Apple's done a decent job of implementing features that we've all been clamoring for into its forthcoming OS 3.0, and aside from
copy and paste, there's probably no one single feature add bigger than this. You heard right --
multimedia messaging (MMS) is at long last coming to the iPhone 3G (sorry, first-gen iPhone owners) after years of
dealing strictly with SMS. During the
keynote, Apple was
pretty remarkably short with details, simply noting that MMS "support" would be added. Frankly, we don't expect anything mind-blowing; it'll probably look a lot like the current SMS setup, and it'll definitely make AT&T happy when you start firing away picture messages without first subscribing to an unlimited messaging plan.
Update: Apple's
official PR on the subject has given us just a bit more to chew on. We're told that MMS will enable iPhone 3G users to "send and receive photos, contacts, audio files and locations with the Messages app," hinting that Apple may just smash MMS and SMS together into a single 'Messages' app in OS 3.0. Also of note, owners will also be able to "forward and delete multiple messages."
posted March 17th 2009 12:51PM
Thank. God.
Only for iPhone 3G
Yes....ONLY for 3G
@ Dan
It'll make it's way to 2G along with A2DP by 3rd party apps. The hardware is already there in the iPhone, a couple of hacks and presto...MMS and A2DP on iPhone 2g.
Why are us 1st generation iPhone users locked out of MMS? Is there something in the hardware the restricts us from getting MMS? Please explain! *lost*
Another couple of years and Apple fans will be thanking God that Apple invented MMS...
I'm sure some ditsy 15yr old girl in UGG boots is bragging to all of her friends that her iPhone can send picture messages.
@Sax25,
Nope, and I know this for a fact as I'm happily receiving MMS messages on my 1st gen device using SwirlyMMS. Apple are just being greedy corporate arseholes.
@sax25
Another source has posted this from the Apple Q&A session
Quote:
"Q: Is there a physical hardware problem on the first-gen iPhone that prevents it from doing MMS?
A: It’s a different radio, so it is a physical issue."
Wait!
These fuckers are abandoning 1st gen iPhone owners for some of the new functionality - am I correct?
@BKM72
That might be what was said but I highly doubt it. My guess, AT&T and Apple didn't include MMS in their initial revenue sharing agreement or there was some agreement that MMS would not come to the 1st gen iPhone. Apple didn't allow the MMS update to carry over to 1st gen iPhones to protect that agreement, because they make money on that agreement. 3G iPhone owners have to add a messaging plan unlike 1st gen iPhone subs. My guess, everything is always about the $$$$.
"A: It’s a different radio, so it is a physical issue."
I'm no phone engineer, but that is very wrong. MMS uses the same radio as all SMS, data, and voice communication. There is only one radio for cellular communication. The only other radio transceivers are for Bluetooth, Wi-fi, and GPS (receiver only).
I think the hardware excuse works for lack of A2DP on the 1st gen, but not for lack of MMS.
what have you got to say now apple haters?
Finally... !!!!
That's good for iPhone owners.
"Me too"
"late to the party"
"copycat"
"stolen from (x)"
"playing catchup"
If it's good for others, it works here too.
I'm waiting for Zak to withdraw all comments about how no-one wants/needs MMS because e-mail is an option.
I also love to see that Apple pays attention.
They've been working on this for quite awhile I assume.
And to all the "My Nokia had MMS in 2002" butt plugs. -- Your Nokia couldn't do 1/256th of the stuff the iPhone can do. MMS was OBVIOUSLY an oversite by Apple.
You dont say "oooops" and flip a switch. They had bigger ideas. Some of the basic ones were unfortunately left out.
I love when my iPhone hating friends actually pick it up and start playing with it.
Conversation quickly goes from "iPhone sucks".....to "Damn, I gotta get one of these. How much are they again?"
BKM72:
Kiss my ass. Nokias used to be able to do way more than the iPhone. Now with the 3.0, iPhone just finally caught up. Yea, the iPhone's interface kicks Nokia's ass, but all this deleting multiple messages and forwarding multiple messages thing has long been in Nokias. You don't know a single thing and just start blabbing.
@PK
I've had several phones. Some of them were even Nokia's.......even.
Looky......big red (-) thingy
@PK
Damn.......You really are a Tool.
Not kinda.......but seriously.
Go play with your Nokia........tell us how you like it.
I was glad that iPhones didn't support MMS. MMS is a scam! (its the cell phone companies, not Apple who is screwing us.) Boycott MMS until prices drop!
I'm sorry, you were saying?
I dunno where you're from, but MMS here in Australia only costs on average 5 cents more than a standard SMS
AT&T in the USA charges $0.30 USD for each picture message you send OR receive. Send it to 6 friends, that's $1.80 USD! If you accidentally hit "send all" you'll be in for quite a bill.
