AOL Desktop for Mac Beta
Posted Sep 27th 2007 3:30PM by Lee Givens
Filed under: Beta News, AOL Desktop for Mac, News, Announcements
Highlights will include:
- Speed: Installs in seconds and launches fast -- so you can begin browsing immediately, without signing in.
- Tabbed Organization: Tabs on browser and IM give you easy access and an uncluttered, organized view for all of your windows.
- AIM Integration: AIM is built right in so you can see which buddies are online, chat and more.
- Security: Access AOL Parental Controls to keep you, your family, and your PC safer online at no additional charge.
- Customization: Highly customizable toolbar makes it easy to keep your favorites right at your fingertips with access to them on any Internet-connected computer
- For everyone: Designed to work smoothly for dial-up and broad band users
We're listening to our users
The AOL Mac Team will be reading comments on the Beta Central message boards, the AOL Mac message boards and even visit our local Mac user groups for feedback. Another first for the AOL Mac Team - we will be responding to user feedback here on the Mac@AOL blog on most Fridays. Please download the beta for AOL Desktop for Mac (AOL Beta Central), leave comments and we'll review and answer as many as we can on our team blog.
Thanks!
Lee Givens, Jr.
AOL Mac Product Lead
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Welcome to the Mac@AOL Blog. My name is Lee Givens and I'm the Product Lead for the Mac products at AOL. You can find the latest information on AOL's software development on the Mac and any cool happenings at AOL. The purpose of the blog is to create a feedback loop so we can hear from our loyal AOL Mac users. Managing a blog is a lot of work, so I enlisted support from the whole team...the Mac team is made up of dedicated Macintosh developers, QA engineers and Product folks.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1. Is it universal?
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Yes, it's a Universal Binary, runs native on PowerPC and Intel Macs.
Thanks...
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead
Posted at 7:30PM on Sep 27th 2007 by Alex Rodriguez
2. Everything says you are committed to updating AOL for mac, yet it says in a number of places that there or no plans to update or release a standalone version of the updated AIM for mac? Why is that? That is what a lot of people have been asking all over the AIM 6 message boards for many months now. Why ignore those requests? Just curious. Thanks!
Posted at 8:56PM on Sep 27th 2007 by Brad
3. I think it is great that AOL is finally concentrating on the Mac side. I have been using the actual AOL client since 1994 and have seen every iteration. The current release is horrible, and when questioned, AOL's response has always been that the platform is not broad enough to keep a team of people working on the software. I have always thought that was ridiculous.
The release of this beta says that it is operable with 10.5. I am a developer and have been working with every release of 10.5–it doesn't work with the latest release. It will open, let you put in your password, but then when it logs in it simply shuts down. I have installed it on a client running 10.4 and it works. There are still a lot of options you can't get to, but it works.
I hope this forum grows very large and that more Mac users will actually give this software a shot. I think that will be the only way we can make sure that this software runs as it should for the people who use it.
Posted at 6:01AM on Sep 28th 2007 by Jeffrey Bonacci
4. If you want to make a great mac app, which i'm sure you do -- then create a good interface, because the one I'm seeing in the beta is horribly dated.
Take a look at apps like www.chachingapp.com to see some examples of excellent UI design.
Perhaps the whole toolbar concept could be integrated into a window as opposed to floating, that would be an improvement?
Thanks
Richard
Posted at 6:19AM on Sep 28th 2007 by Richard
5. Also, get these guys: http://www.icondrawer.com/ to make you decent icons. You shouldn't just be targeting the illiterate mac users, target the rest of us who want advanced, powerful software, with a sexy design and iconography.
Posted at 6:19AM on Sep 28th 2007 by Richard
6. Richard -
Though I think good interface design is important, I think I am more concerned that AOL make sure that the client is functional. I think, in looking at the beta, they are keeping in line with the new AOL Webmail interface. That model seems to be working for them. I don't necessarily agree that by using the interface components that Apple gives you in their SDK (which is what the chaching app uses) is the only way to go. I think there is a lot of room for private developers to decide and define how they want their interface to look and feel. Apple give you great guidelines, but if everyone used the SDK they provided, all apps would look almost identical.
I actually applaud AOL for stepping outside that boundary and finding a new interface that works for them. In the end, it will set them apart. In using the new interface, I feel they have done an exemplary job of putting things in usable places so that users who are not that savvy (most of the AOL Mac community, unfortunately) will be able to find things quickly and get to work right away.
