Apple's .Mac Service to be Renamed, Revamped?

MacRumors · May 30, 2008, 08:32 AM

Apple's .Mac ("dotmac") service is a $99/year set of online tools that provides customers with email (@mac), web hosting, iDisk, backup and sync services. .Mac services are tightly integrated with Apple's existing iLife suite, allowing you to publish content easily from iPhoto, iWeb and iMovie. Apple appears to be poised to rename and revamp this 6 year old service.

Codingrobots reveals that all references to Apple's .Mac service in Mac OS X 10.5.3 have been replaced with a variable... essentially a blank space that can be easily replaced in the future by a software update. The reason for this appears to be that Apple will be rebranding their .Mac service. This renaming plan is actually spelled out in iCal's localizable.strings file:

Quote:

%@ is the new name of Apple’s online service (was .Mac)

This finding may validate recent whispers that Apple is planning a dramatic .Mac update alongside the iPhone 2.0 release.

In early May, TUAW claimed that .Mac would undergo a complete revamp near WWDC, and include the over-the-air syncing like Exchange and .Mac syncing with Windows. There has already been evidence that .Mac will be begin offering "push" functionality for Mail, Contacts and Calendar items in the iPhone 2.0 firmware, so a WWDC revamp certainly seems possible. Other whispers have suggested that Apple will start offering a discounted .Mac (

Article Link

Fotek2001 · May 30, 2008, 08:36 AM

John Gruber speculates this may be called Mobile Me:

http://www.daringfireball.net

Bonte · May 30, 2008, 08:36 AM

Finally, i hope europeans get a 'snappier' service, i want to use .Mac but its unworkable for me at the moment.

atari1356 · May 30, 2008, 08:37 AM

I only hope that they don't start requiring .Mac (or whatever it will be called) for some of these iPhone syncing features.

... and I'm still waiting for the ability to sync and edit Notes on the computer, along with a proper "to-do" app. I'm sure there will be 3rd party apps to solve those issues though.

EagerDragon · May 30, 2008, 08:39 AM

This makes a lot of sense if one of its features is to allow push mail to iPhones.

Given than the vast majority of iPhone owners are Windows users, offering .Mac services to Windows users would be needed.

The current name ".Mac" is not conductive to the windows market.

amac4me · May 30, 2008, 08:40 AM

Bring on the revamp. As a .mac user since 2004, I'm eagerly looking for new features to the service.

OllyW · May 30, 2008, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atari1356

I only hope that they don't start requiring .Mac (or whatever it will be called) for some of these iPhone syncing features.

I only hope that they don't start requiring iPhones for some of these .Mac (or whatever it will be called) features.

Shasterball · May 30, 2008, 08:41 AM

This may push me into finally getting .Mac.

Anyone know of any great advantages to having an account (as .Mac exists now)? Just curious as to what people use it for...

JonHimself · May 30, 2008, 08:42 AM

Finally bought .mac yesterday... hopefully any upgrades will be offered to me for free, preferably, but I'd accept a discount to upgrade.
Of course if no option is offered and I have to pay full price, I can assure you I will not bitch about apple being unfair like many others would.

wesk702 · May 30, 2008, 08:42 AM

That would be sweet if iphone owners would get a huge discount or even free.

1 more week til wwdc right?

question fear · May 30, 2008, 08:42 AM

This would be brilliant. Especially if it came with a minor price drop, or discount if used with an iPhone.

I have been surprised there isn't more .Mac support on the iPhone now, as it seems like they'd have a much easier time trying new things on their own email before testing it out on an unknown system (like yahoo or gmail).

atari1356 · May 30, 2008, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OllyW

I only hope that they don't start requiring iPhones for some of these .Mac (or whatever it will be called) features.

Touché

Reason077 · May 30, 2008, 08:44 AM

It's about time. I'd certainly love an easy way to sync my contacts, calendars and to-do's over-the-air. Even if it would just sync wirelessly through my LAN would be a big improvement over having to use the cable.

I think $99 is too much to pay for this service, however. I'm not likely to make much use of .mac's other services. Maybe at a price point closer to $39/yr I'd bite, to save the hassle of manual sync'ing.

Darkroom · May 30, 2008, 08:45 AM

.mac eats...

why anyone would buy that over a communal ftp server that costs the same but offers a million times more space and bandwidth as well as your own site address (www.mysite.ca, etc.) is beyond me...

now if apple decided that the new .mac was like a communal server that offers a million times more space and badwidth as well as your own site address, on top of integration with iApps, that would be impressive...

rockstarjoe · May 30, 2008, 08:45 AM

I'm almost as excited about this as I am about the new iphone. .Mac has so much potential... but right now it is overpriced and it under-delivers.