MMS is free for me and all of my friends
Well that's because you're on on AT&T. Almost every other cell phone provider it's only $0.25 per message, or free if you have a messaging plan. It's too bad for $100 a month you still have to pay $0.30 per MMS.
Dumbass, just pay for the unlimited. If you actually use SMS and MMS moderately, a large package plan or even unlimited is worth it and very cheap.
Directly from AT&T website.
Messaging 1500
Includes:
* 1500 messages per month
Four ways to message for one low price
1500 text, picture, video, and Instant Messaging (IM) messages per month. Additional messages are 5 cents each.
I don't think they charge per message as long as you have a messaging bundle. Pay attention to the terms and details of these packages.
krasi beat me to it. a message is a message, no matter what kind it is if you have a messaging plan with at&t. get yourself some knowledge.
Yikes, you're right. No additional charges for MMS, IF you have a messaging plan. You only get those charges I was talking about if you have NO SMS plan.
$240 USD for a year of unlimited TEXTING (pictures, ect) is still a ton of money.
Your an idiot. SMS is the scam. Sending a text message cost the carriers nothing. It's was an unused part of the spectrum that didn't carry voice. So, the carrieres decieded to find a way to bank off of it. So they found morons like you to pay for it and think your getting a great deal for your 20 for Unlimited texting. MMS is a different beast altogether and actually requires a seperate function of wireless data. In this case 3G. Costly to implement and use.
Do your research and shut your yap...
That is all...
@G Nes
You're saying MMS requires 3G? Whoa...... No, like not even close. Like forget in the same ballpark, try different cities that's so wrong. Explain how my wife's old GSM/GPRS enabled Samsung phone from 4 years ago could do MMS? Maybe you should take your own advice, just sayin'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimedia_Messaging_Service
"At the time, 2G GSM was in the process of evolving into the 2.5G GPRS of roughly double the performance. A short 160 character limit no longer made sense, so the "Third-Generation Partnership Program" (3GPP) proposed extending the existing SMS standard to allow messages of any length. Additionally, they proposed adding MIME support for file attachments, and real multimedia support. However, modifying display systems to handle any sort of media format was a more difficult problem, so 3GPP partnered with the WAP standards process to produce MMS.[3]
Since then, MMS has been deployed worldwide and across both GSM/GPRS and CDMA networks. The first commercial MMS launched worldwide was in March 2002 by Telenor, in Norway, using Acision infrastructure."
Which is exactly what he said... SMS uses the messaging channel, MMS actually requires a data connection. He never said it NEEDS 3G, he just said it needs to use the data connection, in this case (referring to the iPhone) a 3G connection. Didn't have to be such a dick about it.
@g nes & squid7085:
so you guys are saying that the iphone can ONLY send and receive mms messages when 3g is available? my t68i, t616 and s710 all did it without 3g. what makes the iphone so different? where did you two get this information from?
This presentation is such a fucking joke. The SDK stuff was awesome, and it looks like devs and App store customers are in for some good stuff, but it is hilarious to watch Apple add in features from 2002 and act like it's innovation. They should have left that stuff out of the presentation and let people figure it out on their own, because they are basically admitting there is egg on their face and acting like it was part of a delicious breakfast.
Only took 'em 2 years, eh?
Imagine what they could to with five... A2DP maybe?
Now now, don't get too excited now. That's at least a decade!
dude i know! my t68i from 2002 had mms!
Oh my fucking god! Did your t68i also have a 3.5" screen with internet, a great music player, an App store with many different apps and games?
@patrik's 7:
ummm, actually it did have internet and it didn't need an App store with many different apps and games that you had to pay for. it had bluetooth and infrared AND MMS so you got all that for free. and the screen had 256 colors while most others were still monochrome. that, as most other sony ericssons, was a revolutionary phone. but because apple's marketing team wasn't behind them, alot of people never heard of them and now think it's sooooo cool that apple would allow their "smartphone" to do this with a free upgrade.
Anyone know when its expected for apple to release this new version to current iPhone users?
the only thing to make today perfect is A2DP Bluetooth or tethering
Dude. A2DP and tethering were both announced today. Read the coverage?
Only for iPhone 3G?!?!?!?
What the hell? Why iPhone 3G only? What hardware can be different there? Huh?
A2DP is there (stereo bluetooth) but tethering is still missing.
Looks like MMS/A2DP won't be available for 1st gen iPhone. Sorry guys/gals.
Tethering is there, subject to individual carriers. Read the Q&A.
Tethering as in connect the phone to a PDA/computer/netbook/tablet using USB cable/BT, computer recognizes phone as modem, dial a connection string, and connect to the internet.