“Apple is slowly publicizing some of Mac OS X Leopard’s underlying features, most recently providing developers with an explanation of how the operating system’s expanded Instant Message framework will allow them to access iChat 4.0 features from within their applications,” Prince McLean reports for AppleInsider.
“For example, Apple said the framework will allow developers to programatically determine through their own applications whether a specific instant message user is online, and start iChat theater sessions to share supporting video and audio content during a video conference,” McLean reports.
“iChat Theater, a new feature of iChat due in Leopard, will also allow applications to present audio and video content during an iChat conference. For example, developer’s applications can present a slide show, a video feed, or 3D graphics, complete with sound, to one or more conference participants,” McLean reports.
“In addition to the Instant Message framework, developers will also be able to access iChat’s many features through AppleScript, performing such activities as initiating a video chat or responding to an iChat event,” McLean reports.
More in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “LinuxGuy and Mac Prodigal Son” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Apple’s latest Mac OS X Leopard build shows unified interface, buh-bye brushed-metal – April 14, 2007
Apple’s Leopard delay not so much about iPhone as ‘top secret’ features? – April 14, 2007
Apple delays Mac OS X Leopard until October 2007, blames iPhone – April 12, 2007
Latest Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard build still accompanied by lengthy bug list – April 12, 2007
RUMOR: Apple to release Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard in June – April 02, 2007
Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard to feature ZFS? – March 29, 2007
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard’s top secret ingredient: 3D everywhere, including new 3D Finder? – March 27, 2007
Apple to delay Leopard? Digitimes.com’s poor Apple rumor accuracy – March 23, 2007
Apple to postpone Mac OS X Leopard until October in order to support Windows Vista? – March 23, 2007
RUMOR: Some Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard ‘top secret’ features leak out – January 26, 2007
RUMOR: Apple Mac OS X Leopard to replace ‘Aqua’ with ‘Illuminous’ – December 11, 2006
Apple confirms ‘resolution independence’ and more coming in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard – October 23, 2006
Lame “TOP SECRET” if it actually is one .. Who didn’t see that coming for 10 miles?
If anyone has seen the NeXT Step video on YouTube then they know exactly where Steve is going with this.
Sounds like Big Brother!
It could be handy for in-house application training and idea sharing. Or a virtual water cooler.
It just keeps getting better and better, and its not even out yet.
I love my .mac account and ichat, but all my mates ave hotmail accounts, would love it to be hotmail compatible like yahoo!! so i can enjoy all my mac features, but talk to all my back to front friends on windows!!!
f.y.i msn messenger is shit no video support for my macbook!!!
my thoughts!
Cool. This will be great when I want the whole company to see my new puppet show.
Episode I: Fingers von Hambone vs. The Hairy, Evil Snake from the Planet Cyclops.
Say what you will but it’s better than “Disturbia”.
“Who didn’t see that coming for 10 miles?”
With vision like that, I hope to hell you’re in the Navy.
How about make it work with MSN and yahoo? Would love to have it work with those and not rely on a third party, where I cant get video. And please, no Jabber mentions. I want it all in one window, one account, isight enabled.
One program to rule them all. Open source folks do it. Why not iChat?
A shame it relies on AOL and the bastard step-child, AIM.
Step up apple, this still your weakest link.
Or at the very least, make iChat available for Windows. It’d love to take advantage of it, but most people I know (unfortunately) use Windows. iChat to AIM on a PC is tremulous at best.
One other thought, this sounds like it’s got great possibilities, but unfortunately it will probably only be taken advantage of by small developers who make Mac-only software. The big guys (read: Adobe) won’t ever take advantage of it (or any other awesome OS X technologies like Core Video) because there’s no equivalent on the Windows side.
iChat needs to be fully compatible with other instant messengers, especially for video chatting. Despite the claim that AOL messenger works with iChat for video, it has never worked for me and my family who have PCs and AOL. Sure I have friends who have Macs but all of my family use PCs. Otherwise, iChat will be a cute gimmick but not very useful generally.
