If I am on an iPhone with iOS 5 and someone else is on iOS 4, are messages I send or receive to/from them free? Or do we both have to have iOS 5. Or what?
The new Messages app is only in IOS 5. I've heard no rumor or seen anything from the Dev side that indicates Apple will make it downloadable for iPhone Gen1 or Gen2.
Extrapolating from the recent stats, it seems that less than a third of them are going to iOS and more than twice as many seem to be headed to Android.
Who in the world would spend $1500 on sending 1 MB of text data? AT&T offers unlimited texting for something like $20 a month for the entire family on family plan.
She's saying if you don't have a texting plan that would be your per\\text price compared to the data being sent. Some people don't have text plans and are willing to pay the $0.20 each.
Quote:
Originally Posted by regan
With things like yahoo messenger, twitter and now iMessage...why would anyone willingly pay $20 to AT&T for unlimited texting? Ha! What a joke. Or .20cents per text? Even MORE of a joke. When you could text for free. Why would anyone hand over their hard earned money to these greedy telcom companies who are charging a 4,000% mark up from what sending a text really costs them?
It's not like you have to hack/jailbreak your device or something. There are plenty of FREE alternatives.
You have to be constantly connected to data and everyone isn't all the time. Or there are times when your connection isn't as strong and data transfer can take minutes to hours to go through. I use Kik with a couple of friends but sometimes I just need to SMS them to make sure a message gets through.
I have the same number of phones and a 1400min plan and we did the same thing. We currently have over 10k min in our roll over due to it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yuniverse
Our family has 5 lines on AT&T. We lowered the plan to 700 min. Between 5 lines, i know that sounds too little, but we also added $30 unlimited texting which covers all 5 lines ($6 per line for unlimited texting), but the kicker is that you get unlimited mobile minutes from ANY carriers.
Most people use mobile phones now days, so I thought this would be a good plan. What do you guys think?
I guess this is one way for carriers (in this case AT&T) to lure customer to texting plan.
The new Messages app is only in IOS 5. I've heard no rumor or seen anything from the Dev side that indicates Apple will make it downloadable for iPhone Gen1 or Gen2.
Then this will be a small pool of iOS users for at least the first year or so. Texts from my boss will still cost me 20 cents, because he will never replace his iPhone 3G.
I like iMessage very much, but it has one disadvantage: its not cross platform. [...] I fear iMessage will be like iChat: great app but not really mainstream due to the fact its bound to the Apple platform only.
Take a look at the earlier article referincing Apples domination in mobile web browsing. Adoption won't be an issue like it was with the Mac.
Even so, if they enhance iCat into iMessage on the Mac, I hope they do the same on Windows. And I would really love it if they released for Android and WP7 - or at least an API so others could.
Somehow, ISTM that even if all the iDevices suddenly stopped using SMS services (which ain't ever gonna happen), 5% is not much of a "threat".
The stats show that iOS device owners send an average amount of text messages: iOS has about 5% of the phone market, and their owners send about 5% of text traffic.
However, the text traffic is more profitable than phone or data. The real threat would be if iMessage were to ever become an open standard. Apple promised FaceTime as an open standard at one point (although I wonder what happened to that). If iMessage became an open standard and spread to other platforms, it could become significant.
In fact, it almost has to do that to be of any use. I can't imagine many people using SMS for texting and switching to iMessage only when texting another iOS 5.0 user. Just too much of a pain to remember who is using what - and too little advantage. So I expect iMessage to either flop or spread outside of iOS 5.
Quote:
Originally Posted by alcstarheel
She's saying if you don't have a texting plan that would be your per\\text price compared to the data being sent. Some people don't have text plans and are willing to pay the $0.20 each.
The example was someone spending $1500 on SMS. That's 7500 messages at $0.20. Do you know ANYONE who would send that many messages in a month who doesn't have a text plan? That would be inordinately stupid.
Even if there might be one or two people out there crazy enough to do it, it's silly to use such an extreme example. It just has no bearing in the real world and is the worst kind of fluff that tries to pass as journalism.
And the entire premise is flawed. If you can only message with other iOS 5 users, you will still need a text plan, anyway, so it probably won't save you any money (certainly not the people who already have unlimited text plans).
Then this will be a small pool of iOS users for at least the first year or so. Texts from my boss will still cost me 20 cents, because he will never replace his iPhone 3G.
