Apple Updates .Mac - More Storage, Groups and Backup 3.0

[Diatribe]

Groups are pretty cool. There are many ways to use them.

One use could be groups linking to your homepage and acting as an update log for your homepage (pics, etc.). It hosts your calendar too, so it can be used as a personal info service to family and friends about your life. With the links and the possible homepage integration it is and extended blogging tool. A bit different than your regular blogging but pretty cool. I see great uses for the groups feature.

Planning an event could be another use for it, etc., etc. the possibilities are endless...

 

[metfuel]

I am glad to finally see the update to .Mac, but it is still disappointing to see that not much has changed. I didn't mind paying for .Mac during the first couple of years when they actually gave you free sfotware and discounts on software and hardware (which is how i got my first external HD), but now there are little to none offers from .Mac. Now I feel obligated to get it over and over again because I have used my .mac name for alot of things and feel stuck with it. The price definatley is not that good especially since the team at spymac stepped up to the plate. With a free account you get 1Gb storage, 1Gb of email, and then you get 1gb of gallery hosting and blogging space i believe. With a paid subscription (which is only $25 a year by the way) you get 3GB of Storage, 3GB Email, and you get 3GB of gallery and blogging space. (oh yeah and they offer a tool that allows you to sync your information as well, and host ical calenders ect.).
For crying out loud you get 1Gb free email from yahoo now. For the price I think apple needs to beef it up more or start offering good stuff as a bonus incentive.

 

[corywoolf]

I know I'm a credit whore, but I did predict this yesterday.

https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=1748640#post1748640

 

[jsw]

I know I'm a credit whore, but I did predict this yesterday.

https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=1748640#post1748640

Ah, but there were girls at your corner before you....

 

[srobert]

From the apple site after I looked around a little


Q: Can PC users belong to .Mac groups?
A: Yes. PC users can create a .Mac ID (and get a free trial membership) just the way Mac users can. The .Mac ID is theirs to keep and use for .Mac groups, AIM and iChat chats, the iTunes Music Store, and the Apple Store, even if they don't join .Mac when their trial memberships expire. PC users will be able to view and create group web pages, send and receive messages, and view the group calendar. Some PC users with software that has support for webcal protocol or webcal://URL can also subscribe to the group calendar.

Bummer. I wish they could join my group using their regular email address.

I love the added speed/bandwidth though.

Can we now host and run forums on our idisk? (like PhpBB, VBulletin, etc…)

We still can use code to put bold and other fomatting in our homepage. :-/

Still the same antiquated templates for file sharing. :-/

 

[Whyren]

It appears that they may have fixed the iDisk autosync in Tiger...it used to stop working after sleeping, but mine appears to be functional now.

 

[Diatribe]

Bummer. Seems that groups is of very limited use now.

*deletes the group he had just created since none of his friends can access it*

None of your friends have access to a PC and the internet? How would they have accessed your group in the first place then?

Seriously, it is not THAT annoying to create a .mac ID...

 

[DJY]

I agree...
seems silly to have to make non Mac users... create a free account... NOt have to then subscribe... but continue to use that @mac.com email to log in and use with iChat / AIM?

What a waste of thousands of @mac.com email addresses?
What a waste of potential for groups!

or am I missing something here?!!??

 

[Whyren]

My .Mac account expires in 60 something days, but what happens to your account if you don't renew it straight away? Does it save the email address until you do renew it, or as soon as the renewal date is up, it allows anyone to register that email address?

Supposedly all your iDisk contents will be deleted, but the email will be saved for a while. For me, I was out for about a week because my .Mac box shipped late (blasted Super Saver Shipping), but in actuality nothing had been deleted, email or otherwise. That may not go for everyone, however.

 

[ShavenYak]

The price definatley is not that good especially since the team at spymac stepped up to the plate. With a free account you get 1Gb storage, 1Gb of email, and then you get 1gb of gallery hosting and blogging space i believe. With a paid subscription (which is only $25 a year by the way) you get 3GB of Storage, 3GB Email, and you get 3GB of gallery and blogging space. (oh yeah and they offer a tool that allows you to sync your information as well, and host ical calenders ect.).

Yeah, I thought Spymac was offering all that starting September 1st, right? It's now the 20th, and they're still not up. I'm not sure, since I've only been a .mac member for one year, but somehow I doubt that .mac has ever been unavailable for three weeks.

 

[jsw]

For crying out loud you get 1Gb free email from yahoo now. For the price I think apple needs to beef it up more or start offering good stuff as a bonus incentive.

I think that the value in .Mac (for those that see a value to it) is in the disk space being freely available to slice and dice as you choose. Yes, you get 1GB with Yahoo and Google - but only for email. I tend to keep my email on my home machine. However, the backup space and sync'ing - and the ease of doing so - are what draw me to .Mac. I have a hosted site or two elsewhere, but for now I'll keep .Mac as well.

 

[srobert]

None of your friends have access to a PC and the internet? How would they have accessed your group in the first place then?

