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The Future of iChat AV?

Yes Apple, please port iChat AV!!! AIM SUCKS!!!

I finally wanna get rid of that spyware/adware laden piece of **** AIM on my g/f computer. I would happily pay for iChat AV on Windows as long as it comes with iSight compatibility. And MSN, no way buddy, it is a pain as it is to get rid of that ****ty software on WinXP. No way I am going to reinstall it!!

Ahmed
 
I would have thought that the most logical thing to do, post iTunes announcment, would be to allow Apple AV compatibility to AIM for windows. Then sell/advertise iSight for AIM pc users...probably with a way to convert to usb2. But then just think...PC users get apple software for free throuh AOL, Apple users have to pay £30 or upgrade the OS. Don't think many people would be very happy with that. Even if free with the iSight, it still would mean Jag users who want to use their curent firwire camcorder or whatever would have to pay. I dont think charging AIM users to upgrade would work so well either as they could just switch to Y! or MSN for free. At least its an option now though as the AIM video/audio restriction has been lifted.

I suppose like everythnig else, it depends on how its marketed. If as just adio and video in IM's then it will not do so well, free options exist with other big players and allow up to 50 connections, not just 1. If marketed more as a high end video conf software, which always costs, then ,aybe its possible. If it acted more like a phone then it really would be killer. Leave your computer on sleep, and it auto wakes up and rings to tell you someones video/phoning you anyone? Even possibly a way where it starts up ichat if someone wants to contact u and its not running, giving you the option to open the connection or send to you text/voice/video answerphone. Yahoo's offline messages are very useful, but could be so much better if some one like apple took them on. Idealy, but most unlikely with the aol partnership, is for multi client compatibility, jabba at least...its free and apple can host its own server. It would be nice to be able to chat to peole on every network, jut like I can phone BT customers even though I'm on cable phone. The thing there as well is no one knows unless you tell them, who your phone provider is, except maybe by the phone number. Why don't they make it so that you just add a contact (either to you list or pref to your address book) and it just shows when they come on line, no matter which IM service they use. If they use more than one network then just group them so that you only see their name once and let you and/or them set which is the preferenced client to use when you send them a message. If you want to use one other than the default then click on their name and get a drop down box of which screen names are online. Of course if only one is onlie then it defaults to that one, and if you want to use something not supported (say video) then it uses the client that supports it. That way you dont have to care which network your friends are on, or even which name your using, unless you want to...being more contact centric than network centric would be much easier to use in my opiniom
 
Originally posted by Bunzi2k4
hmm... this sounds kind of wierd, witht the pay service... is that like... monthly service? if that ever happens i'm going back to normal aim. but that would be tight to talk to my pc (always potential switchers) buds.
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Charging $30 for iChat is unlikely to win many people over - so I'd guess they have another strategy.

Someone suggested bundling - that sounds reasonable. With iSight seems obvious, but maybe also Quicktime Pro, or iOffice (if the rumours turn out to be true). Also, it could be more about corporate video conferencing, which would change the rules for charging.

As far as AIM video compatibility goes - I agree it would be great - but video requires compatible codecs etc right? (which is more difficult than text!) Does anyone know if they use similar technologies?

(Personally I simply want ICQ text compatibility! It is NOT compatible now, however new ICQ clients can log onto AIM, so it kind of works).
 
Why not put an ad in AIM that says "BUY A MAC if you dont like spyware, popups, security flaws, poorly written software, etc"?

I do not foresee iChat AV going to windows. iSight maybe. But only when AIM can see iChat and they play nice. Personally I think the rumor sites are making new rumors cause they have nothing and were caught off guard with new iBooks. They have no idea what is coming next. We are going to be surprised.
 
Re: The Future of iChat AV?

Originally posted by Macrumors
Some unreliable rumors of future iChat AV functionality have recently emerged, raising some interesting questions about the direction of iChat AV.

