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Is .mac worth the $99??
- Thread starter kyler55
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jayscheuerle
macrumors 68020
heh, heh...
I wasn't even sure they still offered it... I gave mine up when it quit being free. Don't miss it a bit. The only inconvenience was making sure everybody had my other email address.
I wasn't even sure they still offered it... I gave mine up when it quit being free. Don't miss it a bit. The only inconvenience was making sure everybody had my other email address.
I was thinking about getting one, but I think I may just buy some webspace from someone (currently looking at http://www.webpods.com). I mean I have a Linux Server, but also having a pay service that I know will always be up (as I have a DSL connection) is nto a bad thing either.
Mike
Mike
Duff-Man says...if you use a lot of the features, like iSync, and take advantage of the freebies that come up (a few games, training videos etc) then it is worth it, at least to me. If you just want email and webspace, then at the moment I would say no it is probably not worth it to you. But as said in other .mac threads, it is expected that Apple will be increasing the storage and/or offering some other enhancements soon - they're not stupid, they know other providers are offering more and they have to do better to remain competitive - perhaps the upcoming Paris Expo will bring some announcements/details. Also, there will be more integration with 10.4 coming next year too - that is something to look into when the time comes....oh yeah!
If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times. There is just something about that @mac email address. 
Duff-Man: That I did not know. I only just got into Mac. Thanks for the info, I may keep my eye for that then. I mean I think its looks neat especially since it integrates right in with your Mac.
Dr. Dastardly: You make a very very strong argument.
Dr. Dastardly: You make a very very strong argument.
This is really a personal decision. If you are a techie and want tons of space, freedom to do scripting or more web development then .mac is not for you. If you want ease of use, integration with OS X and iLife, and nice templates and iCards then .mac may be for you.
I'm beginning to think it is worth the $99--for me. There are other places to go to get more hosting space and other features (server side scripting, databases, etc) but you can't match the integration that .mac offers. I'm on my second trial right now and I'm pretty sure that I'm going to upgrade to a full account.
Just being able to post pictures to a web page is worth it for me. I am a coder and used to do HTML and JavaScript years ago but these days I could care less to hand write HTML. I was going to purchase a WYSIWYG template driven web page creation app like RapidWeaver but I didn't like the demo and it cost around $40. So for twice the cost I get the extras that .mac has to offer.
Now that Apple is charging for .mac they should continue to update and enhance it. And as others have said, the future will bring more features and more integration with iLife and Tiger.
I'm beginning to think it is worth the $99--for me. There are other places to go to get more hosting space and other features (server side scripting, databases, etc) but you can't match the integration that .mac offers. I'm on my second trial right now and I'm pretty sure that I'm going to upgrade to a full account.
Just being able to post pictures to a web page is worth it for me. I am a coder and used to do HTML and JavaScript years ago but these days I could care less to hand write HTML. I was going to purchase a WYSIWYG template driven web page creation app like RapidWeaver but I didn't like the demo and it cost around $40. So for twice the cost I get the extras that .mac has to offer.
Now that Apple is charging for .mac they should continue to update and enhance it. And as others have said, the future will bring more features and more integration with iLife and Tiger.
i have just let my 2nd free trial expired a couple of days ago. for me personally, it wasn't worth paying $99/year. i can pretty do the same thing with yahoo, and they charge nothing for them. it is just not integrated with mac os, like .mac account. but, i usually post my photos to my yahoo group sites to share them with my friends. at the group site, the messages/comments for the photos from my friends can be kept in one place, so for me that is more convenient.
for the same $99, i would rather spend it for buying music from itune store
for the same $99, i would rather spend it for buying music from itune store
Chaszmyr said:
I would argue that it is worth the money...for some people only. Sure, if you are in the very technical know how you could go out and get some of the services through other mean for cheaper and would include more space, but if you are a typical consumer mac user then I would say it might benefit you. Go to apple.com and look at the benefits and decide if it is worth it to you to have those all come from one place and be very simple to use. I think so personally but I have two macs i want everything synced between, I like having my bookmarks, address book and email accessable while I am on the road using someone elses computer (pc or mac), I like backing up *(although I have had issues with the online part, but love the ease of CD/DVD backups using the Backup software apple gives you), I like the .Mac email. Only received three spams in 11 months of use, I like the free software they provide (extra keynote themes, iMovie themes, free photo software, etc.), I like publishing my iCal to the web for others to view if need be, and most of all I like easily publishing my children's photos to the web for their grandparents and family members to view. All these things have worked flawlessly for me (minus the backup online issue, but I have DVD's of everything anyway using it so not a major issue.)
