iChat - Patent Hints it's Coming?

[DRabbit]

Here's the article:

http://www.iphonefaq.org/archives/97194

"A patent filed by Apple was recently discovered which, through direct reference to the device, suggests that iChat might be on its way to the iPhone."

More info is also on MacNN

http://www.macnn.com/blogs/?p=315

We can only hope it's coming soon!

[WolfmanXII]

wow. thats not a good sign. usually companies patent things way in advance to actual release so i think ichat may take a while. maybe even until next summer.

[DRabbit]

wow. thats not a good sign. usually companies patent things way in advance to actual release so i think ichat may take a while. maybe even until next summer.

Not necessarily... we already know that iChat exists, so it's just certain new development aspects of it they are trying to patent... doesn't necessarily mean it isn't already in the works.

The impression I got was that it has something to do with the new OS... so I'm thinking -- or hoping -- the latest we'll see it is around the time of Leopard's release in October.

Of course, none of that means we couldn't see the more basic version (what already exists) in the meantime :)

[mernst]

sweet!!!!! I just cant wait :angry:

[LauraBee]

Here's the article:

http://www.iphonefaq.org/archives/97194

"A patent filed by Apple was recently discovered which, through direct reference to the device, suggests that iChat might be on its way to the iPhone."

More info is also on MacNN

http://www.macnn.com/blogs/?p=315

We can only hope it's coming soon!

When I think of iChat I think about the wonderful video/voice chats I have with my son in Germany (US Army) using my macbook. I can see them doing voice chat, but since the camera lens is on the back of the phone how would they do video chat unless they totally reconfigured it? I suppose I could video chat with him and he could watch, let's say, the dogs playing or his sister going "tell him I said hi, tell him I said hi, did he say hi back?" but that just wouldn't be the same.

[DRabbit]

When I think of iChat I think about the wonderful video/voice chats I have with my son in Germany (US Army) using my macbook. I can see them doing voice chat, but since the camera lens is on the back of the phone how would they do video chat unless they totally reconfigured it? I suppose I could video chat with him and he could watch, let's say, the dogs playing or his sister going "tell him I said hi, tell him I said hi, did he say hi back?" but that just wouldn't be the same.

Well, if a combination of video/voice chat, where the camera is kinda doesn't matter, since you'd be communicating by voice, no?

[LauraBee]

Well, if a combination of video/voice chat, where the camera is kinda doesn't matter, since you'd be communicating by voice, no?

It was the video part of that combination I was wondering about. I could do it in a mirror, but I'd feel like my 14 year old daughter. She takes about 57 pictures a day of herself in the mirror. "This is what I look like doing this, and this is what I look like doing this" then whe puts them on myspace.

[billchase2]

i really hope they give us ichat in a software update.... this seems to be going in the right direction.

[jasunto]

would be like the huckleberry macbook cam fliping mirror set up, but for iphone, also can edge handle video bandwidth for streaming to another location, seems like youtube vids are slow to load on edge, why would ichat voice and video be any good?