On Friday, Apple sent out emails to customers that the company will be discontinuing the Messages Beta program for Lion on December 14th, 2012:

Dear [User],

The Messages Beta program for Lion will end on Friday, December 14, 2012. We hope you’ve enjoyed the opportunity to preview Messages.

If you’d like to continue using Messages, upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion from the Mac App Store. Messages is one of many great new apps and features built right into OS X Mountain Lion. Learn More.

Thank you for your participation in the Messages Beta program.

The email indicates that in order to continue to use Messages, users must upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion. OS X Mountain Lion is available for $ 19.99 on the Mac App Store [Direct Link].

Messages is Apple’s iMessage client for the Mac, and replaces iChat in OS X Mountain Lion. Apple had originally launched it as a beta program for existing Lion users while Mountain Lion was being completed.

It has been long known that Apple planned on discontinuing the Lion beta, but Apple is only now given customers a timetable. While Apple suggests that customers can upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion to continue using Messages, some customers’ computers may be too old to support the latest OS X release.

I also find it annoying that it’s soon going to expire. I have an old Mac Mini that isn’t capable of running 10.8 and can’t justify buying new hardware just for desktop iMessaging.
I feel like it should allow you to use it forever if its an older model that can’t install 10.8.

ESPECIALLY if they are going to release a beta for it knowing that some users who download it won’t be able to upgrade.

Yep it’s annoying. I’m a MacBook user that can’t upgrade to Mountain Lion and these constant fake limitations drive me mad. At least I can do Photo stream sharing on my Windows machine.
New slogan for Apple.

Apple – disconnecting people.

There is no technical reason to not allow Lion to use Messages. This crap is another way Apple is alienating its loyal users, including myself.

I wish they’d stop this stupidity.

Hey, lets uninstall your iChat and let you install Messages. Oh now we don’t want to release a finished Messages client for your OS so it will stop working and we won’t give you iChat back….. Oh well! Here, spend $ 30.

———-

Can’t blame them.

Yes you can, they shouldn’t have released the beta to begin with if they didn’t intend to release a final client.

This is complete crap. Why release a beta for Lion if you are to take it away later? Nonsense. There are lots of people that don’t buy new hardware every year and are now used to it. I have upgraded all our household Macs (3) to Mountain Lion, but not everyone is able to.

I’ve submitted a comment/feedback to Apple via their website – suggest everyone that thinks this is a bad move do the same – that’s the only chance we have of getting them to listen.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html
http://www.apple.com/feedback/ichat.html

These fake boundaries by Apple are really annoying. Another one is that you cant use iCloud on Snow Leopard. You also cant upgrade to Lion on the mac app store for some reason and have to call apple to get a key (seems really backwards to me). I synced my friends calendars through google instead. Easy and saved her $ 30 and another OS upgrade her old computer doesn’t need.
Once again Apple users have to buy the new crappy OS for something they could have done with the previous OS.

All the more reason to dislike Apple. :rolleyes:

The feature was billed as a Mountain Lion feature so it sucks that you can’t use it on Lion after the 14th of next month, but I’m hardly surprised that they’ve finally release a closing date of the beta, as it’s been a generous beta. I would’ve thought they would’ve closed it after the public launch of GM.

Yeah, keep defending Apple. But the fact is, this is just another dick move in a long string of disgusting artificial limitations and forced pushes for obsolescence. :mad: