxcooldude]

Originally Posted by Mackan

Apple in a nutshell. They constantly force their users to upgrade software and hardware on baseless reasons. It's part of their philosophy. You want to be part of this, always have the $$ ready.

I'm sure Apple wrenched his arm behind his back to download and install it. Apples not forcing you to do anything, only previewing a new upcoming app. Watching trailers at the movie theater does not force you to watch those movies too, or prevent you from enjoying the one your watching now.

[theinsider]

How is this any different from every other OS that introduces new features but requires to you upgrade to the most recent version?

[koban4max]

Originally Posted by Mackan

Apple in a nutshell. They constantly force their users to upgrade software and hardware on baseless reasons. It's part of their philosophy. You want to be part of this, always have the $$ ready.

So...what are you stating? You don't like apple anymore?

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Originally Posted by Tovenaar

Isn't the whole point of developing a new OS is so that you can include new features and charge money for them? I think we may have gotten a little spoiled by the free iOS upgrades every year but that's hardly typical.

Having said that, it was sneaky of Apple to get people hooked on a feature and then withdraw it, forcing them to upgrade. I'm pretty sure Apple didn't need to do any large-scale beta testing for iMessage, which is hardly a complex piece of software relative to what Apple normally develops. The beta program was just an excuse to get people hooked on iMessage.

You could go back to SL version.

[hamkor04]

Originally Posted by t22design

Yep it's annoying. I'm a MacBook user that can't upgrade to Mountain Lion and these constant fake limitations drive me mad. At least I can do Photo stream sharing on my Windows machine.

Apple helping it's customers out, to ship (completely) ship to back windows

[Lunfai]

The feature was billed as a Mountain Lion feature so it sucks that you can't use it on Lion after the 14th of next month, but I'm hardly surprised that they've finally release a closing date of the beta, as it's been a generous beta. I would've thought they would've closed it after the public launch of GM.

[cclloyd]

I feel like it should allow you to use it forever if its an older model that can't install 10.8.

ESPECIALLY if they are going to release a beta for it knowing that some users who download it won't be able to upgrade.

[Pakaku]

Originally Posted by cclloyd9785

I feel like it should allow you to use it forever if its an older model that can't install 10.8.

Apple... supporting older models?

LMAO

[lordofthereef]

Originally Posted by cclloyd9785

I feel like it should allow you to use it forever if its an older model that can't install 10.8.

ESPECIALLY if they are going to release a beta for it knowing that some users who download it won't be able to upgrade.

I agree with you wholeheartedly. But apple will argue all users have the option to upgrade. Some of them may just need to upgrade hardware altogether.

[topmounter]

Now I'm glad I didn't download the beta. I have no plans to upgrade to Mounted Lion.

[ZacNicholson]

thats to bad, but do a lot of people really use it?

[atMac]

Hey, lets uninstall your iChat and let you install Messages. Oh now we don't want to release a finished Messages client for your OS so it will stop working and we won't give you iChat back..... Oh well! Here, spend $30.

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Originally Posted by ConCat

Can't blame them.

Yes you can, they shouldn't have released the beta to begin with if they didn't intend to release a final client.

[foidulus]

Originally Posted by atMac

Yes you can, they shouldn't have released the beta to begin with if they didn't intend to release a final client.

Except for that's NEVER how they billed it. They were quite clear from the get-go that the iMessages client for Lion was simply a way for more people to get a hold of it(read test it) before the public release of ML.... Anyone that downloaded this knew that it was never going to be a permanent feature of Lion.

[impaler]

This is complete crap. Why release a beta for Lion if you are to take it away later? Nonsense. There are lots of people that don't buy new hardware every year and are now used to it. I have upgraded all our household Macs (3) to Mountain Lion, but not everyone is able to.

I've submitted a comment/feedback to Apple via their website - suggest everyone that thinks this is a bad move do the same - that's the only chance we have of getting them to listen.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html
http://www.apple.com/feedback/ichat.html

[Drunken Master]

Originally Posted by ZacNicholson

thats to bad, but do a lot of people really use it?

Probably not; I used it a grand total of once, when I first downloaded it.