Inside Apple's iOS 5: iMessage to bring proprietary chat to iPhone, iPad
iOS 5 will include a proprietary chat client dubbed iMessage for iOS-to-iOS chat and sharing of media, a system not unlike Research in Motion's BlackBerry Messenger.
The new iMessage application is based on the same push technology developed in-house by Apple and previously used for application notifications, as well as push e-mail and contacts. It, along with Apple's FaceTime video chat standard, internally uses an IM-like system to deliver messages and notifications.
iMessage replaces the existing native Messages application on the iPhone, allowing for both Apple's proprietary iMessages as well as traditional text messages to be sent and received.
It also marks the debut of a native messaging client for the iPad and iPod touch. With iMessage, users of all iOS 5 devices will be able to chat with one another.
Because no phone number is associated with devices like the iPad and iPod touch, the iMessage client will work much like FaceTime currently does on those devices, and will be linked to an e-mail address. In addition, without access to a phone number, an iPad or iPod touch will not be able to send traditional text messages; that capability remains an iPhone-only feature.
Wireless carriers were said to have been caught off guard by Apple's announcement of iMessage this week. Fees associated with text messaging and MMS sending of pictures and videos are a very profitable component of the wireless business for carriers.
Of course iMessage is not limited solely to text, as users can also share video and pictures with other iMessage users. Traditional MMS functionality was a feature that iPhone users originally waited more than two years to gain access to in the U.S., as AT&T didn't enable the feature until September of 2009.
With Apple's new iMessage, when something is sent to another iMessage user, the status of the message is made available with confirmation of sending, receiving and reading. In addition to knowing when the person on the other end has viewed the message, users can also see when the person they're talking to is typing, much like with desktop-style instant messaging clients like iChat and AIM.
Video walkthrough of iMessage on iOS 5 courtesy of AppleInsider reader Nick Wellings.
The native application also differentiates between iMessages and traditional text messages with a grayed out indicator in the entry box. Before a user begins to type, the system informs them whether the message they are sending is a "Text Message" or "iMessage."
Traditional text messages and iMessages can also be quickly differentiated based on a color scheme adopted by Apple. When a text message is sent, it is displayed in a green bubble, as usual. But iMessages are seen in a light blue bubble. Received iMessages and text messages are always displayed in gray.
For now, in the first beta issued to developers this week, iMessage has some issues, as messages are often not sent or received. But Apple has plenty of time to work out the kinks, as iOS 5 is not set to become available to end users until this fall.
iOS will include 200 new user features and 1,500 new application programming interfaces for developers. The free update will be available for the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, iPad, iPod touch (fourth generation), and iPod touch (third generation). For more on iOS 5, see the rest of AppleInsider's ongoing Inside iOS 5 series, with individual stories included below:
Built-in Twitter integration makes tweeting a snap
LED flash on calls, custom accessibility gestures & vibrations
Calendar improvements help make iPhone, iPad PC-free
iTunes Tone Store will offer more text alert options
Notification Center, banner alerts
Inside Apple's move to open up SMS-style messaging to not-mobile clients
Reminders app offers location-aware to-do lists
Safari Reader, private browsing, tabs on iPad
PC Free setup, keyboard shortcuts
The new iMessage application is based on the same push technology developed in-house by Apple and previously used for application notifications, as well as push e-mail and contacts. It, along with Apple's FaceTime video chat standard, internally uses an IM-like system to deliver messages and notifications.
iMessage replaces the existing native Messages application on the iPhone, allowing for both Apple's proprietary iMessages as well as traditional text messages to be sent and received.
It also marks the debut of a native messaging client for the iPad and iPod touch. With iMessage, users of all iOS 5 devices will be able to chat with one another.
Because no phone number is associated with devices like the iPad and iPod touch, the iMessage client will work much like FaceTime currently does on those devices, and will be linked to an e-mail address. In addition, without access to a phone number, an iPad or iPod touch will not be able to send traditional text messages; that capability remains an iPhone-only feature.
Wireless carriers were said to have been caught off guard by Apple's announcement of iMessage this week. Fees associated with text messaging and MMS sending of pictures and videos are a very profitable component of the wireless business for carriers.
Of course iMessage is not limited solely to text, as users can also share video and pictures with other iMessage users. Traditional MMS functionality was a feature that iPhone users originally waited more than two years to gain access to in the U.S., as AT&T didn't enable the feature until September of 2009.
With Apple's new iMessage, when something is sent to another iMessage user, the status of the message is made available with confirmation of sending, receiving and reading. In addition to knowing when the person on the other end has viewed the message, users can also see when the person they're talking to is typing, much like with desktop-style instant messaging clients like iChat and AIM.
Video walkthrough of iMessage on iOS 5 courtesy of AppleInsider reader Nick Wellings.
The native application also differentiates between iMessages and traditional text messages with a grayed out indicator in the entry box. Before a user begins to type, the system informs them whether the message they are sending is a "Text Message" or "iMessage."
