Walkthrough of Apple's iMessages in iOS 5

[ten-oak-druid]

I do agree with you somewhat. And I did agree with you when you said it, until the other guy pointed out the great branding it provides.

It has been watered down a lot.

I will say, iMessage is a well utilized example of an iName. Reason being--if you begin a new text message, the top of the screen reads "message". If the person is iMessage capable, it changes to iMessage. This communicates to you whether or not it is a free message or not. So as annoying as it is to see so many iNames out there, this one at least has a practical application.

Well I guess for this particular app the nature of it makes it more important to have the "i" than in some cases. As you point out you would like to know that the other person can use the same service or not. But perhaps it is the previous overuse of the "i" that made me cringe when I saw this.

Then they can turn it off, or perhaps there will be some sort of contact selections.

And then there's the whole read receipt thing. It would say if it has been delivered and/or read.

It will probably look at the other user's ability to use facetime. If they can use that then they can use imessage. Well eventually. I think right now facetime requires wifi but eventually it will be available over 4G. Well it can look to see if the user is elligable for facetime when on wifi.

 

[Dr Kevorkian94]

iMessages is cool i have it set up on all the families iPads and my iPhone of course. my dad has his ipad, my mom has hers my brother has his touch and i have my iphone. It is good for my mom and brother especially, my mom is clueless (sorry mom) with the cellphone and my brother doesn't have one. i admit its a bit slower than a regular text but its a beta so its all good. the auto detect didn't work when i texted another friend with an iphone (non iOS 5) today so i guess they both must have it.

 

[southernpaws]

Well I guess for this particular app the nature of it makes it more important to have the "i" than in some cases. As you point out you would like to know that the other person can use the same service or not. But perhaps it is the previous overuse of the "i" that made me cringe when I saw this.

Most certainly cringe inducing!

 

[iPunish901]

please let there be an option to not let people know ive read their message. im the king of ignoring texts and replying whenever im in the mood to.

 

[-LikesMac-]

I think iMesssage is GOOD, and...

Why didn't Apple integrate iChat? That would have been AMAZING. The true chat monster would have been the messaging app with SMS, MMS, iMessage, iChat, and Facetime(?) features put in

Like, you have AIM contact, the button that you press for sending the message shows the well-known AIM icon with a yellow background and stuff.

I think iMessage is good though, I'll just get a dedicated app for other IM networks lol

However, does anyone agree with me when I say that texting should be ABSOLUTELY FREE on EVERY PHONE? I bet a text costs literally .0000000000001 CENT!!!!!! (Someone give me the actual cost if they can find)

 

[BrianMojo]

Not so unlikely at all. In fact, I found myself in that very situation this weekend. I was at a large music festival, and the large number of people was overloading the tower, even though I had full bars. My internet connection was barely there at all, and it was far too loud to make a phone call. But SMS was working like a champ.

So, to reiterate the question... can we force it to send SMS, even to other iOS 5 devices?

If you read the article, the answer is yes. At the very least you can turn iMessage or SMS off and thereby force it to do so. Can you do it easily? That's another question.

 

[addicted44]

Yes, they are. The $/MB is insane for texting plans.

I also don't know why you think there is going to be an explosion of data usage. No music streaming, and I'm sure most of the syncing will be Wifi only (home network near computer) with the explicit option to choose the data delivery method for such operations.

That being said, it's not as if this is anything new. Carriers have supported BB's implementation of the same type of feature for years without fuss.

One difference between this and BBM (besides the much better UI, and far more powerful features, such as integration with FaceTime) is that it is available to devices without cell phone chips, such as the $499 iPad, and iPod Touches.

That instantly greatly expands the use of this service. Suddenly, I can communicate with my family halfway across the world using only my iPod Touch. That is pretty great.

Edit: I know IM already exists, however, IM is barely as convenient as SMS. The proliferation of non-interacting protocols has made it a nightmare. The nice thing about iMessage is that it integrates so nicely with SMS, so I will be sending iMessages at no cost, but with the same frictionless experience as SMS.