If you get referrals to other people signing up for .Mac you get 20% off your yearly membership fee for each referral you sign up...you could get it for free if you got friends and other macrumors friends to sign up. Right now I only have to pay $40 for next years membership due to referrals (if you put me down it would be $20
) flyfish29@mac.com.but seriously, if you are a power user and want to get tons of web space, do web pages yourself, etc. then don't get it as it isnt' meant for you. If you are a consumer mac user that simply wants to easily sync things, back up your pics, tunes, docs, etc and other free b's and email then get it. the worst thing that can happen is you try it for the first year and drop it. I think in the next 9 months we are going to see major additions to the benefits of .Mac with the Tiger OSX 10.4 integration.
Oh yeah, if you want do a search in the forums (at the top of the the forum page there is a search button(it took me months to figure this one out) and search for .Mac and there will be tons of threads that show up. I started at least one myself so if you want search for my screen name to find one that will give you many details about .Mac experience. Both positive and negative.
good luck
I signed up for a free trial and never used it once. At a dollar a year it would not be worth it to me. But some people really like it, so you have to think hard about your own likely use of each service that it offers.
Duff-Man says...yup, for sure....I love having that address. and something that I didn't mention before but that is somewhat important - spam. I had been pretty careful with my .mac address but sure enough somehow the spammers got it...I started getting more spam than was tolerable (okay, I find even 1 spam message intolerable but I am trying to be reasonable)...went from 1-2 per day, then 5 per day, then 10 per day...I persistently reported to spam@mac.com and also spamcop.net...now I hardly get any spam in my inbox - they've really improved the filtering at their end, and when the spammers crack the filters it's only a day or so before they've updated and everything is good again....oh yeah!Dr. Dastardly said:If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times. There is just something about that @mac email address.
First, I do have a .Mac account. And I do enjoy it immensely - especially the webspace. I just love how it's treated as a attached device - I can save directly to it from apps and such. And I do reinstalls fairly often (well not much, but compared to you guys, it's alot - about 2-3 times a year). It's great to have a place that I treat as "permanent". When I reinstall, everything is reset, except the stuff on iDisk. I just go Go -> iDisk -> My iDisk, and bam all my stuff is there.
But I'll tell you, it's not really worth the $99. I paid the price just because I wanted to try it out to see what it can do for me. But I won't be renewing, unless Apple introduces something that makes it worth the money. If they don't, I will not renew, and instead go get a hosting service, and hack it up so it behaves like iDisk
But I'll tell you, it's not really worth the $99. I paid the price just because I wanted to try it out to see what it can do for me. But I won't be renewing, unless Apple introduces something that makes it worth the money. If they don't, I will not renew, and instead go get a hosting service, and hack it up so it behaves like iDisk
Duff-Man said:
Another thing to note about spam and .Mac is that they run spam filters at the server at there's no way for you to turn them off. If you have a .Mac email account and you ask them to please just give you every email that is sent to your address (simple enough, right?) they will say "no, we can not disable filters on a user by user basis"
The reason you might want to turn spam filters off is that they are not perfect and sometimes trash real emails.
Maybe .mac is why the finder's FTP client is totally crappy--they want to push .mac.
yes, it's all one big conspiracy.
I got .mac for a client, shortly after it came out. It was fast, reliable, and I'd frequently get 400kbps from my cable modem when downloading from other sites, so I thought it would be neat. I sold my client on the speed and convenience of having a working mountable webspace disk.
Well they lowered the speed substantially after .mac went to a pay-system, and as my web development skills grew I realized the lack of ANY server-side HT processor is totally unacceptable, especially for the price. Not to mention the lack of database access.
