Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iChat/AIM client?

X

xloveaffliction

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 5, 2006
18
0
Malden, MA
any net savvy folks out there know if iPhone will have support for iChat or AIM? i have searched far and wide, but still come up empty. i have no need for video-chatting, but since buying a sidekick 3 (worst phone i've ever owned) i have enjoyed the AIM ability. it's my primary form of communication, besides facebook.

i can't see apple designing a phone, which has a lot of appeal towards the college and high school set without including a chat app. if they want any chance of getting young, early adopters like me they need to include it, and Cingular/AT&T has to lower their data prices. i'm only paying a measly $20 for unlimited data on my SK3!
 
P

P mmaaacccc

macrumors newbie
Mar 27, 2007
1
0
I sure hope that it has some AIM client, because that is also one of my main forms of communication.
 
B

brandon6684

Guest
Dec 30, 2002
538
0
I was a bit disappointed that actual iChat capability wasn't seen in the iPhone feature list. While the SMS capability looks good, it's not a replacement for iChat. I really hope they do include it, since IM capability is starting to become a relativly universal feature on most higher end internet capable phones, so I can't really seem such a high end feature phone not including IM.
 
B

brandon6684

Guest
Dec 30, 2002
538
0
Sean7512 said:
http://wwwl.meebo.com/ That would surely work, right?? :confused: The screen resolution may be a problem though.... :(

iChat, PLEASE show up
Click to expand...

I hope the Safari implementation is complete enough for all those AJAXy things, though like you said, screen resolulution will likely be a big problem. The prospect of no IM, or only AIM as the most(possibly Google/Jabber) is one of the reasons I'm planning to shy away from the iPhone, that and the price with out offering a whole hell of a lot besides a "built in iPod", which I don't particulary need.
 
boss1

boss1

macrumors 6502a
Jan 8, 2007
978
36
ichat already works with AIM . Unfortunately i don't see Apple releasing or allowing the release of 2 separate chat applications. That doesn't fall in line with Apples view for an easy all in one solution.

We'll probably see iChat long before the remote possibility of an AIM or other client. That would be great news though. SMS is so limited in terms of communicating with persons that don't have cellphones.
 
Lixivial

Lixivial

macrumors 6502a
Jan 13, 2005
947
16
Between cats, dogs and wanderlust.
Brandon Sharitt said:
I hope the Safari implementation is complete enough for all those AJAXy things ...
Click to expand...

Those "AJAXy" things usually rely on Javascript for client-side UI processing, which has been confirmed as being inside iPhone's Safari. And since this is working off WebKit, I'd be very confident in saying that, if Safari 2.0/3.0 supports (which it does) the AJAX-based site, then the iPhone will support it.

As far as plugins go, Java and Flash have not been officially confirmed, but the latter has been stated as being plausible, while in some interviews Jobs snidely remarked about the bloat of Java.
 
Shanesan

Shanesan

macrumors 6502
Jul 29, 2006
473
256
Quote from a newsweek article according to Apple Discussions:

"But cynics may note that instead of Apple's instant-messaging program iChat, there is that aforementioned SMS messaging program. On the screen, when you send and receive messages, the display resembles the way you view them on iChat, in colorful text balloons. But because each message is an SMS text message, depending on the billing plan, users may get charged a few cents each time they say "wassup." (iChat lets you gab all you want for free.) Maybe this won't be a problem-Jobs hints that Cingular may offer different billing plans for iPhone, though for now he isn't saying for sure. In any case, Jobs say, "There's no reason we couldn't have iChat on here." So bring it on."

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4343863#4343863

Note that was back in February and may be outdated. If iChat is not on this phone, I will not invest in it. This is a communication device with Wi-Fi and should be enacted as such.
 
Shanesan

Shanesan

macrumors 6502
Jul 29, 2006
473
256
Here was I hounded (nicely) out of an apple expert:


• David G: Hi! How are you?
• You: I'm pretty good, how are you?
• David G: Good thanks.
• You: You probably cannot tell me anything, but I'm looking for information on the iPhone. If anything, maybe you can forward this on...
• David G: The iPhone has been announced, but it is still an unreleased product. As such, we are limited with the amount of information we have. You can sign up to learn more information as it is released at http://www.apple.com/iphone/signup
• You: Alright. That works for me. I was just wondering if iChat has any support in the iPhone archetecture. If it does not, or you cannot indulge me with that information, can you forward that request on? It's sort of a make-or-break deal for college students.
• David G: At this time we do not know if iChat has been included in the iPhone.
• You: Alright. Thats all I wanted to know. I thank you for your time!
• David G: You're welcome.
• You: Have a good day. :)
• David G: You too!


So it's still up in the air. Not like Apple likes holding secrets or something.... (Nothing new here folks, move along)
 
S

samstod

macrumors member
Dec 20, 2006
32
0
problems with CHAT clients

You are right, the sidekick is a great AIM platform (and bad phone). The reason why is that it is mock-3G in its AIM implementation. You don't actually log in to AIM when you use AIM on a sidekick, you log on to Danger's Servers who run a virtual AIM client for you. That way, as long as Danger's servers are up, so is your AIM. 2G phones can do data OR voice, and so when you get a phone call, you get disconnected from the internet on your side, but Danger's servers are up, so the messages go there. Once you reconnect, the phone and the servers sync up, and you get all the messages that you missed.

I have a T-Mobile MDA right now, and while the SMS texting sucks, so do the other options. THe problem is that with a 2G phone, if you get a phone call for a second, or lose signal, you lose any messages that are sent to you until you can regain signal and get back on the internet. AIM doesn't know that you are signing off, it just keeps trying to send messages to you that you do not get. So, whoever you are chatting with can send you several messages before AIM kicks you off. You have no idea what they said, and they don't know what you missed without the 'Ok...the last message I got was ...." conversation.

This is why most phones still use SMS AIM, because you can get aims while you are on the phone or have no signal. The fact that it helps sell SMSs is a huge plus as well. I'm sure companies would sell you a AIM program for some amount a month, but unless they could make it work like Danger's version, nobody would be happy with it. I know I've hated every AIM client for WM5 because they don't work for real chatting very well, just a message here or there.

It would make sense that IF the second version of the iPhone is 3G that it would have a built in iChat client, because then the software will work well. You will still have problems with losing signal, but you can still get AIMs when you are on the phone. Hell, you will still be able to send AIMs if you are on the phone with a headset. If they were to release a non-SMS version of a chat program (again, short of setting up a Dangeresq Proxy Sever), it would do nothing more than get poor reviews and piss the customer off. Apple would rather tote the NEW ichat mobile services in the next version of the iPhone then the FIXED iChat mobile services in the next version.
 
Shanesan

Shanesan

macrumors 6502
Jul 29, 2006
473
256
samstod said:
...If they were to release a non-SMS version of a chat program (again, short of setting up a Dangeresq Proxy Sever), it would do nothing more than get poor reviews and piss the customer off. Apple would rather tote the NEW ichat mobile services in the next version of the iPhone then the FIXED iChat mobile services in the next version...
Click to expand...

And why ~couldn't~ they set up a Dangeresq Proxy for Wifi iChat? Or have some sort of software to use your computer at home as a Proxy? Is it really that expensive to send text messages over the intertubes?

Or even better, if the signal strength from your Wifi drops below 20% it slaps an away message up stating that you are in a low-strength zone and may not recieve IMs. Could be annoying and ultimately unfriendly, but much better than nothing at all.
 
slffl

slffl

macrumors 65816
Mar 5, 2003
1,303
4
Seattle, WA
Seeing how the iPhone is a PHONE, I am glad they have included the SMS app they have. Personally I use SMS more than chat apps. And this give me a way to chat with people who carry regular old phones and are not always tied to a computer or other 'smartphone'.

I'm sure Apple will eventually have a chat app, but I'm glad they did the SMS thing first.
 
jwa276

jwa276

macrumors regular
Aug 7, 2005
119
0
Los Angeles, CA
slffl said:
Seeing how the iPhone is a PHONE, I am glad they have included the SMS app they have. Personally I use SMS more than chat apps. And this give me a way to chat with people who carry regular old phones and are not always tied to a computer or other 'smartphone'.

I'm sure Apple will eventually have a chat app, but I'm glad they did the SMS thing first.
Click to expand...

+1

I text way more than I talk on aim. It's especially helpful when I'm at work and my g/f is in class and she needs to tell me something. I think I'm going to have to buy both her AND I an iPhone. Oh geez. I'm such a good boyfriend :D
 
rainmanbk

rainmanbk

macrumors 6502
Jan 30, 2006
268
0
Um, as far as I know, you already can message people on AIM through SMS. So what's the question.
 
rainmanbk

rainmanbk

macrumors 6502
Jan 30, 2006
268
0
I think it's safe to say that no, the iPhone will not have another chat client, because of the simple fact that the SMS messaging works with AIM already. Apple is not going to make things so complicated that you have to exit SMS and enter something else to chat on AIM. Now, that doesn't mean that they won't add features like a buddy list alongside it. I think that would be handy. There could be a button on the top of the contact list that lets you sort your contacts by online status. Then you could easily message someone at a computer. But by itself, the current SMS app, as we've seen it so far, will do what you want. Its making it more than just texting with 'continuous conversations' that could be added onto.

Personally I think the way it is will do perfectly, and it can always be updated in the future. I have a feeling something like the iPhone will have frequent software updates in order to keep it interesting. We are sure to see applications gain new features simply because they are thought of and Apple implements them. You can't expect Apple to think of everything by late June.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom