A recent patent application filed by Apple sheds light on a new application possibly coming soon for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Although at first glance the application looks almost exactly the same as the current Short Messaging Service (SMS) application for the iPhone, it is actually quite different. Some of the main differences would include an Internet-based chat service (as opposed to a cellular phone texting service), a dedicated text input area, suggested words shown, and a slightly tweaked UI. Some of the patent text also detailed the possibility of Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), much like today’s iChat Theater. Hopefully this patent will turn into an actual product, as Instant Messaging has shown up regularly as one of the most requested features on the iPhone. Should this not become reality, the only alternative for IM would be the rumored AOL Instant Messaging Application, but that would be slightly limited by possibility of Apple blocking apps such as Firefox, Java, and other background apps.
Via [AppleInsider]
what is the patent application number for this? and is there one for SMS too?