Take a look at the earlier article referincing Apples domination in mobile web browsing. Adoption won't be an issue like it was with the Mac.
I don't see it.
The problem is that many people don't know what phone their contacts are using. So you have to keep both SMS and iMessage handy all the time and there will be times when you choose the wrong one.
Now, if iMessage were so overwhelmingly fantastic that some inconvenience were justified, that would be one thing, but I can't see that it's superior enough to want to mess around with the hassle. Unless it becomes multi platform and catches on significantly, it will be DOA.
The application is part of iOS 5, the company’s latest mobile platform version which will be released on Oct. 12. iOS 5 will be compatible with various iOS devices: iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad, iPad 2 and third-generation and newer iPod touch models.
iMessage was unveiled at this year’s Worldwide Developer Conference in June at what turned out to be the last keynote the late Steve Jobs delivered. One report suggested that Apple’s carrier partners were unaware of the development of such an app, reportedly finding out about it at the same time as the general public.
The app will make instant text-messaging between iOS devices substantially cheaper, even free in some cases, as it only requires a wireless network or a 3G data plan to work. The service should draw special appreciation from users that send a significant amount of SMS messages to friends and family that live in other countries and also happen to own recent models of Apple's mobile offerings.
Unlike SMS messages, iMessage texts are not limited to 160 characters per message. In addition to text, the application lets users share photos, videos, locations and contacts. Also, all sent and received iMessages are securely encrypted.
The app supports multi-device use, so users can pick up chatting with their contacts across any of the iOS devices they own. iMessage features single and group messaging and offers text delivery notifications.
A recent code discovery in Apple’s iChat application suggests the company may be interested in bringing iMessage support to its OS X Lion chatting platform.
I want to know more about how it works. For example, how does iMessage know the other user I'm about to text has iMessage? Can iMessage used mobile numbers? How does it work exactly? The simple facts about it confuse me. Would someone care to clarify iMessage for me?
I can't imagine many people using SMS for texting and switching to iMessage only when texting another iOS 5.0 user. Just too much of a pain to remember who is using what - and too little advantage. So I expect iMessage to either flop or spread outside of iOS 5.
I was hoping iMessage would replace the iOS message app - it's still not clear if it does.
Quote:
And the entire premise is flawed. If you can only message with other iOS 5 users, you will still need a text plan, anyway, so it probably won't save you any money (certainly not the people who already have unlimited text plans).
I don't. I use email exclusively, and with the rise of the smartphone this is not as big a deal. If I need to text someone, I email their SMS address. When someone questions why I don't have SMS I just point out that $20 a month is $240 a year.
Just for texting.
Utterly rediculous. I'd rather pay for the "expensive" cellular data any day. People are just paying for convenience,vand the per month fee is low enough they just don't realize how outrageous it is!
I do agree that to really gain traction iMessage needs to At least be interoperable. I think a well designed iMesage app for Android, WP7 or Windows itself could be a good sales tool for iOS
"Samsung and Google are also reportedly working on similar services that would allow Android users to communicate via free messages instead of pricier SMS texts. Meanwhile, Microsoft is said to be readying its own instant messaging system for the Windows Phone platform."
google/android had it for years with google voice. which is completely cross platform via actual mobile numbers.
I really wish Apple would be using more open standards. I don't understand why Facetime took the place of iChat/Jabber, and I really don't understand why they can't make iMessages an (open) extension of Jabber.
The one time I tried WhatsApp I had to remove it within two days, as it killed the battery. Has it gotten better?
The reference was made to show how much profit network providers make from SMS. They're suggesting that you could send around 7500 standard length SMS messages with 1MB of network data. A MB of data costs just $1.20 (based on the plan they outlined) but sending those 7500 texts at $0.20 would cost $1500.00....
That's effectively $1498.80 profit for every $1500 the networks make from SMS.
Here in the UK most tariffs now include unlimited SMS, but have limited data. My 3GS tariff has 500 SMS per month and unlimited data so it won't make any real difference to that, but if I want to upgrade to a 4S I'll have to choose a tariff with unlimited SMS and either 100MB, 500MB or 1GB data per month. So then iMessage will then actually work against me since it would use up part of my limited data allowance instead of unlimited SMS. Is it possible to restrict iMessage to only send via SMS?
I don't see it. The problem is that many people don't know what phone their contacts are using. So you have to keep both SMS and iMessage handy all the time and there will be times when you choose the wrong one.