SNIP

Additionally, a MacOSRumors report of questionable reliability claims that the next major release of iChat AV will bring conferencing Audio/Video capabilities... allowing simultaneous A/V communications across multiple parties.
Click to expand...

Well multiparties would be excellent. I can see business really taking that up as a cheap and easy to use alternative to vid con rooms.

If the tech takes a leaf out of the real video conference systems I would expect to see sound sensitive or key press control so the speaker appears larger or as the only image where bandwidth is an issue. Different sizes of "cubes" for other participants would be great. A "wishing to speak" button/indicator would work well given my experience with vidcons.

I also hope to see an option to capture one or both sides of a conversation (maybe with a little record light flashing red) so it can be used for recording meetings/decisions and for the many personal uses it can have. Meta data with date/time/timezone/ip/computer names etc would be good.

Jason

PS: Does anyone know if iSight/AV Chat works seemlessly via powerbooks with WiFi? I assume it does.
 
I think a Windows version of iChat AV, *bundled with the iSight*, would be a brilliant and necessary move.

For the iPod, it was nice--but not necessary--to come out with a Windows version; remember, an iPod is, at it's heart, a *personal* device--you don't need anyone else to own one to use it.

Video chatting, on the other hand, by definition requires a second person--and unless that second person happens to own a Mac, you're stuck with a useless device (yeah, people have come up with other uses for the iSight, but let's face it, 90% of it's usefulness is destroyed if no one else can see you!)

If they follow the same strategy with the iSight/iChat that they did with the iPod/iTunes, they should start selling a *****load more iSights, once again getting people who would otherwise never give a cent to Apple for anything to purchase an Apple product, increasing mindshare while also adding some badly-needed peripheral revenue to Apple's bottom line (anyone know what the profit margin is on the iSight anyway?)

Theoretically, a move like this could blow NetMeeting out of the water just like iTunes has done (is doing?) to WMP.
 
Pay for iChat is going to flop.

It will never work.

People will never pay for a messenger application. Windows users have MSN which can do video, so why on earth would they want to pay for iChat.

Additionally, why would they use iChat if it can only support AOL and not MSN.

Its gonna flop.

Don't do it Apple.
 
Re: Good Move if it Happens.

Originally posted by ITR 81
I know about 5 PC users that want the iSight but they can't use it.
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lets not forget that you can use a firewire camcorder on ichat. although it wouldn't help apple generate any money, at least many people would use it. apple should use that as ammunition, that you can use your minidv cam for something other then pumpkin carving. and with that, more people would be using it, prompting more people to buy an isight so they won't have to worry about breaking it down, and setting up their camera to tape their daughters graduation ceremony.

all in all, apple has done this well and right. i cannot stand the yahoo messenger a/v and i haven't even tried to mess with msns. although it has been established desktop technology for years, apple made it easier and more inviting.

of course, as stella mentioned - since you have to purchase it if your running jag - i don't see apple giving away free downloads to pc users. so the whole firewire camcorder thing may become a moot point.
 
What if iChat isn't really about chatting (for Apple anyway). Maybe the technology has other uses?

For example, say when you leave home, instead of putting iChat in "offline" you could put it in "remote". When you get to work, you log into iChat - and there is an extra function now to access your "remote". File sharing, iTunes streaming, Remote desktop... (.Mac would still be great for limited functionality when your remote(s?) is not available.)

This would be equally interesting for Windows or Macs. Security would be a bitch. Can someone tell me - when iTunes streamed over the net, how did your work box find your home box?

This is PURE speculation...! But why do authentication for iChat themselves unless they have some value added -couldn't they have made iChat AV to use AIM servers (or someone else?)
 
Originally posted by sethypoo
That will be cool, so long as most pc users have Firewire ports for the iSight!

:) :rolleyes: :D
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Most modern audio cards come with firewire. So, as example, 2 of the 4 systems in the house have FW400 in them.
 
Originally posted by dongmin
instead of giving away for free, Apple can bundle iChat AV with the iSight. Make it a package for $129 or just the iChat AV for $29--I'm sure most users would go for the bundle. Apple's all about integration, so porting iChat AV to windows wouldn't be so bad if it was tied to selling more iSights.

Click to expand...

Makes sense to me. It seems a bit odd you have to buy the hardware *and* the software, given the software's only purpose is to work with iSight. Of course, if they bundled them, the price would be $149.
 
Yeah there will be Switchers

If Apple keeps offering its cool software to Windows then I'm sure there will be switchers.......switching to Windows. If you can get nicely thought out, innovating, integrated applications on a cheap Windows box then why would you switch to Macs?
 
Originally posted by BlueDjinn
I

Video chatting, on the other hand, by definition requires a second person--and unless that second person happens to own a Mac, you're stuck with a useless device (yeah, people have come up with other uses for the iSight, but let's face it, 90% of it's usefulness is destroyed if no one else can see you!)
Click to expand...

This is a critical point. You need widespread adoption to get widespread adoption. It's like a telephone. It doesn't do much good if you have the only telephone in the world.

Like it or not, there's a huge installed base of PCs, and people aren't going to buy macs *just* for iChat. By making it windows-compatible, it benefits Mac users as well, because the number of people they can iChat with is now 20-30x greater.
 
iSight & iChat AV Bundle for Windows & Mac

instead of giving away for free, Apple can bundle iChat AV with the iSight.

...I do think that should Apple relase iChat AV for Windows, they should bundle the program with iSight and sell millions of them.

Yes, Apple will port iChat AV to Windows. The Bundle idea with iSight is genius.

Reason: For more than a year, Steve Jobs has been under pressure from the Apple Board to port more Mac wares (soft & hard) to the Windows platform, including the sacred cow herself - OS X.

Example: iTunes software has gone Windows with great results in Music and iPod sales.

Future: With this success, Jobs is going to be on increasing pressure to open Mac products to the Windows world, and the iChat AV with iSight Bundle is the next obvious step.

Initially, iSight will continue to be FireWire only (buy a FireWire PCI board for PC), with the possibility of development and sale of a USB 2.0 / FW combination sold separately for Windows, just like the iPod for Windows [but, which would be cheaper and more practical: the PCI board that can be used for other stuff, or the cable which cannot?].

A tripod may not come out of Apple, but I would certainly expect Belkin or one of the other Apple Partners to come up with something of the sort, especially when iSight is opened to the Windows world and sales increase in multiples of Mac World sales.

We can all expect MultiCam Conferencing, hopefully through iChat AV+, to become a reality even at a premium charge because of Apple's desire to promote corporate sales of Apple products within what realistically is a Windows World, and this would be a natural entré and would be a real coup for Jobs.

Just as American Commerce & Industry salivate over the opening up of markets among Billions of Chinese (China Watchers) customers, so Jobs and the Apple Board have become Windows Watchers, and are being drawn into farming the 95% market share with the same force that hurls bits of galactic matter and light inescapably towards a Black Hole. With the Windowizing of iTunes and iPod, all things Apple will eventually become multi-platform. Not that Jobs and some member of his board won't do a lot of kicking and screaming in the process.

So, how long before OS X runs on an Intel chip? What they gonna call it?
Mac OS X PC :(

The twist is once Windows users try out MacOS X PC on their Dell, Gateway or eMachine, they will have to build their Wintel machine up to Apple standards, then they will begin to realize what a super value Mac Machines really are right out of the box - then among higher end users (not kids who just play games, or little old ladies from Sun City who want to eMail and browse eBay) there will be a lot of switching to Apple hardware.

Ok, but not before I get my G6 quad 9GHz miniSuperComputer. :cool:
 
I brought this up before, but it seems like a valid idea to port iChat in order to sell iSights, the same way they ported iTunes to sell iPods.

If Apple made an iSight with USB 2, I think they'd be all set.

However, would iChat really be great for Windows users? I think some of the best parts of IChat have to do with the integration with the rest of the OS. Like names from my address book showing up in the buddy list. Perhaps they could integrate with Outlook or whatever other POS program Windows users use? :)

But yeah, it amazes me that my friends are satisfied with the AMAZINGLY bad Yahoo. When I show them iChat, they are dumbfounded.

