Whatever Happened to iChat?
Given the ubiquity of chat on the Internet, you might be surprised to find one of the major chat clients–iChat–was discontinued last month by software maker Acuity. Despite Acuity’s decision to throw in the towel, America Online, Excite, Microsoft, Yahoo, and many others continue to offer free chat software or tools that combine text-chat, avatar-based “visual” chat, and instant messaging. In fact, eShare Technologies last week began a one-month offer to replace Acuity’s iChat with its eShare Expressions at a reduced cost, and Electric Communities is offering free upgrades to former iChat customers. “Chat isn’t a feature anymore,” says Dean Cruse, marketing vice president for Acuity. “It’s provided free by Microsoft, Lotus, and AOL. Our research suggested that software for putting chat on your Web site was, tops, a $10 million market.” Acuity dropped the name iChat and relaunched its Web site in June, setting its sights on the business market. The company now creates high-end softwar