Rocketman · May 30, 2008, 08:46 AM

So does this mean we will see t-shirts at WWDC that say:

I use %@.

?

Rocketman

chungyc · May 30, 2008, 08:47 AM

I just hope Apple doesn't name it something like .Apple

kornyboy · 08:50 AM

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A102 Safari/419.3)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shasterball

This may push me into finally getting .Mac.

Anyone know of any great advantages to having an account (as .Mac exists now)? Just curious as to what people use it for...

iDisk is pretty neat and a bit useful (not worth the $100 per year though). I got stuck with a .mac account. I had it when it was free and got fully established and then they started charging for it and I didn't want to deal with the hassel of changing my email address with everyone I know.

Other good features include iPhoto web galleries, .mac screen savers, and iWeb web sites. Still not enough to justify $100 per year mainly due to the storage space.

ArtOfWarfare · May 30, 2008, 08:52 AM

No one is trying to guess at the new name

?
.i
?
.x
...
apple sure likes the two letters...
.xi
...

jessica. · May 30, 2008, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OllyW

I only hope that they don't start requiring iPhones for some of these .Mac (or whatever it will be called) features.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kornyboy

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A102 Safari/419.3)

Actually some may say that a large percentage of your Mac experience is crippled by not having .Mac. However, if you use iPhone and iWeb exclusively I can say that may be true. Otherwise, I don't fully agree.

iDisk is pretty neat and a bit useful (not worth the $100 per year though). I got stuck with a .mac account. I had it when it was free and got fully established and then they started charging for it and I didn't want to deal with the hassel of changing my email address with everyone I know.

Other good features include iPhoto web galleries, .mac screen savers, and iWeb web sites. Still not enough to justify $100 per year mainly due to the storage space.

The storage space can be increased and I guarantee that most people would see some value in it. I always thought that they gave a 90-day trial as that was long enough to fall in love with it and really commit to it. Just as that trial expires a user gets all paranoid about changing things around and ends up buying the service.

BoyBach · May 30, 2008, 08:53 AM

If true, I hope that there is no change to the "@mac.com" email addresses. I could do without the hassle of amending various online accounts.

jlbrown23 · May 30, 2008, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chungyc

I just hope Apple doesn't name it something like .Apple

It's better than "iInternet". But then "iNet" actually sounds pretty good...

Eraserhead · May 30, 2008, 08:56 AM

So 10.6, iPhone 2.0 and a new .Mac looking good, almost too good...

dicklacara · May 30, 2008, 08:57 AM

Mmmm...

Maybe they should call it, er, ah... iTools

dnedved · May 30, 2008, 08:58 AM

Of course Apple lost their big change when the iPhone was first released. I had been hoping that they would become a MVNO and offered VOIP service tied in with .Mac. Oh well, maybe now it's still not too late to actually offer something unique and different with this service. It's never been anything special but has seriously languished with no real improvements in years. Major lack of followthrough from Apple seeing what they could have done with this service.

May 30, 2008, 08:37 AM	#4
atari1356 macrumors 68000 Join Date: Feb 2004	I only hope that they don't start requiring .Mac (or whatever it will be called) for some of these iPhone syncing features. ... and I'm still waiting for the ability to sync and edit Notes on the computer, along with a proper "to-do" app. I'm sure there will be 3rd party apps to solve those issues though. __________________ Scout Camera for iOS \| Paperless: awesome iOS app for lists/checklists/notes
	0

May 30, 2008, 08:39 AM	#5
EagerDragon macrumors 68020 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: MA, USA	Makes sense This makes a lot of sense if one of its features is to allow push mail to iPhones. Given than the vast majority of iPhone owners are Windows users, offering .Mac services to Windows users would be needed. The current name ".Mac" is not conductive to the windows market. __________________ Security is a state of mind, Nothing can ever be fully secured and be functional. Therefore iBricks are fully secured.
	0

May 30, 2008, 08:40 AM	#6
amac4me macrumors 65816 Join Date: Apr 2005	Bring on the revamp. As a .mac user since 2004, I'm eagerly looking for new features to the service. __________________ Switch To A Mac http://switchtoamac.com
	0

May 30, 2008, 08:42 AM	#9
JonHimself macrumors 68000 Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Toronto, Ontario	Finally bought .mac yesterday... hopefully any upgrades will be offered to me for free, preferably, but I'd accept a discount to upgrade. Of course if no option is offered and I have to pay full price, I can assure you I will not bitch about apple being unfair like many others would. __________________ shambo, Changing the definition of "future proof" since April 2009.
	0