Posted at 8:28AM on Sep 28th 2007 by bonaccij
7. I agree with the second comment... it's nice to have all these Mac applications like AOL Pictures and AOL Radio, but what about AIM? I'm sure there is a much bigger market for Mac users wanting a new AIM client instead, but maybe I'm wrong and there is a mass amount of people just begging for AOL Radio on their MacBooks. I think the Apple platform is only getting stronger, and it's stupid for AOL to ignore it. We need a good AIM client, not the same one from 2004. iChat doesn't cut it... please give us a native AIM client.
Posted at 10:45AM on Sep 28th 2007 by Steve Kudelko
8. Rules for making your app look like a Mac app:
1. Look at the latest version of OS X.
2. Look at the applications that Apple designs for OS X.
3. Make your application look like that.
Posted at 11:22AM on Sep 28th 2007 by BDK
9. I don't think AIM has been developed due to iChat.
Posted at 1:43PM on Sep 28th 2007 by Dino
10. I don’t see how this client can be evaluated until it includes the AOL chatrooms. Most people I know use AOL primarily for the chatrooms...and AIM is not a chatroom (there a multitude of instant message clients out there). To make AOL succeed, it needs to concentrate on what it has always done best, provide group chat experience (and since the arrival of the 'bolt,’ the ability of members to moderate their own-created rooms (which is imperfect right now as trolls can simply change screen names and continue to harass a room. When a room owner ejects someone, make it the troll’s IP that is ejected).
Posted at 5:56PM on Sep 28th 2007 by Thorgon
11. Why Hasn't the AIM Messenger been updated? Why can't it be like the PC Version???
Posted at 1:10AM on Sep 29th 2007 by JC
12. I'm very encouraged to see this. I plan on switching to Mac in less than a month and have been an AOL user since 1994. I'll probably stick to my Windows version of AOL 9.0 through Fusion virtualization until this Mac version goes final. Can we see some screenshots?
Posted at 10:03AM on Sep 29th 2007 by Ken
13. Yes, what about AIM for Mac? Been 4 years now...
Posted at 3:02PM on Sep 30th 2007 by Tim
14. Alex, yes, it's a Universal Binary - for those new Mac users, this means that it's running natively on your new Intel Macs as well as the PowerPC Macs (G4 & G5).
thanks...
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead
Posted at 10:48AM on Oct 1st 2007 by Lee Givens
15. And what about a new ICQ version for mac?
Posted at 12:52PM on Oct 1st 2007 by Oviker
16. Does this allow Screen Name management e.g. creating and deleting Screen Names, changing passwords etc. I am an AOL Broadband subscriber in the UK and I can not use my.screenname.aol.com to manage my account, I have to either use a PC running AOL 9 or the old and outdated AOL for Mac OS X.
----------------
Hello James, I'll check with the team to see what we can do with UK AOL Broadband accounts and the AOL Desktop for Mac.
Thanks...
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead
Posted at 3:57PM on Oct 1st 2007 by James
17. What about importing favorites? This is critical. How about auto-fill?
Posted at 1:01PM on Oct 2nd 2007 by RE
18. Just emigrated to Mac from about a decade's PC and AOL use. The Mac experience is fabulous, but I have to agree, Aol for Mac OS X is horribly dated. It won't even offer to remember your password! I accept the new Beta for what it is, a Beta. I hope the AOL team will get the chatrooms working in Desktop. Also, I hope that they are working on re-designing the icons - the new ones look pretty grotesque. Let's pray they are temporary placeholders or something!! I am glad that Mac Users are suddenly back on the agenda. AOL for Mac Os X is a good 4-5 years old!
Posted at 5:49PM on Oct 25th 2007 by Mark
19. This freeze up of the AOL Mac welcome screen is very annoying. I am so sick of the stupid sneezing woman. When is that going to be fixed? The Welcome screen has not been updated in days.
Posted at 7:58AM on Nov 19th 2007 by Linda Lyons
20. I just purchased an iMac due to being fed up with Microsoft..but I also still have a Windows laptop. I installed AOL for Mac today...and am very disappointed in it. Its an antiquated version of AOL. I've been a loyal member of AOL for 15 years...I dont' want to swith. I don't see why an up to date, modern version can't be done for Mac. Let alone it being so old in appearance....it also doesn't work. And a nice little message when you sign on tells you there are issues. Leopard came out when? In October? Its January. Come on AOL, you have faithful consumers out here who are CHOOSING to stay with you...Mac or Windows. Lets get things working and up to date... its very disappointing and currently I run AOL on my laptop which defeats the purpose of the iMac purcahse....for the better security without all the program conflicts and crashes that end up not protecting the computer anyway.
Posted at 10:52PM on Jan 9th 2008 by Laura