It does it horridly. It isn't even any semblance of real group messaging. It sends messages out in groups, but that isn't actual group messaging. iMessage does a HORRIBLE job of group messaging. You'd have to have used real group messaging to know what I mean. What iMessage does isn't even remotely close to being group messaging. It's just a thrown together workaround, that works terribly.
All you said is "iMessage works terribly" about 10 times.....WHY? If I send an iMessage to my family, they all get it (pretty quickly I might add), and each response has their name with it.....I fail to see what more I would need to qualify that as a group message.
To each their own. I find iMessage utterly useless, as I have unlimited messaging and have no need to use Apple's servers. Everyone else I know also has unlimited messaging, and iMessage has no value at all. It doesn't provide a better way to communicate. It doesn't work well for groups. It can't be used for video. It only works with very few devices. It has very little usefulness, and is extremely limited. You like it, and that's great. Some people expect a certain level of quality and functionality, while some are willing to accept less. Some people's level of expectation is different, it simply is what it is.
I too have unlimited messaging - I also have terrible cell coverage in my house due to radiant barrier. The ability to text via wifi is extremely useful to me, not to mention most of my family and people I text have iPhones.
Completely understand, those who don't have iPhone/iOS using friends would see much less value in iMessage than I - though I don't know iMessage has ever claimed to be anything more than it is.
I won't say it won't happen, because I don't know, but in it's current form it won't. That being said, the point of it (in its current state) is about unifying communication across all Google platforms. SMS is not a Google platform. So while I can understand your hope for it, that isn't what the goal was to begin with. If you won't use it, that's fine, but millions of people that use Google services to communicate will benefit from it. That's who it's for.
SMS doesn't have to be a "Google platform" for them to simply merge the functionality of the stock messaging app and Babel together.....much the same way iMessage switches between an iMessage and regular text seamlessly - you're getting too worked up over issues no one else is raising. If Babel simply had regular (from your phone number, I don't want to have to sign into some other username that no one really knows and message versus doing it from my phone number, which everyone I would text has) SMS/MMS messaging capabilities, I would be ecstatic.
You can't even begin to compare Facetime to Babel's video calling or (G+'s for that matter). It isn't even close. They aren't even in the same neighborhood. Facetime is EXTREMELY basic and lacks functionality in a major way. There is no comparing the two, at all.
Again, not comparing. Only stating that video calling doesn't necessarily have to be merged into the "messaging" app. Now if google does that, fine - but stating that iMessage sucks because FaceTime isn't integrated makes no sense.
I could not disagree more. iMessage is nothing special at all, and brings nothing special to the table.
See above response - I never claimed iMessage could do miraculous things - only that all this group video chatting and whatnot is pointless for me and the ability to text via wifi offers a huge benefit for my situation.
Again, completely understand this is my particular use case.
Not every contact in everyone's phone is communicated with via sms. Certain people I do not text, and only communicate with online. For example, people I may be working with via my website, I would never send an SMS message. iMessage only works if you don't mind sending them a SMS. iMessage has its own limitations just as anything else.
Why are you so defensive? No one ever claimed iMessage wasn't without limitations. We offered very specific situations where iMessage worked well - simple things really that if not implemented in Babel, would limit its benefits in our eyes.
iMessage has never been and likely won't be more than a slightly beefed up stock texting app. My need for something like Babel would only come from the fact that it would likely work over wifi.....otherwise, I don't have any of the current Google video chatting/messaging apps on my Nexus 4 - I wouldn't start after Babel just because they were all in one place.