The biggest feature that iChat really need is compatibility accross any IM network. iChat is cool, but nobody uses it. Most people living is the US probably use AIM and use it also with iChat, but people in Europe mainly use MSN. In Asia and Australia, people use Yahoo Messenger. So far, iChat is very US centric and is unable to connect to the MSN or Yahoo network directly, nor through Jabber. (I tried the various hacks online but I never get it to work). The whole iChat network is clumsy. Take a look at MSN, they have hotmail email service, and you use that same name and password to login to their MSN Messenger. For Yahoo, they have their email service, and people use that same name and password to login to Yahoo Messenger. The same with Gmail, they connect to GTalk with the same name and password. How about iChat??? MSN/Yahoo and Gmail are all free. Who would pay for .mac just so they can use iChat? AIM you say? I tried many2 times to convince my friends (UK) to register for AIM, but they don’t want to! Not everyone wants to subscribe to AIM. In Yahoo Messenger, you can add any of your friends who are on the MSN network directly into YM and start chatting with them. They don’t have to subscribe to YM email at all. So that kind of compatibility is what we need in the next version of iChat. Also, iChat need to drop their separate windows for ‘.mac/AIM’ list, ‘Jabber List’ and ‘bonjour’ list. Be more like Adium. Adium can connect to many IM networks, and gives a list of all your friends in one window. Until then, iChat will just sit there unused no matter how cool it is.
I think a new ichat is related to the “secret” iphone features in Leopard.Maybe iphone will run ichat for instant messaging and audio conversations?
” . . .but all of my family use PCs.”
Simple solution. Buy them all Macs.
I hear all your wish-lists, etc., but someone please tell me where the cycles are going to be coming from? You start a four-way iChat (text) session with your 1GHz G4 iMac, then someone dumps a Keynote-with-voice presentation on it and your G4 sinks like a stone! Is this a setable option? Allow/dis-allow? Or a matter of common sense?
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
Still, be nice to have this in WoW!
DLMeyer – the Voice of G.L.Horton’s Stage Page Pod Cast
“Still, be nice to have this in WoW!”
Genius…pure genius…
None of that is new, it was all covered at WWDC last year.
…and start iChat theater sessions to share supporting video and audio content during a video conference
It sounds cool and everything, but, um, what is the real-world daily use of this ability? How can developers use this in their apps to do something useful?
I sure wish Apple would put all this extra effort into Finder and take getting around our Macs to the next level!
Real-Time Keynote Pron during my presentations!!!
Whooo!
Actually I have been disappointed with iChat of late. I don’t know if it is because of providers “shaping traffic” or what but recently it has been much more of a hit or miss proposition on whether you can connect with video while before it was rock solid. I am hoping Apple gets pro-active on this and improves connectivity in Leopard.
“It sounds cool and everything, but, um, what is the real-world daily use of this ability? How can developers use this in their apps to do something useful?”
Depends on your app. Obviously, presentation software. Also, software where collaboration is important (screenwriting, legal contracts, etc.) could be a candidate. Again, give me the ability to do this and I’ll see if it would be useful in my application.
As was mentioned at WWDC last year, though, alot of these “new APIs” have actually been around for awhile and used internally by Apple (for example, Mail being able to determine whether a person you just received e-mail from is available via iChat). They’re just being cleaned up for all developers to use. So I’d imagine these new capabilities are being supported by the iChat team, not a “Core OS” team.
AppleScript access is entertaining. The next big Turing test contender–written in AppleScript!
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”LOL” style=”border:0;” />
Bells and whistles on a useless application. Until iChat becomes properly interoperable with 95% of the computing world (ie. Windows users) it’s a bit like having a telephone that will only call people on Monday afternoons. I don’t understand why Apple don’t generate a Windows version and bundle it with Quicktime and iTunes. Once it has a decent userbase, then start broadening its features. Expecting Mac users to convince all their friends and family to install and use AIM is unrealistic.
I noticed that as well. Two Intels MBP’s and no one can connect to video. Get an error.
To the right of this box I’m currently typing in, there is an ad for free 3d screensavers. But as it turns out, they are not compatible with Macs!
Hello? Isn’t this a bit hypocritical?