AIM/iChatAV for Macs and PC's next year

bobw · #1 December 10th, 2003, 11:46 AM

http://www.internetnews.com/xSP/article.php/3285411

December 4, 2003
AOL Preps Live Video IM
By Christopher Saunders
America Online is poised to unveil the next version of its client software, and which includes an enhancement to its built-in instant messaging that offers streaming videoconferencing.

The Dulles, Va.-based Internet giant, a unit of New York media conglomerate Time Warner (Quote, Chart), plans to launch the next version of its flagship client software, codenamed Tahiti, early into 2004. With that release, the AOL software should include capabilities enabling AOL subscribers to initiate streaming video sessions from within an IM conversation.

"We're currently testing it within the beta of the AOL service," said AOL spokesman Derick Mains. "We expect to have it as a live service at some point early next year."

The service, dubbed Live Video IM, is only available to users of Windows XP with the Microsoft RTC 1.2 Libraries. When subscribers click on a video icon during a chat, a small video window appears alongside the text IM conversation. Users can view the output of their camera in one tab, view their Buddy in another, and view them both simultaneously using a picture-in-picture feature. Video is delivered relatively crisply, although it naturally becomes choppy when viewed by dialup users.

dixonbm · #2 December 10th, 2003, 12:09 PM

I guess that means they will keep this feature out of AIM.

It makes since, considering AOL's dwindling marketshare. They need some feature that says we are worth $22, albeit I'm not sure this feature alone would still constitute $22/month.

bobw · #3 December 10th, 2003, 12:12 PM

Read - Read - Read

Users of the free, AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) IM client should receive the service at about the same time as do their peers on the flagship AOL service, Mains said. A beta version of AIM including Live Video IM is expected to be released before the end of the year, and will be released officially "early next year," he said.

dixonbm · #4 December 10th, 2003, 04:15 PM

They're stupid! Good for consumers, but dumb on their part. People are going to have few uses for their service if they keep giving things away for free.

Total Konfuzion · #5 December 13th, 2003, 09:19 PM

Just now with AOL 9 has AOL's buddy list caught up with the functionality and features of AIM....so yes, they have a weird way of doing things.

**fryke** · #6 December 14th, 2003, 03:37 PM

AIM's video chat sadly won't be compatible with iChat AV's. And I don't see Apple porting iChat, sadly, as there's not much to be gained...

gwynarion · #7 December 15th, 2003, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fryke

And I don't see Apple porting iChat, sadly, as there's not much to be gained...

I think I would have to disagree with this. I think that increased iSight sales would be a potentially large gain from a Windows version of iChatAV. I know a half a dozen Windows users who would buy an iSight if they had compatible software and a dozen Mac users who would buy one if they knew they could talk to their Windows-using family and friends.