One of the pieces of software that came with your laptop is iChat which is Apple's version of AIM. It uses the same protocol as AIM, however it has some expanded features that AIM for Mac just does not have.

First, iChat does not have the news ticker, or any ads on it which can be distracting and/or may leave tracking info on your computer.

Second, iChat enables you to have audio-only conversations with people. Instead of using a phone, if both users are on iChat, you can set up an audio conversation. This can be useful if you go home for a weekend and still need to be a part of a study group.

Third, you can Video chat with people. From iChat you can setup 1-or 2-way video chat with other buddies on iChat. If your buddy is on a Windows machine using AIM you can do a 2-way chat. While this may not seem like a needed or useful thing to do, it is actually fun.

The next version of iChat (due out end of first quarter 2005) will allow you to have a 4-person video chat or a 10-person audio chat. The possibilities with this are endless.

Please note that you and your buddies will all need to have webcams such as iSight in order to participate in video chats.

Apple has its own article on this which can be found at http://www.apple.com/ichat