AT&T and "Multimedia" messages

[UPDATE 2009-03-23] Apple announced on their iPhone 3.0 preview page (http://www.apple.com/iphone/preview-iphone-os/) that the iPhone 3Gs will be able to send MMS. Thanks!

I am absolutely dumbfounded at how incredibly poorly the iPhone handles picture messages.

You'd think it was common knowledge that in 2009, people with picture phones like to send picture messages. There have been ads forever telling us to snap a picture and SMS (or rather, MMS) it to our friends. Why, then, is it not only impossible to send a picture message from an iPhone, but so incredibly difficult to receive one?!

OK, I don't know why it can't, but I can accept that my iPhone can't send picture messages. It's stupid, but whatever.

I don't know how many of you have received an MMS from someone on an iPhone, but here's how it goes:

• get a text message ("I sent you a message you can view within the next 7 days") with a URL, a login and a password


• tap the URL to load it in Safari


• forget the username (it's something like dc394he0m)


• go back to the home screen, load the text app, read the username again (because remember, you can't copy or paste on an iPhone either)


• tap the URL again, curse because the first half of the username you remembered is now gone


• fill in half the username


• go back to the text app, look at the username again


• don't tap the URL but instead go back to the home screen and then into Safari


• fill in the rest of the username


• repeat for the password (actually easier to remember like far4back)


• finally get the picture someone sent you.

Come on, iPhone, AT&T. You can do better than that.