Additionally, to the person who said SMS isn't expensive...~10c/message. And International is a ripoff (AT&T charges 50c for each RECEIVED international SMS, even if you have the unlimited plan. They don't have an unlimited international plan).

 

[Trauma1]

It will probably look at the other user's ability to use facetime. If they can use that then they can use imessage. Well eventually. I think right now facetime requires wifi but eventually it will be available over 4G. Well it can look to see if the user is elligable for facetime when on wifi.

What about the iPhone 3GS?

https://www.macrumors.com/2011/06/07/ios-5-works-just-fine-on-iphone-3gs/

 

[addicted44]

Why didn't Apple integrate iChat?

They are likely to do so (more likely iChat will probably get replaced with iMessage for Mac, with FaceTime, etc. integrated). Look at FaceTime for precedence, where the Mac version came after than the iOS version.

 

[scoobydoo99]

However Verizon and ATT both charge $5 a month for text messages in addition to whatever plan you have for phone and data.

I don't know what world you live in, but i WISH AT&T only charged $5 a month for text messaging!!

 

[bushido]

lol at all people jizzing their pants over something that uve been able to do with apps like whatsapp for YEARS, come on its nothing new ppl

and iMessages is pointless as u can only do it from iDevice to iDevice, WA is much better, u can sent free text to nokia, android & bb

 

[Portal83]

What the hell kind of texting are you talking?? Over $1000/mb? No.... Texting on att uses voice, not data. And it's $20/month for unlimited. That's the same everywhere basically.

All things you send/receive over a cellular network is essentially 'data' whether it be voice, text, or the internet. It's all digital information being sent in bits and bytes.

If what I've read is correct, an SMS sends approx 140bytes per message. AT&T's $10/mo 1000 text plan is like paying $10 per 0.140MB (140KB, 140bytes * 1000) sent over the network. Maybe not exact, but it's in that ballpark. How do you think that adds up compared to data plans?

I don't feel the need for some of the BB-like features in this (although I might end up liking them as a bonus) and unfortunately, unless all your friends have iPhones, we'll still have to hold on to our gouging SMS plans...at least for now.

*Edit for accuracy*

 

[addicted44]

is iMessages international as well like WhatsApp? if so then i can delete it I use it for a friend in germany who has an iPhone

WhatsApp is the best comparison to this. What it loses to WhatsApp in lack of compatibility with non iOS devices, it makes up for in much better integration, and being far more feature packed. And in the fact that it will be available to EVERYONE with iOS5, which will be many 10s of millions come "Fall". WhatsApp is unlikely to be able to match its distribution.

However, I am unlikely to dump WhatsApp yet. I know too many BB users to be able to do that.

 

[Trauma1]

I don't know what world you live in, but i WISH AT&T only charged $5 a month for text messaging!!

They do. 200 messages.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

I never said you did. But you did say it was going to be "a pretty big fail".

That will not be the case.

the fail is in how they link things up. For a company that prides itself on being idiot proof I see so many huge idiot level problems here in it.

I would feel for someone that it does not detect an active iPhone it sends a warning to person sending it that they have to over ride to start a iMessage chat. This solves a lot of problems in preventing people who have iPods and iPads but no iPhone from missing txt messaging. (This applying only to people sending from an iPhone as it can do both SMS and iMessage)

It is just to prevent what I see are pretty easy problems cropping up.

They do. 200 messages.

They do not have that any more. Only people who still have $5 for 200 message are grandfathered in.

 

[southernpaws]

So correct me if I'm wrong.

I just had a slight disappointment today. I was getting excited about dropping down to a lower tier of text messages and saving money.

Then I realized that the unlimited messages are tied to the free mobile to mobile option

Looks like ATT will be keeping my money one way or the
other.

 

[Cougarcat]

Just like Textie, except not as good. Can't text non-iPhone users for free.

