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The Missing Communications Link on your iPhone…

Posted August 15, 2007 7:30 AM by Tommy Thomas
Categories: Opinions Software 

When Apple released the iPhone, they seemingly got most everything right, or as close as one could expect to getting things right for a 1.0 phone. In all the eloquence, attention to detail, and apps which were included at the initial iPhone launch, Apple forgot one BIG thing… No IM client.

One could argue Apple was concerned with more pressing matters in making sure the iPhone was ready-to-go by launch time. Sad thing is, they really didn’t given that many iPhone users are complaining of dead touch screens. In this age of communications, how can you leave out an IM client out of a product that has seen more hype than any product in recent memory? It’s simply absurd. Apple didn’t have their ducks lined up in a row, or in this case, all its most viable and useful apps ready for the masses. Who wants to use text messaging for their IM needs? Text messaging is at best a get by. Although there’s a few apps that have stepped up to the plate to try to fill this niche, it’s time for Apple to step up with iChat for the iPhone.

We live in a fast-paced world… A world in which we rely heavily on instant communications. It’s the lifeblood of businesses. While the iPhone is revolutionary for the ease-of-use it employs, unless you have the necessary frameworks in place, a product that’s meant to change the landscape ends up being about as useful as a paperweight.

Let’s see some iChat goodness… How ‘bout it Apple?

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Comments

  1. Why no native IM on the IPhone?  Think about it.

    If the iPhone came out with a native IM app, then all users, by contract, would have been tied into paying AT&T for each message…and AT&T makes over a billion a year for such charges.

    To allow iPhone-users to make free IMs on the web browser (and free us from the tyranny of per-each-charges of the carriers), Apple had to rely on third party web-browser developers to add on full IM capability…so we can IM for free.

    Apple is freeing IM for us from the carrier charges.  Just be patient, and through web-based VOIP, he will free WiFi-phones from the carrier’s excessive phone charges.  Steve Jobs has long resented the carrier’s control and piecemeal charging for every use and feature of phones, and considers the carriers “dumb pipes”.  Relax and enjoy the ride.

    Posted by hardman on August 15, 2007 11:00 AM

  2. This is my thinking behind the whole missing apps and other stuff on the iPhone.

    Apple announced in January that the phone would be released in June.  That pretty much held them to a month they needed to be ready for.  They were obviously behind, which is shown by the fact that they were forced to push back Leopard.  As it got closer to June Apple made a decision.  They didn’t want to disappoint and push back iPhone another 2 months.  Instead they set the release date for the 29th of June in order to buy as much time as possible, while still releasing in June.  Jobs had already mentioned there would be updates for iPhone as time went on, so people knew that new things could be put on iPhone.  So what Apple did was release iPhone with the programs and software they had completed and knew worked.  I think they did this while still working on other apps and features that were originally planned to be released on iPhone.  Those features and programs, such as iChat, copy/paste, widescreen keyboard for all apps, games, and ringtones have been being worked on continuously and have been planned for release in a software update.  So we will see these in an update when they are ready.

    I do not know that this is exactly what happened, it is just my theory.  Apple knew the software on the current iPhone worked and they released it.  They refused to release iChat and other features that were not ready because Apple just doesn’t release things unless they think they are perfect.  Once Apple think the programs they have been working on are perfect, we will see them in a software update.  Hopefully within the next month, but possibly not til October.

    Posted by Chris on August 15, 2007 11:19 AM

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