Apple is Building iMessage into OS X Lion's iChat

[BaldiMac]

So, how will this work with the iChat buddy list? As this point, iMessage doesn't have an "online" or "offline" state, does it? Are all of your iMessage using contacts just perpetually listed as online?

I had assumed that this issue was why Facetime is a separate app.

 

[iansilv]

Awesome news! I will literally be stopping my texting plan when this comes out!

 

[okwhatev]

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Buried in the framework of OS X Lion's iChat, are two new properties (highlighted below):The "timeDelivered" and "timeRead' fields indicate the tracking of delivery and read receipts for instant messages. These features, however, are not supported in any of iChat's native messaging protocols,

You are mistaken. XMPP has had such features since 2002 (XEP-0022), replaced now by XEP-0184 as jtara says.

This could be no more than Apple trying to fill in the blanks in their standards support, though it would be nice to have a universal app handling video/audio chat and texts across Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, Android and iOS.

I don't see Apple providing the solution though, especially as they've yet to fulfil their promise of publishing the specs to Facetime that they made when it was first showcased more than a year ago.

In addition to this, I'd also like to state that this feature has been integrated into iChat as an exclusive mobile me iChat feature since about 2002. It may have not been in explicit read receipt style, but timestamps and active updates were/are definitely there. Of course, as is usually the case with apple, it was just one of those hidden "in the know" features in mobile me that only worked when both users of the iChat had
1) the same version of Mac os, and therefore the same build of iChat
2) each be logged into their mobile me name via iChat
3) both have the "see type while typing" feature checked within heir iChat preferences. Is a pretty tall order of things to get right to just have the feature work. But it does. (along with the rather innovative secure/encrypted iChat message/file transfer system.

 

[apolloa]

Woooowwwww there.....

But as far as Apple has officially said, there is no way to send iMessages to or from non-iOS devices such as your Mac.

Someone please tell me Apple is not about to drop support for the industry standard SMS system that has worked perfectly fine for years and years and is turning it into an inbuilt proprietary system that won't let you text other non iOS people, unless you download an app

I seriously hope they aren't

 

[JangoFett124]

Woooowwwww there.....

But as far as Apple has officially said, there is no way to send iMessages to or from non-iOS devices such as your Mac.

Someone please tell me Apple is not about to drop support for the industry standard SMS system that has worked perfectly fine for years and years and is turning it into an inbuilt proprietary system that won't let you text other non iOS people, unless you download an app

I seriously hope they aren't

iMessage degrades to SMS when the other user doesn't support it. Apple adding support for iMessage doesn't take anything away from SMS.

 

[NAG]

so you get annoyed by unwanted messages upon tuning on your laptop

You realize you can turn it off, right?

 

[TC03]

Woooowwwww there.....

But as far as Apple has officially said, there is no way to send iMessages to or from non-iOS devices such as your Mac.

Someone please tell me Apple is not about to drop support for the industry standard SMS system that has worked perfectly fine for years and years and is turning it into an inbuilt proprietary system that won't let you text other non iOS people, unless you download an app

I seriously hope they aren't

What are you talking about? There is no sign that iMessage will replace sms. These two can work perfectly alongside each other.

 

[RMo]

for the people who use iChat, this would be much better, since it would just integrate into their existing buddy lists and workflow.

But who uses iChat? Adium is better--but I'd start using iChat (in the background with as few of my accounts as possible added) if I needed it for iMessage.

 

[NAG]

So, how will this work with the iChat buddy list? As this point, iMessage doesn't have an "online" or "offline" state, does it? Are all of your iMessage using contacts just perpetually listed as online?

I had assumed that this issue was why Facetime is a separate app.

Actually, it does. You can turn these things on and off, just quitting the app doesn't turn it off. You have to explicitly tell it to turn off (in the settings) after you turn it on.

 

[mkern23]

While they're at it, I'd love to see Apple make an iMessage app for Android.
Seriously.

I think in terms of cross-platform compatibility, you'll be better off using a chat app like WhatsApp. Only disadvantage here that I can see is that it's a mobile only app, so no chatting from computer to mobile.

 

[bigpatky]

Woooowwwww there.....

But as far as Apple has officially said, there is no way to send iMessages to or from non-iOS devices such as your Mac.

Someone please tell me Apple is not about to drop support for the industry standard SMS system that has worked perfectly fine for years and years and is turning it into an inbuilt proprietary system that won't let you text other non iOS people, unless you download an app

I seriously hope they aren't

you're really misunderstanding imessage. it's complimentary to the sms messages app on the iphone. it's an ADDITIONAL feature, not a replacement. no need to worry.

 

[Astro7x]

Why have two apps to start with? If I am messaging/chatting with someone why should I switch apps if we decide to switch to video. iChat has had video for years and no one was complaining, in fact it still does work really well, better than FaceTime IMO. I was kind of surprised they made FaceTime a separate app when they did and not just make it an account you can add in iChat.

The only difference to me that I can still recognize as a valid excuse for not fully integrating is that FaceTime and iMessage, unlike tradition IM clients, are meant to be always connected (like a phone) as oppose to a service where you are only available if you are signed in.

I always thought that FaceTime was supposed to be open source, meaning they could make an Android App and you could FaceTime between two people on iOS and Android or whatever. That to me at least would explain the separation between iChat and Facetime.

 

[mkern23]

Woooowwwww there.....

But as far as Apple has officially said, there is no way to send iMessages to or from non-iOS devices such as your Mac.

Someone please tell me Apple is not about to drop support for the industry standard SMS system that has worked perfectly fine for years and years and is turning it into an inbuilt proprietary system that won't let you text other non iOS people, unless you download an app

I seriously hope they aren't

I wouldn't worry, SMS isn't going anywhere. Sure, SMS has been the industry standard for a number of years, but it's also the primary way that cell phone companies have been able to charge their customers abhorrent amount of money for a service that, unlike calling, takes up practically no bandwidth (because it's not real time) and puts no strain on a cell network.

To charge customers upwards of 10 dollars a month to send and receive text messages is absurd, and it's a great thing that these apps have come along that allow us to enjoy the same service that is delivered via the internet instead of a cell network. Except for texting people that don't have a smartphone/mobile internet, I see no point in giving cellphone companies additional revenues in the form of SMS fees.

 

[skoorbevad]

I wish they'd work on making iChat a decent messaging program instead of what you never open on your way to downloading Adium.

 

[ouimetnick]

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I hope Apple opens up the iMessage protocol at some point. It would be nice to have it in Adium and Pidgin too. Of course, Apple said over a year ago that they'd open FaceTime, but that still hasn't happened yet...

Apple said in the iPhone 4 keynote that FaceTime would be open source tomorrow. So they are over a year late now.

 

[tigres]

hope its available for snow leopard

No kidding, can we haz some of this for the cat that is just growing up.

 

[pdjudd]

Apple said in the iPhone 4 keynote that FaceTime would be open source tomorrow. So they are over a year late now.

No, they did not say that - the closest they said about that subject that they would be submitting it. They haven't done that either.

 

[Pooshka]

I hope they also update iChat into more of a system service (sort of like the FaceTime app). That way you don't have to explicitly launch iChat to get messages.

It's already that way:

 

[HiRez]

This is great news, the first time I heard of iMessage, my first thought was "Nice, but can I use it with iChat?". Or more accurately, I guess I always thought "Why can't I use iChat on my iPad and iPhone?".

 

[Yumunum]

Good, good...

Next step, iBooks

 

[bri1975]

i think ios 5 will be great no matter what

 

[Menel]

Actually I'd suggest that the carriers will catch on, and quite quickly too. They'll reduce the texting plans and try and recoup the money by increasing the cost of the data plans.

They already have.

ATT is all unlimited or nothing for txting now.

So you either pay by the txt, or you buy the full blown unlimited package. Nothing in between.

 

[Appel]

Finally, sounds great. Now if they could only implement the Airplay functionality of the ipad tablet; airplay mirroring to my 3000 dollar Macbook pro.

 

[thetexan]

Why is this revolutionary? Google talk has been doing this for years with Android phones, and you can even do this on iOS devices. I'm talking to my girlfriend via GTalk right now and I'm on my desktop while she is on her phone.

Best of all it's platform independent. I have GTalk on my Mac at home and my PC at work, on my phone, and I can access it via web browser from anywhere. It works on iOS, Android, RIM and I believe WM7 as Google has clients for each of those specific mobile OSes.

 

[apolloa]

Well I guess people have faith Apple won't drop SMS. I only see this, in respect to the iOS version, as a rip off of BBM anyway.
But in the UK we get hundreds or unlimited SMS in out bundles anyway. Well pay monthly ones.
And I don't use it but I have been informed of an app that works just like this system anyway that you can get for free. It works a bit like Facebook or something?