“According to research from Chetan Sharma Consulting, the amount of text messages sent during Q3 2012 showed the first decline ever,” Jake Smith reports for 9to5Mac. “The fall can be attributed to Apple’s iMessages (when it is up), along with other Internet services like Facebook Messaging, Skype, AIM, Google Voice and more that use Wi-Fi.”
“AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said he is losing sleep over services like iMessage cutting into revenue,” Smith reports, “‘You lie awake at night worrying about what is that which will disrupt your business model,’ Stephenson said. ‘Apple iMessage is a classic example. If you’re using iMessage, you’re not using one of our messaging services, right? That’s disruptive to our messaging revenue stream.'”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Dear Apple, either make iMessage work every time or just give it up already – September 17, 2012
Why AT&T hates your unlimited data plan and worries about Apple’s iMessage – May 4, 2012
The disruptive power of Apple’s iMessage – March 22, 2012
when it is up ? Never have a problem with it. Seriously people need to stop the hating.
I agree.
As far as disrupting ATTs business model, doesn’t free enterprise have a term for that? Isn’t it called “creative destruction”? ATT needs to embrace their real role, provider of dumb pipes, and try to get very good at it, so good that people will choose them over every other dumb pipe.
Agreed, but how is this affecting AT&T’s revenue? Are there really that many people who pay on a per text basis for messages any more? And doesn’t anyone who sends a fair number of text messages have unlimited texting?
I’m not sure how that keeps him awake at night, particularly when iMessage uses data instead of voice, and data is the one area where people are continuing to increase usage, buy more monthly allotments, and incurring overages.
Not to mention adding additional devices, like iPads, to the data plans.
Same here. Have been using it since day one and it’s been great.
Use iMessage everyday. Hard to say with absolute certainty, but I’ve never perceived an outage.
AT&T and orher networks need to evolve and provide better services instead of worrying about keeping their clients on the past technology.
Too bad that text messaging isn’t being replaced by people talking face-to-face, restraining from opinionation and gossip, making advance plans, or sticking to a pre-arranged schedule.
The “smarter” the tools of mankind, the more stupid mankind acts.
Agree. All these social tools are creating an antisocial society.
+1
1too
You, sire, are a poet.
THAT’S A GODDAMN LIE, MIKE! Just ask my mailman who I last saw in 1998.
This is why everyone is gunning for Apple and why consumers should appreciate that Apple is the champion of user and customer satisfaction. apple is always looking for ways to make it’s users independent and productive by intergating software ingenuity and innovation into every product they make. iMessage broke loose the telco’s shackles of extortive charging for data that costs them next to nothing…
Dude, Apple is a capitalist, publicly held corporation in pursuit of profit. Any attempt they make to “liberate you from the tentacles of the “man” only goes to serve their own interest.
And, that’s how it is.
You just don’t have a clue about Apple’s history and lifelong loyal customers do you?
No he knows exactly what they are, the fact that they make great products and have loyal customers does not mean that they are not working to create an environment of vendor lock-in and there is nothing wrong with that I might ad.
I just wouldn’t get confused on the kind of ‘help’ they are offering. lol
What are you on about? Apple is not a charity.
Apple’s loyalty are to its shareholders. That’s a point of business and corporate law.
Its customers may be loyal to Apple, but don’t think for a second that this sentiment is reciprocal.
The price of being mainstream s picking up thenlikes of you
“When Parliamentarians wake up in the small hours of the morning bathed in sweat and screaming, you are what they were dreaming of…”
Wake up AT&T, nobody uses voice anymore except old, fat and ugly republicants. Text rules, and especially iMessage text. It’s only a matter of time before you too must offer it for free or die.
Hey Randall,
How about you start by not screwing your customers with your text message pricing. If I could get texting for $5 a month like I used to I would still pay it. Now you want to force everyone to pay $20 and wonder why they stop sending texts? Friggin genius. Of course I’m going to use iMessage and FB instead.
I am soooo glad to see texting decrease for the telcos. They have been ripping us off for years and their markup is fantastic. Now the texts have come home to roost and the telcos will have to pay for their greed, lack of insight and lethargy.
+∞!
I have a 5th Iteration iPhone and have owned one of each generation excepting the 4S preceding- all on AT&T’s network. I have the most minimal voice plan available (450) and NO TEXTING.
In all of that time I have never sent a text, had the need to send a text, the desire to send a text, etc.
IM yes- texting no. I’m not going to pay extra just to push a microscopic amount of data over the AT&T voice network when I have all the internet data I can use for my plan. I’ll see AT&T in hell first.
AT&T still does not get it- they are in the data delivery business and as such should be good at it and get out of the way. Stop nickel and diming your customers.
That’s the first thing you’ve written on MDN that I agree with. Are you losing your touch?