As long as iMessage is also the new iOS SMS client It's a one time setting in you contact for that person. Hardly a big deal.
If it's integrated. How stories in iMessage can continue to overlook reporting on this important point is boggling to me. I guess I can find out for myself tomorrow.
Quote:
Now, if iMessage were so overwhelmingly fantastic that some inconvenience were justified, that would be one thing, but I can't see that it's superior enough to want to mess around with the hassle. Unless it becomes multi platform and catches on significantly, it will be DOA.
And yet BB Messanger was a major driver for BB growth in the consumer space and a huge driver for younger BB users. Don't underestimate how important even a non-universal feature can be. Apple is fast eclipsing BB marketshare...
While iMessage in and of itself isn't enough, it's still part of a broader ecosystem that Apple provides. Along with iCloud, iMessage is a seminal feature of iOS 5 that will drive further adoption. It's the sum of the well integrated parts working together. Apple already has the chicken/egg thing solved when introducing a new standard. If if you are rout and it doesn't set the world on fire, it will stll be far from DOA.
And if the economy keeps tanking, people may finally start to pay attention to the outrageous SMS fees.
Note: When sending an iMessage to a compatible contact the send button is blue otherwise its green for SMS. Also, enable delivery receipts and you know that they have received the message pretty quickly after you sent it.
When sending an iMessage (blue send) if the other user is not in a data zone you get a message delivery failure. You can choose to send again (for 'free' with iMessage or choose to send as SMS. It doesn't fail then send it as an SMS without your consent.
You won't pay unless you choose to.
Doesn't work like that on my iPhone. Tries as data then sends as SMS if it can't send as data. I could turn off "Send as SMS" I guess it then works as you say. But that's a right royal pain in the backside!
I use iPhone and BB. RIM would be wise to produce an iPhone App (they are doing an Android one) and charge for it. Might give them a few more months of life
Yeah, but a single 160 character text message is only 140 bytes of data. I'm guessing like most, a lot of texts will be just a handful of words so not even close to the 160 characters. I don't think iMessage will make any considerable impact on your data usage.
SMS is more expensive per message sent but data plans costs a lot more per month so average phone bills are going up; I therefore doubt carriers are complaining that much.
Except I do data instead of text and even at $10 more per month, it costs the carriers far more to provide me data then SMS.
Trust me, they care - SMS is a cash cow bigger than extended warranties at BestBuy!
How is this different than using the Google Voice app to send and receive all texts over 4G or WiFi to anyone you want, even those with just regular sms, regardless of what phone or carrier you or they have?
iMessage will be there by default. I have to download Google voice. Then trust them with my data
Comments
That doesn't answer my question, which is.
If I am on an iPhone with iOS 5 and someone else is on iOS 4, are messages I send or receive to/from them free? Or do we both have to have iOS 5. Or what?
The new Messages app is only in IOS 5. I've heard no rumor or seen anything from the Dev side that indicates Apple will make it downloadable for iPhone Gen1 or Gen2.
Extrapolating from the recent stats, it seems that less than a third of them are going to iOS and more than twice as many seem to be headed to Android.
There, I fixed that for you.
What an insanely stupid comparison.
Who in the world would spend $1500 on sending 1 MB of text data? AT&T offers unlimited texting for something like $20 a month for the entire family on family plan.
She's saying if you don't have a texting plan that would be your per\\text price compared to the data being sent. Some people don't have text plans and are willing to pay the $0.20 each.
With things like yahoo messenger, twitter and now iMessage...why would anyone willingly pay $20 to AT&T for unlimited texting? Ha! What a joke. Or .20cents per text? Even MORE of a joke. When you could text for free. Why would anyone hand over their hard earned money to these greedy telcom companies who are charging a 4,000% mark up from what sending a text really costs them?
It's not like you have to hack/jailbreak your device or something. There are plenty of FREE alternatives.
You have to be constantly connected to data and everyone isn't all the time. Or there are times when your connection isn't as strong and data transfer can take minutes to hours to go through. I use Kik with a couple of friends but sometimes I just need to SMS them to make sure a message gets through.
Our family has 5 lines on AT&T. We lowered the plan to 700 min. Between 5 lines, i know that sounds too little, but we also added $30 unlimited texting which covers all 5 lines ($6 per line for unlimited texting), but the kicker is that you get unlimited mobile minutes from ANY carriers.