Now all my client's clients are all used to using that website for information, and we're locked in. I doubt apple will allow us to leave a redirect page without paying full price.
If you can make the decision NOW, whatever you do will probably be OK. Just remember, Apple relies on loyalty sometimes for its customers to overlook it's shortcomings. Getting locked into another niche might not be a good idea.
yes, it's all one big conspiracy.
I got .mac for a client, shortly after it came out. It was fast, reliable, and I'd frequently get 400kbps from my cable modem when downloading from other sites, so I thought it would be neat. I sold my client on the speed and convenience of having a working mountable webspace disk.
Well they lowered the speed substantially after .mac went to a pay-system, and as my web development skills grew I realized the lack of ANY server-side HT processor is totally unacceptable, especially for the price. Not to mention the lack of database access.
Now all my client's clients are all used to using that website for information, and we're locked in. I doubt apple will allow us to leave a redirect page without paying full price.
If you can make the decision NOW, whatever you do will probably be OK. Just remember, Apple relies on loyalty sometimes for its customers to overlook it's shortcomings. Getting locked into another niche might not be a good idea.
Lately I have been considering .Mac a little more seriously.
"Purchase a new Mac between June 27, 2004 and September 25, 2004, and get .Mac for $69.95 1 --that's just 19 cents a day 2 for everything you need to get more out of the Internet."
You can get Version Tracker free for one year, Virex, backups, and many discounts. I have always found that staying with Mac software makes for a happier Mac.
"Purchase a new Mac between June 27, 2004 and September 25, 2004, and get .Mac for $69.95 1 --that's just 19 cents a day 2 for everything you need to get more out of the Internet."
You can get Version Tracker free for one year, Virex, backups, and many discounts. I have always found that staying with Mac software makes for a happier Mac.
I've got .mac, and it's fairly useful - primarily for iDisk and some of the cool freebies that come with it. Oh, yes, the .mac e-mail address is nice as well.
But all in all, not sure it's worth the $99.
Of course, if you use me as a reference, I can get it for $80 (20% off). In fact, if there are 4 others out there, I could get it for free. Hey. We could set up a pretty good system here of constantly re-recommending forum friends, and save a boatload.
Ah, probably some legality issues there, though...
Seriously, if $99 isn't a big deal to you - run with it. But I'd hold off to see if Apple counters all of these freebie sites with some cool new features.
But all in all, not sure it's worth the $99.
Of course, if you use me as a reference, I can get it for $80 (20% off). In fact, if there are 4 others out there, I could get it for free. Hey. We could set up a pretty good system here of constantly re-recommending forum friends, and save a boatload.
Ah, probably some legality issues there, though...
Seriously, if $99 isn't a big deal to you - run with it. But I'd hold off to see if Apple counters all of these freebie sites with some cool new features.
For my site, I pay $60/year, and I get 500mb, 5GB http download, shell access, domain and 6 sub domain hosting, perl, php, mysql, e-mail (through my domain), and it's a hell of a lot faster than .mac.
oh, plus $10/year for the domain.
There are good places out there, .mac is not one of them.
oh, plus $10/year for the domain.
There are good places out there, .mac is not one of them.
The idea of .mac to me is definitely worth the money. But they can't get a hold of my money until there is more space available. I want to host my picture and movies in particular but there just isnt enough space right now. I just use my regular web hosting at the moment which is damn cheap at $15/year with acres of space and bandwidth but its just not as easy an convenient as .mac would be.
I know you can get more space but that is a fair bit more money again; I think we all keep hoping they will up the space sometime soon.
I know you can get more space but that is a fair bit more money again; I think we all keep hoping they will up the space sometime soon.
For me I find .mac really useful. I have a young family and we have friends and family all over the world. The easy to use web-pages that I can create direct from within iMovie and iPhoto means that i can keep everyone updated with pictures and video clips. As others have said the e-mail account is nice, and unlike my BTinternet mail account has remained virus free. I have two macs and the synchronization facilities have also been a boon as well. I have encouraged a number of other PC users to switch in the last 2 years and most of them have found .mac worthwhile. However as others have said it is not for everyone, and cheaper alternatives do exist, but I really like the integration with iSync and iLife. Its all about making life easier, which is why I switched in the first place.
