Wireless carriers reportedly surprised by Apple's iMessage feature

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  • Reply 101 of 144
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    I've already got unlimited SMS/MMS as part of my plan so this doesn't really affect me.



    Also in Australia we don't pay to receive SMS/MMS, it seems to be an American thing.
  • Reply 102 of 144
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by OhReallyNow View Post


    That is, except for the husbands who fool around on their wives, but also share an Apple ID with them. They won't like this feature one bit.



    They make a new Apple ID. Problem solved.



    My only don't like on this one is that it is a separate app. I think it would have been much better if they had rolled SMS, iMessage and Mail into one app. Especially since they have the same basic interface. They could have done an "All Messages" box like they have for All Inboxes in mail now. Or you could go into them style by style.
  • Reply 103 of 144
    jexusjexus Posts: 373member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hill60 View Post


    I've already got unlimited SMS/MMS as part of my plan so this doesn't really affect me.



    Also in Australia we don't pay to receive SMS/MMS, it seems to be an American thing.



    It's primarily an American thing because we like to monetize everything, it's how we roll.



    Canada is stuck with the same problem but that's because Anti-trust regulators weren't really paying attention until their telecom market was gone.



    I've heard that every time that the government starts a new telecom company and releases it on it's own that it ends up being devoured, usually by Rogers I believe.



    But again, I've only heard things like so. Canadians care to comment?
  • Reply 104 of 144
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cory Bauer View Post


    As soon as I saw them messaging between iPad and iPhone, i wondered how this would work. Would the iPhone have two separate messaging apps, one called iMessaging for chatting between iOS users and another called Messages for everyone else?



    From the sounds of it there is one app. The first time you try to message someone it sends a little query into the system to see if that person is registered into it via an iOS device. Yes, then it uses iMessages, no and there's a mobile phone number it sends a regular text. All in about 2 seconds that you don't even notice go by.
  • Reply 105 of 144
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jinglesthula View Post


    6.6.2011



    Apple > we haz iMessage



    Carriers > we iz surprizd



    6.7.2011



    Carriers > o wait. we r betraid



    Customers > o rly? we were gouged. thnx aapl. bai carriers - lrn 2 valu custmrs



    ---



    I mean seriously - does anyone else get the impression that while Apple makes money by delighting their customers that the carriers view theirs as nothing but a revenue stream to optimize?



    I am by far NOT an advocate for the carriers but realistically we need them. Of course it's in their best interest to gouge us, because where can we go? Wifi, you say? Who provides it? Ummmmm, a carrier. We will always need them to carry our service. Wanna be delighted? Try going without a carrier for a week. You'll quickly be delighted and impressed when you start receiving your phone calls, SMS/MMS, emails, etc...when the week is up. And don't kid yourselves Apple is not going to buy a carrier.
  • Reply 106 of 144
    ddawson100ddawson100 Posts: 514member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dullblade View Post


    Why does someone have to remember it? Let the iphone do that. Doesn't it already? There is the option to list an iphone number in the contacts already.



    Still, that's two apps. If you were to review someone's text from yesterday, for example, you'd have to know which of two apps to check. Let's say you want to send a group message and one has an iOS device and one doesn't.
  • Reply 107 of 144
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dasanman69 View Post


    No I clearly see how it's different but it's definitely not new. Even at the height of BBs popularity they didn't hurt the carriers nor will Apple. Teens are constantly on the move and iPods need a wifi connection. I doubt they'll give up their constantly connected devices for a iPod.



    No, but they'll give them up for an iPhone with texting blocked. Texting plans are now dead thanks to the sheer number of iOS devices. This will be particularly useful for iPad users.
  • Reply 108 of 144
    cvaldes1831cvaldes1831 Posts: 1,832member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by enjourni View Post


    Text messaging should be free. It's just another type of data.



    The failure of the cell companies is in not thinking about the phone as a computer sooner. They had to know this day was coming.



    Texting is free in many countries. But not in Amerika.
  • Reply 109 of 144
    sierrajeffsierrajeff Posts: 366member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by OhReallyNow View Post


    That is, except for the husbands who fool around on their wives, but also share an Apple ID with them. They won't like this feature one bit.



    Exactly my thought! It'll be like quietly picking up the phone in the bedroom to listen to someone else's phone call - hubby's typing away on the iPhone, so I blithely pick up the iPad "to play a game" and follow the conversation!
  • Reply 110 of 144
    For the folks not happy that this is iOS only, use iMessage and download an app like Textfree that gives free texting and MMS to any phone on any network (that's what I use now). Then you can cancel your AT&T or Verizon texting plan. It really is as simple as that.
  • Reply 111 of 144
    pendergastpendergast Posts: 1,358member
    If iMessage eventually supports other services, like Google and BBM, it would be even better. In the same way that iChat supports AIM and MSN.
  • Reply 112 of 144
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,016member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nuzumu View Post


    Wait.... *trying to find sympathy for the wireless carriers*, nope, nothing. Suck it Verizon, AT&T et al.



    I can't disagree. The fact that AT&T doesn't include texting in its data plans is infuriating. I finally got the $5 plan and started going over in a few months. I finally got the unlimited thing. I'm also grandfathered into unlimited data for now, at least.
  • Reply 113 of 144
    hummerphummerp Posts: 17member
    My parents both have LG phones, my wife has a Samsung, most of my friends and clients have phones other than and iPhone. If I drop SMS from my plan, I could txt with three people. Until everyone on the planet has the same cell phone, these closed loop, proprietary systems won't be vary useful to me.



