iChat's Update 1.0 promises secretive functionality, speculation abounds
By Paul Miller 
posted Jan 5th 2007 11:31AM
posted Jan 5th 2007 11:31AM
If you're getting the Macworld jitters, easily identified by the recurring dreams of Steve Jobs showing up for the keynote with nothing but a loaf of bread tucked under his arm: "I give you... the iLoaf! Oh, and one more thing, here's some butter." then you might be glad to hear the latest bit of rampant speculation, just to take your mind off things. Apple just busted out the iChat Update 1.0, which "renews the .Mac certificate required by iChat for encrypting text, audio, and video conferences." But that's all Apple is saying for now, instead keeping mum with a vague "This document will be updated as more information becomes available." It seems a pretty odd time for Apple to be updating iChat encryption and other vague features, given the fact that Leopard is right around the corner, so we're going to chalk this one up to Applephone interoperability, specifically of the video conferencing ilk. Mac OS X 10.4.9 is apparently just around the corner as well, and we're getting good vibes from all these software updates -- hardware releases seem just as good an excuse as any. Then again, an iLoaf wouldn't be half bad. Mmm. iToast.[Thanks, Scott]
Helllloooooooooooo Vo-iPhone!
I can see it now... Low cost hardware and low cost Vo-iPhone functionality that you can take to any hotspot.
Low Cost? When was the last time you BOUGHT an Apple product?
They hardware won't be cheap, and the services really won't be cheap. Is .mac cheap?
That isn't what they do... they make high end products that work, and you pay a bit extra for that.
This is strange for apple, they usually do an onslaughter of software updates minutes after the keynote has finished. (at least has been that way with the last few itunes events)..... good things to come? i hope so
Exactly hugerobots, VOIP, what else would it be? Or maybe the iPhone will offer video conferencing as well..?
I just posted about this...
I think that iPhone and iChat video conferencing is just around the corner. iPhone would become a hardware client and iChat would be the soft video phone.
--Cheers, joey
(indy.vox.com)
I've been talking about iPod Phone/iChat interoperability for nearly a year a near now over at AI, and most thought I was mad, I'm not mad.
Now listen good Windows users! iCHAT FOR WINDOWS IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER TOO! HOW ELSE WOULD APPLE JUST TWO iPOD PHONE CUSTOMERS TO TALK FOR FREE, IF THEY WERE ON DIFFERENT PLATFORMS. THIS IS SOOOOOOO OBVIOUS, I CAN'T BELIEVE EVERYONE ISN'T TALKING ABOUT IT. THE IPOD HAS IT'S APP. iTUNES, AND THE iPOD PHONE WILL GET IT'S APP. TOO, iCHAT. IT'S WILL WORK WITH iTUNES TOO, BUT IT'S A PHONE, SO.
REALLY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
I buy apple all the time actually. Considering what I've received and the service and support I get as well, it's really been cost friendly. Or I might just expect what I pay for. Never had a problem in any case. :)
The whole Windows expansion with iChat, could definitely be plausible. The update could simply be a patch that makes iChat 1.0 work well with anyone that's on a Windows box. Hell, it could be as little as being compatible with MSN Messenger. Now that, I'd love to see. MSN Messenger for OSX is fugly.
Are there any other major rumors that Engadget could pump out for this year's Macworld?
Tsk tsk tsk.
This means were moving towards a carrier-free cell service which offers voice, data, and video, with the hardware provided by Apple. And Steve Jobs will enter Macworld floating on a hovercraft.
IT IS A SOFTWARE update. Gosh. Just a SW update. As much as I adore Apple, I do get, uh, tired sometimes of the coverage of "rumors". Especially the Amazon rumoring that was all the rage yesterday.
Brendan's right. Why do you think the iSight is no longer available from Apple? Because a USB2 version is coming out at Macworld (along with hopefully a slick phone, god how I hate my RAZR) so Windows users can join the party.
Umm…it's the first of the year. They probably had their iChat encryption certificates expiring at the end of 2006. They then had to release an update to renew the certificates.
I think you're reading waaaayyy too much into this.
Acutally, I think the update might just be bug fixes..
I was never able to "vidoe chat" with an AIM user using the built in iSight on my MacBook.
I would eithe get a "Communications Error" or it would simply say "so-in-so has declined your inviatation" when they hadn't declined.
I tried again last night after applying the update. I connected with a guy who had AIM and it worked!
the little "AOL" apperead in his chat window and everything worked like it was supposed to!
THANK YOU APPLE!
-Baldwin
My Dad packed an Apple in my lunchbox today. :)
Brendan, you talked about it... for a... single... year? Get in line ;)
Concerning "nobody's talking about it" - well, where is that supposed to be again? Here? *g*
If it were related to a new product release, then the update would have been pushed out AFTER the announcement. Just like every other time.
