4 ms·

MMS seems like last decades technology to me. Surely most iPhone users are emailing pics? It's nice to have backward compatibility, but I don't think lack of M

by axod 17y ago

MMS seems like last decades technology to me. Surely most iPhone users are emailing pics? It's nice to have backward compatibility, but I don't think lack of MMS was really that big a deal.

phsr 17y ago
It's a big deal when someone sends you an MMS from their phone and you have to deal with AT&T's awful retrieval site. iPhone to iPhone is fine, because you both are using email, but when friends and family have unlimited MMS, but limited data/no email set up on their phone, it becomes a huge pain in the ass
vegashacker 17y ago
When I first heard about text messages, I thought the technology would (at best) be used for a brief time and then die once people had email from their phones. I was wrong. It turns out there's a huge market for short, in-the-moment messages. And MMS is just text messages with more flexible bits allowed. Yes, iPhone users will continue to email pics, but they'll also MMS pics like crazy--two entirely different use cases, it turns out.
blaix 17y ago
It's a huge deal for people with friends and family who aren't as tech-savvy and use MMS without even thinking, but go cross-eyed when you try to suggest emailing it from your phone. Nice work, Tim!
misterbwong 17y ago
This is kind of like saying text-messaging is being killed by emailing. The issue isn't just backwards compatibility, but cross-platform compatibility. Emailing a picture vs. using MMS only works if the receiver a) has mobile access to email and b) has said email "pushed" to their phone (or is checking constantly).
- alrex021 17y ago
  No, text-messaging is actually being killed by twitter and tweet-deck on iPhone. ;-)
  - dandelany 17y ago
    O rly? Monthly text messages sent: 2000 - 14.4 million 2005 - 9.8 billion 2008 - 110.4 billion Data: http://www.ctia.org/consumer_info/service/index.cfm/AID/10323 http://www.ctia.org/consumer_info/service/index.cfm/AID/1032... 2010 proj. - 192 billion Data: http://blogs.zdnet.com/ITFacts/?p=12176 http://blogs.zdnet.com/ITFacts/?p=12176 I don't think text messages are going to be "killed" by anything in the very near future.
    - jrockway 17y ago
      I don't think text messages are going to be "killed" by anything in the very near future. Except by constantly-increasing prices. (Some people pay 25 cents to receive a spam message. You can buy an entire newspaper for that amount of money!)
    - Xichekolas 17y ago
      Real mobile instant messaging with full presence notification would do it.
peterwwillis 17y ago
I think you missed the point. Most people don't own an iPhone. Most people who have iPhones don't exclusively talk to other people with iPhones. And most people don't buy a data plan just to send or view an e-mailed picture message from their iPhone-owning buddies.

by axod 17y ago

MMS seems like last decades technology to me. Surely most iPhone users are emailing pics? It's nice to have backward compatibility, but I don't think lack of MMS was really that big a deal.

phsr 17y ago

It's a big deal when someone sends you an MMS from their phone and you have to deal with AT&T's awful retrieval site. iPhone to iPhone is fine, because you both are using email, but when friends and family have unlimited MMS, but limited data/no email set up on their phone, it becomes a huge pain in the ass

vegashacker 17y ago

When I first heard about text messages, I thought the technology would (at best) be used for a brief time and then die once people had email from their phones. I was wrong. It turns out there's a huge market for short, in-the-moment messages. And MMS is just text messages with more flexible bits allowed. Yes, iPhone users will continue to email pics, but they'll also MMS pics like crazy--two entirely different use cases, it turns out.

blaix 17y ago

It's a huge deal for people with friends and family who aren't as tech-savvy and use MMS without even thinking, but go cross-eyed when you try to suggest emailing it from your phone. Nice work, Tim!

misterbwong 17y ago

This is kind of like saying text-messaging is being killed by emailing. The issue isn't just backwards compatibility, but cross-platform compatibility. Emailing a picture vs. using MMS only works if the receiver a) has mobile access to email and b) has said email "pushed" to their phone (or is checking constantly).

alrex021 17y ago
No, text-messaging is actually being killed by twitter and tweet-deck on iPhone. ;-)
- dandelany 17y ago
  O rly? Monthly text messages sent: 2000 - 14.4 million 2005 - 9.8 billion 2008 - 110.4 billion Data: http://www.ctia.org/consumer_info/service/index.cfm/AID/10323 http://www.ctia.org/consumer_info/service/index.cfm/AID/1032... 2010 proj. - 192 billion Data: http://blogs.zdnet.com/ITFacts/?p=12176 http://blogs.zdnet.com/ITFacts/?p=12176 I don't think text messages are going to be "killed" by anything in the very near future.
  - jrockway 17y ago
    I don't think text messages are going to be "killed" by anything in the very near future. Except by constantly-increasing prices. (Some people pay 25 cents to receive a spam message. You can buy an entire newspaper for that amount of money!)
  - Xichekolas 17y ago
    Real mobile instant messaging with full presence notification would do it.

peterwwillis 17y ago

I think you missed the point. Most people don't own an iPhone. Most people who have iPhones don't exclusively talk to other people with iPhones. And most people don't buy a data plan just to send or view an e-mailed picture message from their iPhone-owning buddies.