Most people use mobile phones now days, so I thought this would be a good plan. What do you guys think?
I guess this is one way for carriers (in this case AT&T) to lure customer to texting plan.
The new Messages app is only in IOS 5. I've heard no rumor or seen anything from the Dev side that indicates Apple will make it downloadable for iPhone Gen1 or Gen2.
Then this will be a small pool of iOS users for at least the first year or so. Texts from my boss will still cost me 20 cents, because he will never replace his iPhone 3G.
Sigh.
I like iMessage very much, but it has one disadvantage: its not cross platform. [...] I fear iMessage will be like iChat: great app but not really mainstream due to the fact its bound to the Apple platform only.
Take a look at the earlier article referincing Apples domination in mobile web browsing. Adoption won't be an issue like it was with the Mac.
Even so, if they enhance iCat into iMessage on the Mac, I hope they do the same on Windows. And I would really love it if they released for Android and WP7 - or at least an API so others could.
Somehow, ISTM that even if all the iDevices suddenly stopped using SMS services (which ain't ever gonna happen), 5% is not much of a "threat".
The stats show that iOS device owners send an average amount of text messages: iOS has about 5% of the phone market, and their owners send about 5% of text traffic.
However, the text traffic is more profitable than phone or data. The real threat would be if iMessage were to ever become an open standard. Apple promised FaceTime as an open standard at one point (although I wonder what happened to that). If iMessage became an open standard and spread to other platforms, it could become significant.
In fact, it almost has to do that to be of any use. I can't imagine many people using SMS for texting and switching to iMessage only when texting another iOS 5.0 user. Just too much of a pain to remember who is using what - and too little advantage. So I expect iMessage to either flop or spread outside of iOS 5.
She's saying if you don't have a texting plan that would be your per\\text price compared to the data being sent. Some people don't have text plans and are willing to pay the $0.20 each.
The example was someone spending $1500 on SMS. That's 7500 messages at $0.20. Do you know ANYONE who would send that many messages in a month who doesn't have a text plan? That would be inordinately stupid.
Even if there might be one or two people out there crazy enough to do it, it's silly to use such an extreme example. It just has no bearing in the real world and is the worst kind of fluff that tries to pass as journalism.
And the entire premise is flawed. If you can only message with other iOS 5 users, you will still need a text plan, anyway, so it probably won't save you any money (certainly not the people who already have unlimited text plans).
Then this will be a small pool of iOS users for at least the first year or so. Texts from my boss will still cost me 20 cents, because he will never replace his iPhone 3G.
Sigh.
Send him the link showing the 3GS is "free".
Take a look at the earlier article referincing Apples domination in mobile web browsing. Adoption won't be an issue like it was with the Mac.
I don't see it.
The problem is that many people don't know what phone their contacts are using. So you have to keep both SMS and iMessage handy all the time and there will be times when you choose the wrong one.
Now, if iMessage were so overwhelmingly fantastic that some inconvenience were justified, that would be one thing, but I can't see that it's superior enough to want to mess around with the hassle. Unless it becomes multi platform and catches on significantly, it will be DOA.
iMessage – How it works
The application is part of iOS 5, the company’s latest mobile platform version which will be released on Oct. 12. iOS 5 will be compatible with various iOS devices: iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad, iPad 2 and third-generation and newer iPod touch models.
iMessage was unveiled at this year’s Worldwide Developer Conference in June at what turned out to be the last keynote the late Steve Jobs delivered. One report suggested that Apple’s carrier partners were unaware of the development of such an app, reportedly finding out about it at the same time as the general public.
The app will make instant text-messaging between iOS devices substantially cheaper, even free in some cases, as it only requires a wireless network or a 3G data plan to work. The service should draw special appreciation from users that send a significant amount of SMS messages to friends and family that live in other countries and also happen to own recent models of Apple's mobile offerings.
Unlike SMS messages, iMessage texts are not limited to 160 characters per message. In addition to text, the application lets users share photos, videos, locations and contacts. Also, all sent and received iMessages are securely encrypted.
The app supports multi-device use, so users can pick up chatting with their contacts across any of the iOS devices they own. iMessage features single and group messaging and offers text delivery notifications.
A recent code discovery in Apple’s iChat application suggests the company may be interested in bringing iMessage support to its OS X Lion chatting platform.