Oh, before they port, it might be nice to have tabbed IM windows as an option. Just something to set the program apart more. And if they COULD get Yahoo and MSN plugins, that'd be great too, though that's probably not going to happen.
 
But from a Windows user's perspective

Why should a Windows user switch to a Mac if Apple keeps releasing "cool" software for their current platform? Sure you could say something like, "Well, it works ever better on a Mac!" but Windows users are use to software that works, not software that is elegant and easy to use, so the benefits of the using the same software on a Mac is lost on them.
 
I'd settle for USB webcam support in iChatAV. I mean really, it's incredibly obvious. There's even an open source project that produces software that handles virtually all of them (macam). Why should this require an application enhancer is beyond me.
 
Re: But from a Windows user's perspective

Originally posted by ryan
Why should a Windows user switch to a Mac if Apple keeps releasing "cool" software for their current platform?
Click to expand...

What good is a chat program if you can only chat with people on the same platform? Nobody would use iChat if it only worked with other mac people. A/V is great, but it is inherently limited if it can only work with other macs. It's not a question of giving "them" "our" technology, it is a question of providing maximal value for "our" technology.

I'd say the iChat integration is a key "upgrade" in moving to mac. Ok, you can chat on both platforms, but if you want the nice integration (mail, addressbook, etc...) you have to move to OS X.
 
i wonder

if we give all these great apps to windozers... doesnt that take the essence of having the best? i dont mean to be greedy but if we want them to switch for the better ... nah... globalize chatrooms... go apple!:D
 
Enterprise Twist

One idea I think would be useful is to allow a window be the picture sent. This would be an easy way to do document sharing similar to say Webex or MeetingPlace (MS oned now). Webex on the Mac really sucks and it tries to do to much. MeetingPlace only allows Macs as the receiving end not originating one.

This would also be useful for remote training and support.

In principle all you need to do is copy the window buffer to the iChat AV input.

Heck I think it is a good idea.
 
Re:USB Web Cam

Originally posted by cryptochrome
I'd settle for USB webcam support in iChatAV. I mean really, it's incredibly obvious. There's even an open source project that produces software that handles virtually all of them (macam). Why should this require an application enhancer is beyond me.
Click to expand...

Apple is about quality, and USB 1.1 Web Cams do not have a good enough transfer speeds to have that quality.
 
iChat AV+

PC machines have been using USB 2.0 for years and it has enough bandwith, it's embarrassing that Apple finally has waited so long to finally put USB 2 in all its computers starting with G5.

With regards to FireWire, Apple and Sony pioneered it years ago, incorporating it into their products regularly with Dell, Gateway, and the rest selling cheaper boxes without it.

Therefore, iSight should remain FireWire and either let Wintels pay to add a FireWire card or pay for a conversion cable, that's the price of buying 2nd rate computer boxes and thinking they are getting a better deal - just cheaper because of what they lack. :p

Next time, buy Macintosh. :cool:
 
Originally posted by GregAussie
What if iChat isn't really about chatting (for Apple anyway). Maybe the technology has other uses?

For example, say when you leave home, instead of putting iChat in "offline" you could put it in "remote". When you get to work, you log into iChat - and there is an extra function now to access your "remote". File sharing, iTunes streaming, Remote desktop... (.Mac would still be great for limited functionality when your remote(s?) is not available.)

This would be equally interesting for Windows or Macs. Security would be a bitch. Can someone tell me - when iTunes streamed over the net, how did your work box find your home box?

This is PURE speculation...! But why do authentication for iChat themselves unless they have some value added -couldn't they have made iChat AV to use AIM servers (or someone else?)
Click to expand...

Might as well slap a Windows sticker on your Mac and start downloading security patches every other day. There's no way I'd want an instant messenger having remote desktop access, you're just asking for trouble.
 
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