 

[southernpaws]

Why didn't Apple integrate iChat? That would have been AMAZING. The true chat monster would have been the messaging app with SMS, MMS, iMessage, iChat, and Facetime(?) features put in

Like, you have AIM contact, the button that you press for sending the message shows the well-known AIM icon with a yellow background and stuff.

I think iMessage is good though, I'll just get a dedicated app for other IM networks lol

However, does anyone agree with me when I say that texting should be ABSOLUTELY FREE on EVERY PHONE? I bet a text costs literally .0000000000001 CENT!!!!!! (Someone give me the actual cost if they can find)

I think iChat is going the way of the buffalo, which is why it's not receiving any integration or updates. Were there even any updates announced for iChat in lion?

I rarely use iChat anymore anyway. It's all text messages now. And I think that's what apple is going for

 

[Trauma1]

the fail is in how they link things up. For a company that prides itself on being idiot proof I see so many huge idiot level problems here in it.

Maybe, but how many end users is this going to effect?

Look at every successful technological innovation/advancement. Sure they don't work perfectly for 100% of the users, 100% of the time, for 100% of their needs. And it's not going to be considered a fail just because it doesn't reach a 100% success rate.

 

[spillproof]

I thing the standard text message Send button should stay blue, and the new iMessage Send button be green.

Stevey and Scotty want us to "not learn a new program" but they changed the color from blue, which we are accustomed to for standard text messages, to green.

No, its not hard to relearn a new color, but why make people in the first place.

Just my two cents on simplicity.

 

[eNcrypTioN]

What a great feature! When I end up purchasing the next iPhone looks like I won't be needing a text messaging plan since all of my friends and the majority of people I talk to already have iPhones.

 

[louiek]

We've got 2 iphones (me and the missus) and an ipad (kids). So thats 3 devices, two phone numbers, one AppleID. Am I able, from each of those devices, to send messages to one (and only one) of the other devices? Further, are the devices only allowed to see the device to device history or all communications for the given AppleID. I love the idea of iMessage, but if I can't keep communications separate and private then it's of limited use to me. I so wish they would allow individual accounts on the ipad. That would make it "magical".

 

[Trauma1]

They do not have that any more. Only people who still have $5 for 200 message are grandfathered in.

They do not offer it anymore. Like you said people still have it and AT&T bills for it; it exists.

That poster was implying that the $5 plan (like the unlimited data plan someone else referred to) only existed in some bizarro world.

 

[Dcuellar]

I keep seeing more and more features on cell-phones that take away from the carriers and provide something free to the end-consumer. I think it's great, but it makes me wonder if they can't just go all the way.

What do you guys think? What if Apple one day decided their phone was going to be completely VOIP. There wouldn't be the need for plans with minutes and consumers would only have to choose a carrier of data plans. Better yet, WiFi is available EVERYWHERE you go.

Would you pay $600 to Apple for it's phone if that were the case?

 

[ten-oak-druid]

I don't know what world you live in, but i WISH AT&T only charged $5 a month for text messaging!!

That's right. They increased it to $10 didn't they? And that is the first tier.

Oh well. I wasn't going to pay $5 for it. I'm certainly not paying $10.

I think it was $5 when I joined ATT. And also the price and data allotment was different. i think I originally had 15GB but it is now 10GB if I'm not mistaken. That is a crime too. I sometimes go over 200mb but I do not even need 1GB but I have to pay for all that extra.

What about the iPhone 3GS?

https://www.macrumors.com/2011/06/07/ios-5-works-just-fine-on-iphone-3gs/

Is the new iOS going to even run on the iphone 3.5? Well I guess it will. But perhaps imessage is a feature that won't? Or my idea is not going to work.

I think iChat is going the way of the buffalo, which is why it's not receiving any integration or updates. Were there even any updates announced for iChat in lion?

I rarely use iChat anymore anyway. It's all text messages now. And I think that's what apple is going for

It does sound and video too. I don't think you can do anything more with it. Perhaps tweek the interface? Increase the video chat to more than 4 people? I don't think its going away. I just think it is all set and we shouldn't expect new versions often.