I want to know more about how it works. For example, how does iMessage know the other user I'm about to text has iMessage? Can iMessage used mobile numbers? How does it work exactly? The simple facts about it confuse me. Would someone care to clarify iMessage for me?
Found all I need to know: http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-...with-imessage/
I can't imagine many people using SMS for texting and switching to iMessage only when texting another iOS 5.0 user. Just too much of a pain to remember who is using what - and too little advantage. So I expect iMessage to either flop or spread outside of iOS 5.
I was hoping iMessage would replace the iOS message app - it's still not clear if it does.
And the entire premise is flawed. If you can only message with other iOS 5 users, you will still need a text plan, anyway, so it probably won't save you any money (certainly not the people who already have unlimited text plans).
I don't. I use email exclusively, and with the rise of the smartphone this is not as big a deal. If I need to text someone, I email their SMS address. When someone questions why I don't have SMS I just point out that $20 a month is $240 a year.
Just for texting.
Utterly rediculous. I'd rather pay for the "expensive" cellular data any day. People are just paying for convenience,vand the per month fee is low enough they just don't realize how outrageous it is!
I do agree that to really gain traction iMessage needs to At least be interoperable. I think a well designed iMesage app for Android, WP7 or Windows itself could be a good sales tool for iOS
google/android had it for years with google voice. which is completely cross platform via actual mobile numbers.
The one time I tried WhatsApp I had to remove it within two days, as it killed the battery. Has it gotten better?
The reference was made to show how much profit network providers make from SMS. They're suggesting that you could send around 7500 standard length SMS messages with 1MB of network data. A MB of data costs just $1.20 (based on the plan they outlined) but sending those 7500 texts at $0.20 would cost $1500.00....
That's effectively $1498.80 profit for every $1500 the networks make from SMS.
I don't see it. The problem is that many people don't know what phone their contacts are using. So you have to keep both SMS and iMessage handy all the time and there will be times when you choose the wrong one.
As long as iMessage is also the new iOS SMS client It's a one time setting in you contact for that person. Hardly a big deal.
If it's integrated. How stories in iMessage can continue to overlook reporting on this important point is boggling to me. I guess I can find out for myself tomorrow.
Now, if iMessage were so overwhelmingly fantastic that some inconvenience were justified, that would be one thing, but I can't see that it's superior enough to want to mess around with the hassle. Unless it becomes multi platform and catches on significantly, it will be DOA.
And yet BB Messanger was a major driver for BB growth in the consumer space and a huge driver for younger BB users. Don't underestimate how important even a non-universal feature can be. Apple is fast eclipsing BB marketshare...
While iMessage in and of itself isn't enough, it's still part of a broader ecosystem that Apple provides. Along with iCloud, iMessage is a seminal feature of iOS 5 that will drive further adoption. It's the sum of the well integrated parts working together. Apple already has the chicken/egg thing solved when introducing a new standard. If if you are rout and it doesn't set the world on fire, it will stll be far from DOA.
And if the economy keeps tanking, people may finally start to pay attention to the outrageous SMS fees.
Note: When sending an iMessage to a compatible contact the send button is blue otherwise its green for SMS. Also, enable delivery receipts and you know that they have received the message pretty quickly after you sent it.
When sending an iMessage (blue send) if the other user is not in a data zone you get a message delivery failure. You can choose to send again (for 'free' with iMessage or choose to send as SMS. It doesn't fail then send it as an SMS without your consent.
You won't pay unless you choose to.
Doesn't work like that on my iPhone. Tries as data then sends as SMS if it can't send as data. I could turn off "Send as SMS" I guess it then works as you say. But that's a right royal pain in the backside!
I use iPhone and BB. RIM would be wise to produce an iPhone App (they are doing an Android one) and charge for it. Might give them a few more months of life
SMS is more expensive per message sent but data plans costs a lot more per month so average phone bills are going up; I therefore doubt carriers are complaining that much.
Except I do data instead of text and even at $10 more per month, it costs the carriers far more to provide me data then SMS.
Trust me, they care - SMS is a cash cow bigger than extended warranties at BestBuy!
How is this different than using the Google Voice app to send and receive all texts over 4G or WiFi to anyone you want, even those with just regular sms, regardless of what phone or carrier you or they have?
iMessage will be there by default. I have to download Google voice. Then trust them with my data