    Just my two cents.....
  • Reply 114 of 144
    edoardedoard Posts: 1member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ddawson100 View Post


    Back on topic - I can only see it adding to confusion if someone has to use two separate text messaging apps and remember who has an iOS device and who doesn't. Even if they were to develop an Android app (really?!) it still excludes too many people.



    It's just yet another instant messaging application.

    I understand wanting to undercut the carriers, where SMS are priced way over data,

    but releasing yet another messaging app, limited to one OS (iOS) seems just lock-in for unaware apple customers.



    SMS are popular despite the cost, because they are end-device neutral.

    While Skype/MSN/Google Talk/and all the various chat app have specific platform requirement.



    if iMessage becomes yet another multi-protocol IM app

    able to text chat with other clients, while offering a superior experience for those on the same platfmor (eg switch to video) then it may be a good thing.
  • Reply 115 of 144
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    No, but they'll give them up for an iPhone with texting blocked. Texting plans are now dead thanks to the sheer number of iOS devices. This will be particularly useful for iPad users.



    And how many people do you believe will do that? Just reading this forum tells me not many.
  • Reply 116 of 144
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dasanman69 View Post


    And how many people do you believe will do that? Just reading this forum tells me not many.



    Funny, I've not seen a single thing that suggests that here.



    But we don't matter, anyway. The people here aren't the ones about whom I'm speaking.
  • Reply 117 of 144
    hoganhogan Posts: 94member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by edoard View Post


    It's just yet another instant messaging application.

    I understand wanting to undercut the carriers, where SMS are priced way over data,

    but releasing yet another messaging app, limited to one OS (iOS) seems just lock-in for unaware apple customers.



    SMS are popular despite the cost, because they are end-device neutral.

    While Skype/MSN/Google Talk/and all the various chat app have specific platform requirement.



    if iMessage becomes yet another multi-protocol IM app

    able to text chat with other clients, while offering a superior experience for those on the same platfmor (eg switch to video) then it may be a good thing.





    Couldn't agree more. Although, I think it's more than just gullible IPhone users becoming locked into yet another closed system. Apple really could make their messaging platform ubiquitous, and more powerful, and more useful for their users. They may yet make a platform agnostic messaging app but I doubt it. They are all about "closed", "complete control of user experience" etc. but wrt to SMS that makes just about as much sense as restricting the Apple's mail client to only email other Apple mail clients.



    But I fully understand why they now mimic BBMS. Apple simply wants to lock in their customers, provide incremental value and frankly there is nothing wrong with that even though I'd prefer otherwise. Although it's amusing to read the few morons on this forum who probably truly believe Apple is doing it for merely altruistic motives.
  • Reply 118 of 144
    drhamaddrhamad Posts: 34member
    The only thing I wonder about iMessage... am I going to have to specifically open iMessage separately from texting? I don't want to have to think about whether or not I'm texting someone with an iOS device. Apple's iMessage webpage DOES use the same icon that the text/mms app currently uses, so here's to hoping.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cougar View Post


    How is this different from something like Textie? Am I missing something here? Textie has the extra ability to send free texts to non-iPhones.



    Do you just not bother reading articles?



    Yes, in some ways it's like the myriad free texting apps out there. But it also has:

    Video/Pics/Contacts

    Pushing to all devices (continue convo on any iOS device)

    See when the other person is typing

    Read Receipts

    Works on Wifi (not sure if current free texting apps do this?)

    Encryption (end to end)
  • Reply 119 of 144
    banchobancho Posts: 1,517member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by charlituna View Post


    They make a new Apple ID. Problem solved.



    My only don't like on this one is that it is a separate app. I think it would have been much better if they had rolled SMS, iMessage and Mail into one app. Especially since they have the same basic interface. They could have done an "All Messages" box like they have for All Inboxes in mail now. Or you could go into them style by style.



    It's not a separate app. It's built directly into the messaging app.



    http://www.apple.com/ios/ios5/features.html#imessage
  • Reply 120 of 144
    jetzjetz Posts: 1,293member
    I'm really wondering how much the telcos will actually lose.



    To begin with if you have an iPhone (or any smartphone really) you usually have text/picture messaging thrown into the plan anyway. I really wonder how many smartphone users have restricted messaging plans? Heck which smartphone user doesn't have unlimited (or effectively unlimited) messaging plans these days? This might reduce overages perhaps but since it's not cross-platform, it won't be sufficient for people to get rid of their messaging plans anyway.



    And sure there's whatsapp, liveprofile, Google Talk, AIM, etc. but you still can't message a dumbphone with any of those. And the vast majority of phones out there are still dumbphones.



    BBM didn't kill off text/picture messaging for Blackberry users (though it did curtail it somewhat). And iMessage won't kill off SMS/MMS for iPhone users either.



    One interesting effect that my brother noted when he got a Blackberry was that he now uses SMS more often because his messaging habits became more like his BBM habits. A whole conversation of one line messages back and forth. He got so used to it on BBM that he would do the same thing when communicating with SMS.
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