Apple pulls Messages for Mac beta ahead of Mountain Lion
With OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion set to launch in July, Apple has pulled the link to download its Messages for Mac beta.
Messages was previously available for users of OS X 10.7 Lion to try for free before the application becomes a standard feature in Mountain Lion. But after Monday's keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference, Cult of Mac noticed that Apple removed the link to download the Messages for Mac beta.
A link to the Messages beta still exists on Apple's official "Downloads" website. However, the link now simply points to Apple's promotional site for Mountain Lion, its forthcoming Mac operating system upgrade.
When Mountain Lion launches, Messages will replace iChat, though it will offer all of the functions of its predecessor. In addition, Messages also connects with iMessage, allowing users to send unlimited messages to anyone on a Mac, or an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch running iOS 5 or later.
With "Messages Everywhere," users will also be able to start an iMessage conversation on their Mac and continue it on the go on an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. The new application also features end-to-end encryption for safe and private messaging.
The Messages for Mac Beta was first released in February to test the new service and give users a preview of a major feature of Mountain Lion. It requires that users be running OS X 10.7.3 or later.
Apple announced on Monday that OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion will arrive in the Mac App Store in July. It will cost just $19.99 for those upgrading from OS X 10.7 Lion. Apple also provided developers with the fourth Developer Preview of Mountain Lion this week.
Messages was previously available for users of OS X 10.7 Lion to try for free before the application becomes a standard feature in Mountain Lion. But after Monday's keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference, Cult of Mac noticed that Apple removed the link to download the Messages for Mac beta.
A link to the Messages beta still exists on Apple's official "Downloads" website. However, the link now simply points to Apple's promotional site for Mountain Lion, its forthcoming Mac operating system upgrade.
When Mountain Lion launches, Messages will replace iChat, though it will offer all of the functions of its predecessor. In addition, Messages also connects with iMessage, allowing users to send unlimited messages to anyone on a Mac, or an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch running iOS 5 or later.
With "Messages Everywhere," users will also be able to start an iMessage conversation on their Mac and continue it on the go on an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. The new application also features end-to-end encryption for safe and private messaging.
The Messages for Mac Beta was first released in February to test the new service and give users a preview of a major feature of Mountain Lion. It requires that users be running OS X 10.7.3 or later.
Apple announced on Monday that OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion will arrive in the Mac App Store in July. It will cost just $19.99 for those upgrading from OS X 10.7 Lion. Apple also provided developers with the fourth Developer Preview of Mountain Lion this week.
Comments
Ugh, just frigging combine it with FaceTime, Apple!
AIM is going to be shut down at any time, which means the old "iChat" portion of Messages will be dead, killing off four-way video and iChat Theater… Just get your ducks in a row and give us one application!
Glad I re-downloaded it yesterday then - I love Messages on my Mac!
Just as an FYI, since I've not seen this anywhere else on Apple Insider, but a lot of people at my work have ended up with bricked Macs following the Thunderbolt update. I think Apple have pulled the update now, but if not, you might want to hold off on performing that one.
I'm not familiar with Messages. Is it a chat client like MSN or is it a universal client like, say, Trillian?
Will it only allow me to chat with others using the same client or anyone on any chat client?
Quote:
Originally Posted by roadkingclassic
I'm not familiar with Messages.
Messages is iChat plus iMessage from iOS.
Infinite free text, picture, and video messages sent to and between any iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or Mac running the appropriate software.
As Messages is iChat, it includes support for AIM (dying), Jabber (basically unused), Yahoo! chat, and everything else under the sun except for Skype, who, if I may, are whores that don't understand what a standard is.
I'm just glad they are tying it together better on the backend. If I tie my phone number to iMessage account then I expect anyone who sends me an iMessage via my phone number to have it go to tall my devices with iMessage unless otherwise specified. Telling people to not send to my phone number but to my iCloud ID was a chore.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
I'm just glad they are tying it together better on the backend. If I tie my phone number to iMessage account then I expect anyone who sends me an iMessage via my phone number to have it go to tall my devices with iMessage unless otherwise specified. Telling people to not send to my phone number but to my iCloud ID was a chore.
Yeah, that's true. I had a weird problem whereby I couldn't initiate a Message with my father, who was using his iCloud ID on an iPod Touch, but weirdly, if he sent an iMessage to me, it would appear on my phone and Mac, and I could then reply to him no problem.
With everyone else I send iMessages to, they have iPhones, and I could always initiate a thread using their phone number, but not always with their iCloud ID. All told, there is some weirdness in there, which I hope they are tidying up.
As an application on the Mac though, it's fantastic. I never got into AIM and the like, so this is new territory for me!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Skype, who, if I may, are whores that don't understand what a standard is.
Oooooh, so THAT'S why Microsoft bought them!
It is a great application which I use most days. It is amusing to whiz out a message on the Mac and then watch someone 'hunt & peck' out a reply on their phone.
Or maybe I need a hobby??
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Skype, who, if I may, are whores that don't understand what a standard is.
Which must make it difficult for you to explain why Skype has nearly 10 times more users than all the other messaging services combined with over a billion* users
That pretty much make it THE standard.
*(not including Tencent which has around 900 milliion but is exclusively in China)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
As Messages is iChat, it includes support for AIM (dying), Jabber (basically unused), Yahoo! chat, and everything else under the sun except for Skype, who, if I may, are whores that don't understand what a standard is.
Does it include Google Voice texting? Ever since that took over, it's been years since I IMed with anyone outside of facebook.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2oh1
Does it include Google Voice texting? Ever since that took over, it's been years since I IMed with anyone outside of facebook.
Here's what's supported directly. Other services (Microsoft Messenger for Mac, etc.) are supported through Jabber.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Here's what's supported directly. Other services (Microsoft Messenger for Mac, etc.) are supported through Jabber.
Using MSN through Jabber on Messages might be theoretically possible, but I've never seen a reasonable way of doing it simply. Trying to find the right network to set it up on, making a new account, etc... it didn't work very well for me when I tried and after signing up for 3 different Jabber services and finding their MSN connections still wouldn't work, I gave up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Messages is iChat plus iMessage from iOS.
Infinite free text, picture, and video messages sent to and between any iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or Mac running the appropriate software.
As Messages is iChat, it includes support for AIM (dying), Jabber (basically unused), Yahoo! chat, and everything else under the sun except for Skype, who, if I may, are whores that don't understand what a standard is.
Jabber - basically unused?!
Jabber is the only open-sourced protocol of the list. It's also the back-end protocol used by Google Talk; so drop support for Jabber, and that GTalk goes away. Jabber is also used extensively internally at many corporations (like mine), thanks largely to the free open-source OpenFire app that will run on Mac, Windows, or Linux (http://www.igniterealtime.org/). It's pretty cool, and powerful, server software. It's pretty cool to be able to have our Mac users connect to the Jabber server using built-in iChat or Messages.
Skype on the Mac and on iOS is a piece of shit. It's UI totally sucks! It is free is why it has so many users, along with its huge strength in Europe and elsewhere for its ability to bypass the myriad of phone companies and their extortionist rates. Just having a huge customer base does NOT make you great. One just needs to look at MSFT for example.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LighteningKid
Using MSN through Jabber on Messages might be theoretically possible, but I've never seen a reasonable way of doing it simply.
I used it for years before the people I knew finally got with the program and got AIM or iMessage. It was a piece of cake!
Quote:
Originally Posted by FreeRange
Skype on the Mac and on iOS is a piece of shit. It's UI totally sucks! It is free is why it has so many users, along with its huge strength in Europe and elsewhere for its ability to bypass the myriad of phone companies and their extortionist rates. Just having a huge customer base does NOT make you great.
Bingo. People are still using Skype 2.8. They refuse to update because all the new UI are absolutely terrible, or so they say. I refuse to use it for that and many other reasons.
I think I'll just hold out for OS X 10.9 Ocelot. Maybe they will have added the features I really wanted by then: http://jeff-with-a-g.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/os-x-109-ocelot.html
Quote:
Originally Posted by otterfish
I think I'll just hold out for OS X 10.9 Ocelot. Maybe they will have added the features I really wanted by then: http://jeff-with-a-g.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/os-x-109-ocelot.html
Except we have unified messaging. Both applications are called "Messages", and both use the service known as "iMessage".
What isn't unified is frigging FaceTime.
I wonder how that is affecting SMS. I know I got rid of SMS completely after most everyone I know was on iOS 5.0.