Honestly: MMS?

[benfilan]

ok, yes, technically, e-mail is the best alternative, but walk into a vodafone shop, or an orange shop, the vast majoriy of phones offer MMS and SMS. most people wouldn't ordinarily think of instant messaging via e-mail. MMS has an advantage because its immediate, requires less set-up than e-mail and um....stuff.
dont get me wrong, i wish everyone could just mail each other on thier mobiles, but at the minute, i think i have one other person in my address book that messages me via e-mail, as a replacement to MMS or SMS.

 

[emotion]

The bottom line, for the UK at least, is that the phone network (for MMS/SMS) is better than the data coverage.

I think things might move in the direction of email/IM eventually but until then I think Apple/O2/ATT should be allowing MMS.

Fingers crossed for firmware 2.0.

 

[Mitch1984]

I also agree and think that email is a much better alternative. In the past whenever I have sent or received an MMS it has either not worked at all or has come up as a text saying please visit this website and enter a username and password. If people need to go on the internet to view a picture in the first place why not make it easy and just email it to them?

Just a shame you can't send more than 1 picture yet

that's a fault. You need to phone the network and get them to sendcsim updates to your phone.

Then if that doesn't work its likely that you need them to enable GPRS.

 

[Mitch1984]

Two observations:

1. For all those who are rabidly anti-MMS, what's wrong with giving iPhone users, and the recipients of the messages they might send, a choice?

2. MMS will come to the iPhone sooner rather than later. It's a lucrative revenue stream, and operators are desperate for revenue.

Email doesn't replace MMS, because not everyones got email set up on their phone, and alot of people use web based email such as lycos and hotmail.

I've got homail set up on my phone but what if I want to send a picture to my girlfriend who has MMS but no email set up on her phone.

 

[danp]

Familiar territory?

There is something strangely familiar about all this...

With MMS we have a feature which is taken for granted across the entire industry. Not everyone uses it, of course -- but the choice is there.

For reasons that are not entirely clear, Apple choose not to support it. Workarounds are provided that seem entirely nonsensical to a high proportion of the user base.

Meanwhile, Apple zealots worldwide furiously defend the decision to omit the feature and argue we should all adapt the way we use the device to fit in.

...can anyone say "1 button mouse"

Based on this logic, I confidently predict Apple will roll out MMS support soon -- and will probably call it "Mighty MMS". It will fully support the standard, but will hide the support in such a way that doesn't diverge from Apples original design sensibilities.

Those that complained about the lack of support will be happy as they can now send and receive "Mighty MMS".

Those that defended the decision to not support it initially will shout things like "Hey, they added it but it doesn't affect me - Go Steve!".

And so the cycle continues. Anyone want to place a bet with me that this is how it plays out?

 

[skeen]

I'm in the UK and 'everyone' uses MMS. If I simply email someone a pic, they won't get it until they jump on a computer. I don't know who has an email phone, but everyone I know can receive MMS messages, and I used this function sparingly (but did use it) with my BlackBerry.

So, I do hope this feature will be introduced, because as I understand it, when someone sends me an MMS, precisely nothing happens. That sucks. I'd like to receive any MMS that someone sends me.

 

[danp]

So, I do hope this feature will be introduced, because as I understand it, when someone sends me an MMS, precisely nothing happens. That sucks. I'd like to receive any MMS that someone sends me.

I support your argument entirely, but what you say isn't strictly true. You actually receive a normal SMS notification of the availability of the MMS message. This gives you a web address and a password to access the message.

Essentially the same behavior as my archaic Nokia 3330

Granted you can access it through the phones web browser but that leaves you no way to retain a copy of the complete message on the phone.

Much like my archaic Nokia 3330

Of course, it is only a 'workaround'. But it makes my pricey, cutting edge phone look a bit clunky when it simply doesn't need to.