I forgot to mention how I do backup and what stuff where using .Mac. Using Backup software they give me with my .Mac subscription I back up all my big stuff and stuff that doesn't change all that often to DVD/CD. Then I use the small amount of space *(please increase this space apple) to backup things I change very often like my grad school folder which has changes to it weekly, my financial stuff which changes weekly, and bookmarks, preferences, and other osX settings which are very easily backed up using Backup software.
Have you already purchased your Mac? If not then just do the $69 deal if it seems at all worth it to you and try it yourself. If you already own a mac running OSx then do the free trial.
The one thing that irks me is that Apple won't let someone try it when they buy their new mac and go back after 60 days and purchase it at the reduced rate. IF it is that good, they should offer this to everyone who purchases a mac and let them try it first. When I bought my first OSX capable mac I wanted to do the trial first, but couldn't without my new mac. so I ended up buying the .Mac (and love it for the most part) at the reduced rate anyway.
Have you already purchased your Mac? If not then just do the $69 deal if it seems at all worth it to you and try it yourself. If you already own a mac running OSx then do the free trial.
The one thing that irks me is that Apple won't let someone try it when they buy their new mac and go back after 60 days and purchase it at the reduced rate. IF it is that good, they should offer this to everyone who purchases a mac and let them try it first. When I bought my first OSX capable mac I wanted to do the trial first, but couldn't without my new mac. so I ended up buying the .Mac (and love it for the most part) at the reduced rate anyway.
.Mac is pretty awesome for students. My calendar lets my family see what my life is going to be like, without bothering me about it. Virex is pretty pointless but nice to have just to be safe.
I think Backup is .Mac's best offering. Although the iDisk is very small compared to some other services, it's still plenty for my homework files, personal writing, etc. As a University student, these backups are priceless. Because it's online, if something ever happens to my files, my grades won't suffer because I can still access them. I'm also incredibly lazy. Backup will schedule it for me and that makes life a hell of a lot easier than manually uploading files to some "freebie" FTP site that I don't even want to trust with my e-mail address.
And as others have said, .Mac integration with OS X will only improve.
Plus all the other neat stuff. I think I'll be buying the service with my new PB.
I think Backup is .Mac's best offering. Although the iDisk is very small compared to some other services, it's still plenty for my homework files, personal writing, etc. As a University student, these backups are priceless. Because it's online, if something ever happens to my files, my grades won't suffer because I can still access them. I'm also incredibly lazy. Backup will schedule it for me and that makes life a hell of a lot easier than manually uploading files to some "freebie" FTP site that I don't even want to trust with my e-mail address.
And as others have said, .Mac integration with OS X will only improve.
Plus all the other neat stuff.
I think I'll be buying the service with my new PB.
Duff-Man says...maybe not for you anyway. But for many others the ease of use and iSync functions make it a "good" place. It is not meant to replace or compete with those that need their own domains and such...it is for personal use and for that it does the job very well. And when they increase the mail and iDisk storage as is expected they will will a decent competitive for those that like the simplicity of .mac.....oh yeah!slughead said:
xxx@mac.com
this is super nice to have. even if you have about 5 other email address. Well soon I'll be changing and getting rid of emails. going to have about 3 at most. one thing I wish from apple, emails should be free. maybe something like yahoo or gmail, but the way the have it. I luv my .mac email. But I don't think i'll spend $99 for that. It's the only thing I use, but then again i have never looked into .mac to use it. maybe I should just to see what they got. I will agree with every here, if you are a techie. don't waste your money, use that for something better. If any one knows how can a .mac email be free(or cheaper than $99) let me(us) know.
this is super nice to have. even if you have about 5 other email address. Well soon I'll be changing and getting rid of emails. going to have about 3 at most. one thing I wish from apple, emails should be free. maybe something like yahoo or gmail, but the way the have it. I luv my .mac email. But I don't think i'll spend $99 for that. It's the only thing I use, but then again i have never looked into .mac to use it. maybe I should just to see what they got. I will agree with every here, if you are a techie. don't waste your money, use that for something better. If any one knows how can a .mac email be free(or cheaper than $99) let me(us) know.