06/09/2008, 2:20pm, EDT
Monday, June 9th
MobileMe: "Exchange for the rest of us"
Apple today launched its widely rumored MobileMe service, described as "Exchange for the rest of us." Mac, Windows, iPhone and iPod users with MobileMe accounts get e-mail, calendars, and contacts pushed to all devices; an update on one device automatically gets sent to the others. On Macs, it works with Mail, Address Book, and iCal; Windows users integrate with Outlook.
A Web 2.0 service provides a "desktop-like" experience to work with all data from Me.com, including contacts, galleries, iDisk access, and more. Users on iPhones can take photos and upload them directly to MobileMe. Full computers have an experience that allows "skimming" photo albums and events similar to iPhoto; users can drag and drop calendar entries and create those as well as contacts, messages, and other content from the web.
The service works with any modern web browser and costs $99 per year for 20GB of online storage for content; a 60-day free trial lets users test the service. A family pack is available for $149, while additional 20GB storage packs are available for $49. MobileMe replaces .Mac and will automatically upgrade users, including their e-mail addresses. The service is available today from the online Apple Store.
Filed under: iPhone, industry, software
Other story tags: Mobile Me, iPod.Mac
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oh goodie!
Goodbye horrific mac.com email address. Hello wonderfully new me.com address!
I wonder if anything will be still called a Mac by the end of the year...
email address
I highly doubt they'll get rid of .mac email addresses. What makes you think they'll have me.com? It was always mac.com even when it was iTools.
would be a bad move
to force mac.com users to ditch their addresses at this point...
What is missing...
As near as I can tell, Backup support, Homepage, web hosting, iCards, Groups, Bookmarks are all gone. In short Apple is making a move in the right direction technologically, but is still charging the same overpriced fee for even less service. Who needs 20 GB if you can't use it for Backup? (Especially when you can get unlimited online disk space from other providers for almost half that price.) Thank goodness I haven't recommended the dot Mac service to any clients. How embarrassing that would have been. Is Apple even planning on honoring their commitments for web hosting for the remainder of contracts? Not a word about any of these issues on their website.
Prediction: PR firestorm ensues and .Mac subscriptions plummet.
What is missing...
As near as I can tell, Backup support, Homepage, web hosting, iCards, Groups, Bookmarks are all gone. In short Apple is making a move in the right direction technologically, but is still charging the same overpriced fee for even less service. Who needs 20 GB if you can't use it for Backup? (Especially when you can get unlimited online disk space from other providers for almost half that price.) Thank goodness I haven't recommended the dot Mac service to any clients. How embarrassing that would have been. Is Apple even planning on honoring their commitments for web hosting for the remainder of contracts? Not a word about any of these issues on their website.
Prediction: PR firestorm ensues and .Mac subscriptions plummet.
All .Mac features there!
According to
http://www.apple.com/mobileme/migrating/
"You keep the .Mac services you love."
"All the .Mac services you love are still yours for the taking. And with MobileMe, now there’s even more."
According to:
http://www.mac.com/web/en/Tips/13D657FB-E5B6-45B1-BF8B-B36FC5A789E7.html
"As a current .Mac member, your @mac.com email will continue to work as it always has. But your account will also be given a new email address @me.com."
Overboard
OK, you get to keep your @mac.com addresses. You also get @me.com as well (just like having an e-mail alias)... no big deal there.
I don't know why the previous poster thinks you lose your web hosting, that isn't gone either. Nothing is gone. Apple is just adding to what .mac does now and calling it a more neutral name (for PC and other device users).
Here is more info: http://www.apple.com/mobileme/migrating/
Personally, I've liked the .mac service. I wish it were cheaper, but at about $8 per month, it can't really get too much cheaper. Take it or leave it but don't insult those of us who take it!
Yeah, but....
What's the deal with charging $50 for another 20GB? Isn't that a tad excessive?
And did anyone really ask for an "exchange for the rest of us"?
Re: all .mac features the
Actually, all of them are NOT there. According to apple:
As part of this transition to MobileMe, some features are being discontinued: Web access to bookmarks (bookmark sync between your Macs and/or PCs is still supported), iCards, .Mac slides, and support for Mac OS X 10.3 Panther sync.
I guess that argument people use when Apple kills OS X for their computer by saying "Hey, your computer still works with the OS you got!" isn't 100% true, as now iSync no longer will work. Oh, right, that's not part of the OS (even though its integrated right in there).
Multicalendar iPhone sync
This a pretty major feature for me, to have the iPhone support multiple calendars now and sync them up with my MBP. Wonder why Steve didn't mention more of it in his Keynote. It was there on his slides, and is clearly visible (coloured calendars) on the MobileMe page. It's also shown in the MobileMe guided tour video.