And two recent class-action lawsuits, each seeking more than $5 million in damages, have not motivated the carrier to change its tune .

"We have said since the launch of iPhone 3GS that we plan to offer MMS by the end of the summer," an AT&T spokeswoman repeated today.

She said AT&T would not comment on the lawsuits, and officials at Apple Inc. also declined any comment. Both companies are named in the suits, one filed on Aug. 7 in the federal Eastern District of Louisiana and the other filed Aug. 10 in the federal Southern District of Illinois.

Missouri-based attorney Joel Schwartz would say only that Apple and AT&T have not responded to the lawsuit he filed in Illinois on behalf of client Tim Meeker. "It's early in the case," he said. Schwartz also filed a third similar class-action suit in a state court in St. Louis County, Mo., on behalf of clients Meredith Goette and Raymond Bolourtchi.

Scott Bickford and other attorneys are representing Christopher Carbine, Ryan Casey and Lisa Maurer in the Louisiana case. Bickford could not be reached for comment.