AIM Beta for Mac Signals Reinvention

When AIM announced the release of its Mac 1.0 beta, conventional wisdom across the IM industry was “why?” Indeed, this is the question posed throughout the blogosphere and in the hallways and offices of IM’s furiously working artisans, the developers. So, why after years of neglect for Mac OS would AIM enter the ring with tough competition from third-party Adium and with the anticipated arrival of Digsby waiting in the wings?

The simple fact of the matter is AIM is still the king of all IM, according to Nielsen Netratings.

Despite the mighty rise of the multi-protocol IM client, Adium, iChat and Digsby only go so far as to offer a means of entry into the doorways of AIM, among others. Yet, AIM is the be all and end all-- one of only a handful of clients that built both a way and a means for IM.

For many years, AIM’s client and network could not be touched by second place competitor Yahoo! Messenger. Yet, all that could amount to a hill of beans to a generation of Mac users who might feel forgotten after all these years.

Four years ago, AIM 4.7 for Macintosh debuted boasting “loads of great features,” according to an AOL press release. Yet, all we seemed to get was a prehistoric version of AIM, repackaged from Windows to look like a Mac product, featuring the great ability to share files and rename contacts on our Buddy List.

While Apple was busy churning out innovation, AIM released a client Mac users felt was not strong enough or legitimate enough to be called a serious contender for their patronage. The client left much to be desired—and for AIM, signaled a lukewarm attempt to woo the Mac base, in my opinion.

So, has the new Mac beta lived up to its sister’s history?

After testing the new AIM 1.0 Beta for Mac, it becomes evident the developers have used the lessons of the last four years to help bolster a resurgence in their labs when it comes to AIM products for Mac.

In fact, I think the new AIM might even put some of the third-party clients on notice: the king has returned.

Instead of a simple facelift and minimal operations, the new client really offers a forward-thinking vision of what AIM will be for Mac users in the future. With the visual prowess and efficiency of Leopard OS, this new client offers a bevy of real great features Mac IM users could really use:

• Personality, Mac Style. For years, AIM users on Windows have enjoyed the luxury of wallpapers, Buddy Icons, sound effects, status messaging and plugins galore, making AIM one of the best IM experiences of all the major clients. While Mac 1.0 does not include all the bells and whistles, access to the AIM Expressions library opens up a whole new world of personalization options not seen in AIM 4.7 for Macintosh.

• Old Client Meets New Features. While the new AIM is still offering up friendly Buddy List labeling and file transfer as hot features, the addition of tabbed IMs, AIM Groups and Blast groups help bridge the divide between Windows users and Mac users, opening the latter to a whole new world of possibilities.

• You’ve Got Mail! Another crossover from Windows OS, now Mac users can check their AOL or AIM webmail without opening a web browser. With one click, AIM users have full access to their mail through the IM client, itself.

• Fast and Furious. After testing the client, I realized one thing I never worried about was the speed in which the client operates. From download to installation to actual use of the client, where Windows-based AIM sometimes lags in speed, the Mac version blazes through in seconds. Very efficient.

An intelligent client with a bevy of features previously unseen in past versions, AIM might not yet have enough to recapture the glory of its earlier years with Mac users, but, it might be a start.

With more personalization, such as status messaging and access to plugins to help further develop a user-defined experience, AIM could very well find itself climbing out of the valley in the next few years for a showdown with Adium.

Final Grade: 4.5 Stars/B+