[dclowd9901]

Voicemail is owned and run by phone companies, and thus harder to extend and digitize. It was only recently that visual voicemail became possible, and only because Apple demanded it. I can see the benefits of pulling this out of their grasp, especially in the case that was mentioned (intercontinental communication).

That said, isn't there already a very popular app that does this?

[ardakara]

Yes, there are already apps that let you send shorter voice messages, but you have to have your friends install it first. VoiceGem lets you send as long a message as you want to anyone. They can also listen and reply without signing up, or installing anything.

[spydertennis]

Interesting. Could Apple replace voicemail with their own system? Eventually they might even be able to merge the phone app into the messages app. Phone calls over wifi, new voicemail etc.