Traditional text messages and iMessages can also be quickly differentiated based on a color scheme adopted by Apple. When a text message is sent, it is displayed in a green bubble, as usual. But iMessages are seen in a light blue bubble. Received iMessages and text messages are always displayed in gray.
For now, in the first beta issued to developers this week, iMessage has some issues, as messages are often not sent or received. But Apple has plenty of time to work out the kinks, as iOS 5 is not set to become available to end users until this fall.
iOS will include 200 new user features and 1,500 new application programming interfaces for developers. The free update will be available for the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, iPad, iPod touch (fourth generation), and iPod touch (third generation). For more on iOS 5, see the rest of AppleInsider's ongoing Inside iOS 5 series, with individual stories included below:
Built-in Twitter integration makes tweeting a snap
LED flash on calls, custom accessibility gestures & vibrations
Calendar improvements help make iPhone, iPad PC-free
iTunes Tone Store will offer more text alert options
Notification Center, banner alerts
Inside Apple's move to open up SMS-style messaging to not-mobile clients
Reminders app offers location-aware to-do lists
Safari Reader, private browsing, tabs on iPad
PC Free setup, keyboard shortcuts
Comments
However... isn't this the 5th time we've talked about iMessage?
iOS 5 will include a proprietary chat client dubbed iMessage
But Apple is now all abut open standards, like HTML5. I'm pretty certain that they will make this open source so it can contact the majority of phone users, instead of just Steve's customers.
Proprietary? Not a chance in hell...
But Apple is now all abut open standards, like HTML5. I'm pretty certain that they will make this open source so it can contact the majority of phone users, instead of just Steve's customers.
Proprietary? Not a chance in hell...
They're only dubbing it proprietary because it's an in-house build with no Public APIs currently available to developers.
But Apple is now all abut open standards, like HTML5. I'm pretty certain that they will make this open source so it can contact the majority of phone users, instead of just Steve's customers.
Proprietary? Not a chance in hell...
But Apple is now all abut open standards, like HTML5. I'm pretty certain that they will make this open source so it can contact the majority of phone users, instead of just Steve's customers.
Proprietary? Not a chance in hell...
Open like Facetime?
Open like Facetime?
Apple seems to be making it more and more difficult for families to share one iTunes account, or is the email address referred to here separate from the iTunes account email address? I really hope they have a solution for multiple users on one account because it is not going to be feasible to scale up with all of these different services being based on one account.
What exactly do you lose by the kids having their own iTunes accounts? As I understand it you can have a device authorized for two accounts at once anyway, so you can have a single family account for app purchases etc, and individual accounts for iMessage/facetime/whatever.
I actually have two iTunes accounts, one for the UK itunes store and one for the US - it's not that big an inconvenience.
Free text messages to Canada are the biggest thing I miss about Sprint. I can use Google voice to get around it, but still, it was nice.
Facetime actually is open. So far no one else uses the api.
Where can I get the API documentation or the implementation of Factime?
(I?ll never pay for a text plan on principle. Sometimes I even disable SMS receiving! Meebo and email do the job for me for now.)
Sometimes I even disable SMS receiving! Meebo and email do the job for me for now.)
Do you pay for receiving SMS's or calls?
Facetime actually is open. So far no one else uses the api.
Where can I get the API documentation or the implementation of Factime?
I'm with Gwydion on this one. Though Apple has announced Facetime will be an open standard, they have no released any sort of documentation or protocols for other vendors and developers to use it.
That being said I'm sure they're planning on the release of a Facetime standard soon since it has been almost a year.
But Apple is now all abut open standards, like HTML5. I'm pretty certain that they will make this open source so it can contact the majority of phone users, instead of just Steve's customers.
Proprietary? Not a chance in hell...
While I highly doubt this, I could see Apple releasing an iMessage standard along side of Facetime (something that just struck me as I was writing this reply!).
Apple is all about open standards in some cases, but not all. A good example would be Cocoa or (less acceptable) Fairplay.
Where can I get the API documentation or the implementation of Factime?
I'm with Gwydion on this one. Though Apple has announced Facetime will be an open standard, they have no released any sort of documentation or protocols for other vendors and developers to use it.
That being said I'm sure they're planning on the release of a Facetime standard soon since it has been almost a year.
I meant the api isn't available yet.
So, if there is no API or no documentation, how is it open?
I thought you were under the same NDA as every dev. Seems to me, making yourself part of this story runs counter to basic journalism.
Are you telling me that there is no agreement in existance to not post or discuss specifics from Apple's dev kit?
Not that I'm the expert, but isn't the fact that AI has now posted images that include the names Slash, Katie and Kasper enough for Apple to kick you out of the iOS dev program?
Without any doubt. And that is exactly how these things should be. People who break their promises to Steve don't deserve to be trusted any longer.
People who break their promises to Steve don't deserve to be trusted any longer.
You're acting, don't you?