[Macworld]

Post your comments for Report: Google eyes iMessage, readies rival service here

[bjojade]

If the most common text is 'where are you?' then the most common follow up question, asked in person would be 'did you get my text?'

Unfortunately, text messaging isn't quite as rock solid reliable as the story may make you think it is. And sometimes providers will have issues where texts get delayed for hours or days.

The feature set of iMessages is what we need. The biggest problem with SMS messaging, aside from the costs are that there is no delivery notification of the message, (the same issue exists with eMail) and that your messages are tied to one device, your phone. If your battery is dead, you aren't getting that message. Standard voicemail suffers from almost the same problem, as you may not know to check your voicemail, even if you sit at your computer. Some voicemail systems now email you, which creates a centralized voicemail location, so some are working on that. I've yet to see any SMS plans that a consumer can get that allows access anywhere but on that one phone you have. iMessage has the potential to change that. I'm pretty excited about it.

[AppleZilla]

Google's email system is hardly reliable. Now they want to insert ads into our messaging too?

No thank you.

[macnews]

iMessage is cool in concept but stops working when the device goes offline - which makes sense but offline for a device like an iPod Touch means just "putting it to sleep" basically. Cool to have but think the article points out many short comings. If Blackberry in their hayday couldn't make a dent in SMS then I highly doubt Apple will as well.

[bonesb]

macnews, on 10 June 2011 - 04:30 PM, said:

iMessage is cool in concept but stops working when the device goes offline - which makes sense but offline for a device like an iPod Touch means just "putting it to sleep" basically. Cool to have but think the article points out many short comings. If Blackberry in their hayday couldn't make a dent in SMS then I highly doubt Apple will as well.

Not so sure about what you’re saying just yet. From what I’ve read iMessages are mirrored across devices much like chats. I’m testing out iOS 5 on a few devices and all of the chats are mirrored, and that’s what’s represented on Apple’s iOS 5 web page - I’m really hoping Apple gets a desktop app available and/or incorporates iMessage into iChat - or at least gives us devs a hook into iMessage so one of us can make a chat app for the masses!

[bonesb]

macnews, on 10 June 2011 - 04:30 PM, said:

iMessage is cool in concept but stops working when the device goes offline - which makes sense but offline for a device like an iPod Touch means just "putting it to sleep" basically. Cool to have but think the article points out many short comings. If Blackberry in their hayday couldn't make a dent in SMS then I highly doubt Apple will as well.

Don’t agree that RIM hasn’t made a dent in SMS income - I know families with kids that are all on BBM, it’s secure, generally always works and it’s integrated into the OS, but a few of my friends have been waiting to get off BBs and get iPhones, and this might be the ticket. My best friend and his family are all using Curves and Storms (he’s using my old Storm 9530), and they only spend a few bucks each month for SMS - and BBM message a bunch; he’s wanted to get them iPhones and is now eyeing my VZW iPhone test mule with iOS 5 on it. He’s ditching his (my old) BB when iOS 5 hits the street and moving his whole family over too.

[blueskymikew]

If this sort of messaging becomes ubiquitious and free. Then I think the phone companies are gonna have a lot to worry about.

[faxthat22]

There is SMS already in Google Voice and the Google Voice app for iPhone and iPad. Best part is that it is free because it travels as data, not network text. Since it is associated with your Google Voice #, that # needs to be part of your contact info in your friend's phone or they won't know who the text is from.

[Wiggin]

bjojade, on 10 June 2011 - 02:20 PM, said:

The biggest problem with SMS messaging, aside from the costs are that there is no delivery notification of the message

I find it interesting that I don't recall a single person every saying "I wish there was delivery notification for my text messages" until Apple pointed it out as a deficiency.

I also find it interesting that just because Apple says it, that SMS doesn't have delivery notification, everyone assumes it must be true. But it's only partly true. I've had delivery notification of SMS messages on my plain old "non-smart" (and not a Blackberry) Verizon phone since before the iPhone ever existed. The catch is it only worked it the SMS was to another Verizon customer. The carriers never got together to make it interoperable. But if you were on Verizon and texting another Verizon customer, you've had delivery receipts for at least 5 years. I know ATT never had it. Not sure of other CDMA carriers like Sprint.

[Wiggin]

blueskymikew, on 11 June 2011 - 06:26 AM, said:

If this sort of messaging becomes ubiquitious and free. Then I think the phone companies are gonna have a lot to worry about.

Not really. They'll just raise the prices on the data plans to make up for the lost revenue.

[chriswagner]

Wiggin, on 12 June 2011 - 05:54 AM, said:

bjojade, on 10 June 2011 - 02:20 PM, said:

The biggest problem with SMS messaging, aside from the costs are that there is no delivery notification of the message

I find it interesting that I don't recall a single person every saying "I wish there was delivery notification for my text messages" until Apple pointed it out as a deficiency.

I also find it interesting that just because Apple says it, that SMS doesn't have delivery notification, everyone assumes it must be true. But it's only partly true. I've had delivery notification of SMS messages on my plain old "non-smart" (and not a Blackberry) Verizon phone since before the iPhone ever existed. The catch is it only worked it the SMS was to another Verizon customer. The carriers never got together to make it interoperable. But if you were on Verizon and texting another Verizon customer, you've had delivery receipts for at least 5 years. I know ATT never had it. Not sure of other CDMA carriers like Sprint.

Its not about delivery notification, It is about read receipts. Who cares if the person got the message if they never bothered to read it? The problem with read receipts is its not long before the receiver is looking for a way to turn them off. Once that comes about they become worthless.

Chris

[John__B]

Why wouldn't Google copy another company's innovation? Maybe hiring employees incapable of cooking for themselves or doing their own laundry doesn't ensure the most creative minds after all?

Wiggin, on 12 June 2011 - 05:54 AM, said:

I find it interesting that I don't recall a single person every saying "I wish there was delivery notification for my text messages" until Apple pointed it out as a deficiency.

We use SMS as an alert mechanism which replaced skytel two-way paging, and the ability to programmatically determine that a message was received would be huge.

Most people would chalk it up to semantics, but there is a big difference between a notification system and a communication system...