IChat to iOS7?

Question

I own a small business and my Mom answers phones for me in the office.  We communicate with an iPhone 4 via wifi.  But it's getting harder for her to text.  I've given her my late 2006 20" iMac that's running OSX10.75.  It cannot run OSX10.8 ML(I've already looked into it).  I want to chat with her while in the field using iMessage on my iPhone5 running iOS7.  How can I do this?  I've tried installing iMessage form various sites.  All of them are beta versions that install fine...then when you run the first time it downgrades bacl to iChat and restarts machine.  I'm am Loyal to Apple and don't want to install google hangous, Yahoo and especially NOT AIM etc. as I will have to run multiple apps on phone.  Is there any easy solution? 

Answer 1

Hi,
The easiest is to use AIM on the iPhone in a Web Browser.
This would need to AIM Valid Screen names.
Apple Issued IDs such as those ending in @mac.com, @me.com and @icloud.com are the ones that work with the AIM servers in iChat and the Messages app in Mountain Lion and above.
The iCloud related ones (@me.com and @icloud.com) use a system of Logging in to Apple and AIM so that Aim can use the password since iChat 6 came out (and is also used in Mountain Lion and Mavericks in Messages 7 and 8)
This double login means these IDs cannot be used in iChat 5 (or Earlier) or on an AIM client that cannot do the double Login.
(I see you say the computer has iChat 6/Lion)
To use this function this way will possibly mean using and Older @mac.com or an AIM registered Name.
Alternative
If you live in the United States  and use your iPhone on one of these carriers you can enter the iPhone's Number with a leading +1 as the "Buddy" in the Buddy list (as in [phone])
iChat (or Messages) will then send the IM and AIM will forward it as SMS  and the iPhone send back SMS and it is converted to an IM for the Mac.
Although this is a mocked up number it looks like this in the Buddy List
This way your Apple ID may be suitable for the Computer end but it is effectively Mac to Messages on the iPhone.
As you say the computer is running Lion and therefore iChat 6 you will not have issues with the double login of iCloud issued IDs.
The Messages Beta did come out for and during Lion's period as the newest form of the Mac OS but it was time limited to the 14 Dec 2012
SMS for Mac
You could use one of the SMS for Mac apps.
I have never tried these.
9:36 pm      Thursday; November 28, 2013
  iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mavericks 10.9)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad