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IM application: What Apple may do......

A

AREM

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 14, 2008
14
0
I was thinking about why Apple hasn't introduced an IM app yet, and I remembered people saying that it would cut into AT&T's text message plans.

Well, I thought that a possible way that Apple might please AT&T is by charging for an IM app in iTunes, and sharing the profit from those sales with AT&T.

Or, Apple might provide the app (free or not) and have a monthly charge for the use. Because honestly, I just don't see AT&T allowing a free IM app on the iPhone without putting up some kind of fight.

BTW Hello. I'm AREM. :)
 
AREM said:
I was thinking about why Apple hasn't introduced an IM app yet, and I remembered people saying that it would cut into AT&T's text message plans.

Well, I thought that a possible way that Apple might please AT&T is by charging for an IM app in iTunes, and sharing the profit from those sales with AT&T.

Or, Apple might provide the app (free or not) and have a monthly charge for the use. Because honestly, I just don't see AT&T allowing a free IM app on the iPhone without putting up some kind of fight.

BTW Hello. I'm AREM. :)
Click to expand...

Hello AREM, and welcome to the MacRumors community! I hope you enjoy it here and help to make it a better community. The fact that having an IM client on the phone wouldnt hurt AT&T because text messaging is part of the monthly bill. If you dont use it, thats ashame. (I think anyway) Every other phone has an IM client, including the sidekick, which in my opinion is a very ugly phone, and i cant stand it. Therefore, i believe that not having anything was apple's doing for now (maybe not, just my beliefs) and i just hope we get one tomorrow? Or atleast for the SDK. Cheers, and welcome.
 
Telp said:
Hello AREM, and welcome to the MacRumors community! I hope you enjoy it here and help to make it a better community. The fact that having an IM client on the phone wouldnt hurt AT&T because text messaging is part of the monthly bill. If you dont use it, thats ashame. (I think anyway) Every other phone has an IM client, including the sidekick, which in my opinion is a very ugly phone, and i cant stand it. Therefore, i believe that not having anything was apple's doing for now (maybe not, just my beliefs) and i just hope we get one tomorrow? Or atleast for the SDK. Cheers, and welcome.
Click to expand...

While smart phones and the like are becoming more popular I think that regular phones are becoming more popular and text messaging will still prevail. I used Im on the Razr and it was horrible. I dont think it will cut that much into their profits. In the future maybe, but not now.
 
Don't you have to pay for the IM apps on other phones? I could be wrong, but I thought that you had to pay for that use.
 
Why do people continue to think that using AIM or iChat will use text messages? I have had multiple phones with AIM that were used with the ATT network, none of which used text messages. A text message is just that, a text message. That message sends over the ATT server. AIM sends instant messages and that uses internet, iPhones have unlimited data, which would make iChat free.
 
chr1s60 said:
Why do people continue to think that using AIM or iChat will use text messages? I have had multiple phones with AIM that were used with the ATT network, none of which used text messages. A text message is just that, a text message. That message sends over the ATT server. AIM sends instant messages and that uses internet, iPhones have unlimited data, which would make iChat free.
Click to expand...

We know IM doesn't use text messages. We know that IM is free because it makes use of the unlimited data plan.

AT&T makes money on text messages when people go over their quotas. Sure, the expensive plans include unlimited text messages, but the lowest plan only includes 200 per month. So if a user goes over 200, AT&T makes 10 cents a text. I bet you there are more people on the lower plan maxing out their texts than you think. Therefore, why would AT&T want to provide a free way of messaging (IM) when they have the potential of making money off of you from exceeding your texting limits.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/3B48b Safari/419.3)

Since the introduction of the iPhone, apple has been very cautious with what to include in the iphone in worry that the battery life would be compromised. From what I've heard thus far with the current 3rd party chat apps is that they are a battery drain due to their need to stay constantly connected to the server. I'm sure the reason for the delay is apple trying to figure a more battery friendly way of implementing a chat program.
 
Here's what I think:

If they can get past the battery life issue, I think they should release an IM client (probably for free or for a couple bucks) that would only work on WiFi, not EDGE. This way people would be using text messages when they're out of range.

Hrm, kinda like iTunes WiFi Store!
 
If they did that, they would have alot of angry iPhone users (myself included) on their hands.

Being limited to WiFi for iChat? Man, would that suck.
 
Before Iphone I used Treos amongst other phones. For the Treos I used Aim+ or something like that. Other phones came with a built in web type app for Aim where you could either use it online and always stay in program or close program and get txt notifications of new messages. txt wasn't forced on you though. This is speaking for Sprint / Nextel / Verizon / T-mobile.

Whole point I doubt txt messaging has anything to do with the holdup. Unless prepaid then x amount of txt are included in your plan so you're paying for it anyway.
 
I have a little old T mobile Dash running wm6 and i have AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, etc. I can leave the IM client open all day without a noticeable drain. I really cant see the battery being an issue. My does not have a great battery and will only last maybe 4-5 hours surfing the internet over edge, and even less with
wi-fi.

I think the reason the haven't released an IM client is the same reason you can't send MMS, but what ever it is i cant figure it out. I hope once the sdk is released an IM client will follow. If given a choice i think i would rather have MMS then IM.
 
Let me try to make things clear here

on none smartphones, you did have to pay per text message. My only RAZR on the Cingular Network deducted one Text Message, YES TEXT MESSAGE from my plan when I sent or received an IM from the AIM application included on my phone, it sent it over the same protocol that allows you to forward AIM messages to you cell phone now.

I happen to know that this is done with the sidekick as well (however, most sidekick users have unlimited message plans so it does not matter much).

The iPhone does not have to work this way, and as we can see because of its speed can use data instead of SMSIM.
 
Apple is getting lazy, plain and simple. We dont have ichat because they dont have to do it. I hope more companies start putting out phones just as good as this so we can get some damn development!!!!!

Stop it with the useless features no one will use more than once a month!!!
 
sidekick Aim

Janitor- the sidekick AIM does not go through txt messaging. Apple should model after the sidekick but I think apple could do even better. IMs are instant and you can have a conversation as fast as you can type. If you have your sidekick next to someone on AIM on a computer you can see how fast and how great it works compared to the txt AIM on some phones. Also you could be signed in all day all night and most sidekick users are. I believe their AIM funtionality is the reason that they are as popular as they are. They also have a yahoo client and may have others now. I had sidekick one,two and three, then IPhone. Also the sidekick had its own SMTP so you never had to deal with all those settings or worry about sending mail out. Doesnt Woz sit on the board there? Anyway I do get a bit dissapointed with features on IPhone sometimes. I had two friends trade in for blackberries so they can get their company mail. I am sticking with it though believing they will make it exchange friendly. Still an apple junkie.
 
I think that Apple's contract with AT&T (or O2 for that fact) would mean that they would want to use the texts etc as much as possible.

Introducing a free messenger or whatever would mean people would start to deviate away from sending texts etc.

However, I think that really Apple should create an IM Application for the benefit and the overall happiness of iPhone customers.

Even if Apple do make a Chat client.. I think that other companies such as Meebo, Ebuddy or however else will create a free chat client.
 
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