Amateurs.
I'm all for the downfall of the crazy Apple rumors myself (Mac owner and user) but something just smells so fishy about this...
If it was simply a security update, why would they include the line "This document will be updated as more information becomes available."
It's not like this is CNN with a breaking news story. They know everything about that update, and Apple (for whatever reason) doesn't think we need to know about it...just yet.
I think this is just a introduction to the Apple VoIP phone. Isn't it possible they are making a mobile phone device and a VoIP phone for your home use? Yes. Think.
I hate to burst everyones bubble, but there isn't gonna be any phone introduced at Mac World.
To paraphrase Jobs, "I give you iLoathe. Here's some butter to grease up."
let's not get so excited here folks - we're playing right into stevie's hands. someone's got a case of the pre-macworld jitters.
a) of course an iPhone is on it's way (hell, it's already here thanks to Cisco)
b) apple's got some sort of phone handset in the works with taiwanese manufacturer Hon Hai after all.
c) apple and cingular are already good buddies, for better or for worse (cingular's data rates, WTF!?)
d) brendan's right, iChat for PCs will follow, especially after a VoiPhone. (and bredan, we've all been talking about it for at least a year)
e) steve, i'm sure they'll include video conferencing...why the heck wouldn't they?
f) and yes, folks, this was a software update. that's all.
keep your pants on. macworld's next week, we can drop 'em and bend over then ;)
The new iChat update has a bluetooth phone setup in preferences, don't think it was there before.
Probably for new iChat phone.
How bout iChat PC?
ok time to shutdown a few of these arguments. First Apple wouldn't need to release an ichat client in order to get video voip going, ichat is a glorified AIM client so they could lik it to the PC aim software. Honestly though the argument for ichat mobile is premature. Apple isn't a do everything in once device company so they are going to load up on features especially in their initial release. second if the GSM rumors prove to be true and I think they are then where would you get enough bandwidth to support video chat? the cingular HSDPA coverage is pathetic right now. How much sense would it make to market a product (video chat) when you barely have anywhere to use it? The same applies to the idea of using wifi to get video chat working. who has the time or patience to go hunt down wifi hot spots? Forget it, if they went through with that the device would bomb! be happy when itunes mobile drops and you can purchase music over the air (thats more feasible right now) and by the end of the year when coverage is more widespread then maybe we can get video chat to go.
@ Andre
That's probably true, a very limited feature iPhone for the first release with slow additions in functionality. Look at the iPod line. Originally it could hardly do anything except play a very bad version of breakout and your music, all in B&W. It's taken a long time to get to the point of playing Pac-Man and videos. I do think it will play MP3s and have limited storage capacity (nano size so as not to cannabilize the other iPods...
I suspect a fairly limited in functionality phone that will eventually support video chat things. I am pretty sure it will have text chat.
Andre also has a good point about iTunes mobile, which to me sounds very, very likely. I don't know if I've heard anyone bring that up before. Way to go.
iPod Phone. Not Applephone. Betcha.
iPod Phone. Not Applephone. Betcha.
Good maybe it will fix my ichat's annoying innability to connect with AIM. Of course, its prolly a problem with AIM and not Apple...
"I give you... the iLoaf! Oh, and one more thing, here's some butter."
best . Apple . rumor . ever .
A couple of things:
There is nothing new in this update, other than the encryption change mentioned in the docs. I examined all files installed, especially the binary of the iChatAgent. After comparing the `strings
(continuing... got cut off)
After comparing the `strings` output of both the old and new versions of iChatAgent.app, I can state with certainty that there's absolutely nothing new in the daemon.
Secondly, as far as iChat for Windows goes, I think it's highly unlikely. iChat is 100% Cocoa based. While there is a SLIM chance that Apple will re-release Cocoa for Windows (it DID exist once... remember Yellow Box?), thus enabling iChat on the PC OS, it's harder than ever to imagine, given the large number of auxiliary frameworks that now exist with Cocoa interfaces (like CoreData, CoreImage, etc).
Why would any sane Windows user want to use iChat? I was under the impression that even diehard Mac lovers thought it was a subpar piece of software. I agree fully with a comment made on the first page, that the certificates were being "renewed" and nothing more. Either they were set to expire on a certain date, or someone found a vulnerability with their current key. Nothing earth-shattering there.
Look at www.apple.com - "The first 30 years were just the beginning. Welcome to 2007" complete with a globe shaped as an apple.
Apple is going to make a major, major play to take over the world in 2007. Maybe they want to own cell phones and TV? Yeah, that sounds about right. Can't accuse them of thinking small, really.
prediction: The new iChat in Leopard will be able to talk to Iphone via isight, This will be even easier with the built in 3G card built into the next gen macbooks/pros released at macworld.