May 30, 2008, 08:42 AM	#11
question fear macrumors 68020 Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: The "Garden" state	This would be brilliant. Especially if it came with a minor price drop, or discount if used with an iPhone. I have been surprised there isn't more .Mac support on the iPhone now, as it seems like they'd have a much easier time trying new things on their own email before testing it out on an unknown system (like yahoo or gmail). __________________ Give blood. Play rugby.
	0

May 30, 2008, 08:36 AM	#2
Fotek2001 macrumors regular Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: London, England	John Gruber speculates this may be called Mobile Me: http://www.daringfireball.net
	0

May 30, 2008, 08:36 AM	#3
Bonte macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Bruges, Belgium	Finally, i hope europeans get a 'snappier' service, i want to use .Mac but its unworkable for me at the moment.
	0

May 30, 2008, 08:41 AM	#8
Shasterball macrumors 6502a Join Date: Oct 2007	This may push me into finally getting .Mac. Anyone know of any great advantages to having an account (as .Mac exists now)? Just curious as to what people use it for...
	0

May 30, 2008, 08:42 AM	#10
wesk702 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: The hood	That would be sweet if iphone owners would get a huge discount or even free. 1 more week til wwdc right?
	0

May 30, 2008, 08:44 AM	#13
Reason077 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Aug 2007	It's about time. I'd certainly love an easy way to sync my contacts, calendars and to-do's over-the-air. Even if it would just sync wirelessly through my LAN would be a big improvement over having to use the cable. I think $99 is too much to pay for this service, however. I'm not likely to make much use of .mac's other services. Maybe at a price point closer to $39/yr I'd bite, to save the hassle of manual sync'ing.
	0

May 30, 2008, 08:45 AM	#14
Darkroom Guest Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Montréal, Canada	.mac eats... why anyone would buy that over a communal ftp server that costs the same but offers a million times more space and bandwidth as well as your own site address (www.mysite.ca, etc.) is beyond me... now if apple decided that the new .mac was like a communal server that offers a million times more space and badwidth as well as your own site address, on top of integration with iApps, that would be impressive...
	0

May 30, 2008, 08:45 AM	#15
rockstarjoe macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: washington dc	I'm almost as excited about this as I am about the new iphone. .Mac has so much potential... but right now it is overpriced and it under-delivers. __________________ Macbook Pro, iPod Classic, iPhone 4, hackintosh My band - [velvet] - Our music on iTunes
	0

May 30, 2008, 08:46 AM	#16
Rocketman macrumors 601 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Claremont, CA	So does this mean we will see t-shirts at WWDC that say: I use %@. ? Rocketman __________________ Think Different-ly! The President campaigned against Congress. D Sen is led by D Sen ML Reid and D VP and Sen Pres Biden, under orders of D Pres Obama. http://www.gop.gov/indepth/jobs/tracker
	0

May 30, 2008, 08:47 AM	#17
chungyc macrumors newbie Join Date: Nov 2006	I just hope Apple doesn't name it something like .Apple
	0

May 30, 2008, 08:52 AM	#19
ArtOfWarfare macrumors 68040 Join Date: Nov 2007	No one is trying to guess at the new name ? .i ? .x ... apple sure likes the two letters... .xi ... __________________ Battery Status - On the Mac App Store The only app that'll estimate when your wireless devices will need their batteries changed. Like it on Facebook!
	0

May 30, 2008, 08:53 AM	#21
BoyBach macrumors 68040 Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: UK	If true, I hope that there is no change to the "@mac.com" email addresses. I could do without the hassle of amending various online accounts.
	0

May 30, 2008, 08:56 AM	#23
Eraserhead macrumors G4 Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: UK	So 10.6, iPhone 2.0 and a new .Mac looking good, almost too good... __________________ If they have to tell you every day they are fair you can bet they arent, if they tell you they are balanced then you should know they are not - Don't Hurt me
	0

May 30, 2008, 08:57 AM	#24
dicklacara macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: SF Bay Area	Maybe they should call it.... Mmmm... Maybe they should call it, er, ah... *iTools*
	0

May 30, 2008, 08:58 AM	#25
dnedved macrumors member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Amsterdam, NL	It's about time... Of course Apple lost their big change when the iPhone was first released. I had been hoping that they would become a MVNO and offered VOIP service tied in with .Mac. Oh well, maybe now it's still not too late to actually offer something unique and different with this service. It's never been anything special but has seriously languished with no real improvements in years. Major lack of followthrough from Apple seeing what they could have done with this service.
	0

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