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.

[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.

[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.

[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?

[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.

[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.

----------

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.

[TunesFan]

Let's all live in the past and die alone with all of our beta versions!

[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

[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.

[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.

[Sandstorm]

Originally Posted by 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.

Yeah, keep defending Apple. But the fact is, this is just another dick move in a long string of disgusting artificial limitations and forced pushes for obsolescence.

[atMac]

Originally Posted by foidulus

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.

Really? because I never got that impression, and I did download it.

[zorinlynx]

There is no technical reason to not allow Lion to use Messages. This crap is another way Apple is alienating its loyal users, including myself.

I wish they'd stop this stupidity.

[SimonTheSoundMa]

I guess two of my four Macs will not have iMessage as they can't run Mountain Lion. Two are 2007 MacBooks.


People that bought a Mac Mini or MacBook that are 2009 or older wont be happy.

[hlfway2anywhere]

Originally Posted by Drunken Master

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

I use iMessage while I'm on the computer constantly, because almost everyone I know has an iPhone, iPad, or a Mac.

[mrsir2009]

I knew they were going to can iMessage for Lion shortly after Mountain Lion was released... And while it's only a $30 upgrade to ML, this'd be pretty damn sucky for people whose Macs are too old to upgrade to ML.

[haruhiko]

Originally Posted by SimonTheSoundMa

I guess two of my four Macs will not have iMessage as they can't run Mountain Lion. Two are 2007 MacBooks.


People that bought a Mac Mini or MacBook that are 2009 or older wont be happy.

My 2009 Mac Mini can install ML.

[Snowy_River]

To the question of Getting compensation for it, they could offer a $5.00 version of it on the app store for Lion users. Thus, it's free if you upgrade, or it costs you a few bucks if you don't.

On the question of "upgrading hardware every year", every computer in my house is ML compatible, the oldest of which is almost five years old. So, it seems that as long as you've upgraded your hardware within the last few years, you'd be fine with this. This does make me curious about what the most recent machine that was Lion compatible but not ML compatible was...

In any event, is this annoying? Sure. Is it somethig to get all bent out of shape about? I don't really think so. I reserve getting all bent out of shape for things like discontinuing Rosetta support. $29 for an upgrade? Sure, until you factor in all the additional software that worked fine but suddenly won't run anymore because of the dropped Rosetta support. Lion cost me >$800 to upgrade...

[Steve.P.JobsFan]

FYI: Software Update DOES reinstall iChat when the Messages Beta is uninstalled. Stop saying it doesn't.

[Jeans89]

New slogan for Apple.

Apple - disconnecting people.

[REM314]

These fake boundaries by Apple are really annoying. Another one is that you cant use iCloud on Snow Leopard. You also cant upgrade to Lion on the mac app store for some reason and have to call apple to get a key (seems really backwards to me). I synced my friends calendars through google instead. Easy and saved her $30 and another OS upgrade her old computer doesn't need.

[wikus]

Once again Apple users have to buy the new crappy OS for something they could have done with the previous OS.

All the more reason to dislike Apple.