Seriously, it is not THAT annoying to create a .mac ID...

But it only lasts 60 days if they don't pay Apple some money. And I'll feel like an annoying salesman by inviting friends. :-/

 

[Whyren]

Is the bandwidth limit new?

10Gb per month?

I've not noticed that before.

Yes, they increased the monthly bandwidth quite a bit. It used to be 3GB per month. That seems to be a very nice feature, but without dynamic web language support...well, I guess for a photo album it would be good.

Note also that added "email-only" accounts now have 50MB included (I believe they used to be 10MB)

 

[Diatribe]

But it only lasts 60 days if they don't pay Apple some money. And I'll feel like an annoying salesman by inviting friends. :-/

No, the ID lasts forever. Only the services last 60 days, the ID is yours to use for iChat, AIM, groups ,iTMS forever.

 

[eazyway]

reset it

Yeah, I hope 10.4.3 (or a reboot) will sort that out... I see the same thing.

Edit: my iDisk (and desktop icon) icon has the correct size, but (still) not my .Mac pref panel.

just reselect the settings you want to use.

 

[srobert]

No, the ID lasts forever. Only the services last 60 days, the ID is yours to use for iChat, AIM, groups ,iTMS forever.

I must have read that wrong. Thanks for the update. I still wish they could join using their regular email address. I think I would find it annoying if I'd had to create a new microsfty email address to access a friends' microsofty group.

 

[Diatribe]

I must have read that wrong. Thanks for the update. I still wish they could join using their regular email address. I think I would find it annoying if I'd had to create a new microsfty email address to access a friends' microsofty group.

Yep, should've been possible. Totally agree with you. But I guess my friends will have to live with that for the moment...

 

[Yvan256]

Sync

I still think .Mac is a rip-off, I should be able to sync data between my two Apple computers without requiring an expensive external service.

 

[devilot]

Total .mac newbie...

I've actually sat here and read through all the posts... but still confused:

You can keep your .mac ID...

But can you keep using the email services? If so, I'd sign up for a trial just to get/keep/use a .mac email addy!

 

[enginerd]

Garageband jampacks

Here's the readme from the jampacks on idisk.

About the GarageBand Jam Pack Promotion Apple Loops

GarageBand is the new iLife music application that makes it easy to create your own original songs. You can record guitars, Software Instruments, and any instrument that can be captured by a microphone, use prerecorded Apple Loops as backing tracks, arrange, mix, and add effects to your song, then export your finished song to an iTunes playlist. You can play the song in iTunes, burn it on a CD, download it to an iPod, or import it into iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, or other programs that support audio.

The GarageBand Jam Pack Promotion gives you 300 Apple Loops from the three Jam Packs available for GarageBand. Each Jam Pack gives you a variety of Apple Loops and Software Instruments to expand your creativity. You can use the included Apple Loops in your GarageBand songs.

Jam Pack 1 lets you enhance GarageBand with additional Software Instruments, Apple Loops, and audio effects, including 2,000 rock, funk, fusion, world, and electronic sounds.

Jam Pack 2: Remix Tools lets you create your own dance-floor grooves with a complete set of beats, breaks, bass lines, synth hooks, and keyboard riffs. Over 2,000 Apple Loops in different styles let you build tracks with beats, breaks, and bass lines, and enhance them with synth patterns, hypnotic riffs, and special effects.

Jam Pack 3: Rhythm Section, lets you lay down rhythm tracks with an impressive array of drum kits, percussion, basses, guitars, and other essential instruments. From modern rock beats to country shuffles to pop grooves from around the world, Jam Pack 3 provides the core elements you need to help construct your songs. More than 2,000 Apple Loops in genres that include alternative, classic rock, blues, metal, folk, and more.

System requirements, etc.

I don't have Garageband on the iMac I'm on now. Anybody else download them yet and check to see if they in fact include everything that the standard jampacks come with??

 

[jsw]

I've actually sat here and read through all the posts... but still confused:

You can keep your .mac ID...

But can you keep using the email services? If so, I'd sign up for a trial just to get/keep/use a .mac email addy!

No... you keep the ID but lose access to the services.

 

[devilot]

No... you keep the ID but lose access to the services.

Thank you so much for your quick reply... I was starting to get anxious that I'd have to sift through another rapid-fire-10pages to find a relevant reply.

 

[metfuel]

can you still referr people. i dont see where you can do that. i was wondering if i might be able to get a discount before i have to renew cause as much as dont want to i have to right now. i still ike .mac (even though i beatched before )

 

[Fredo Viola]

This did not work!

Yeah Fred,

There is a selection to bring the old settings into the new Backup software. You have to use that selection the first time though.

I chose the first option, which was to restore from old settings. It took me to a blank backup window, so evidently it did not work. !!!!!!

Any idea how I can reset this, or have my old prefs been lost for good?

 

[peterj1967]

I don't think you're completely correct. You lose access to the standard .mac services, but you can still use the services associated with the .mac groups you belong to.

No... you keep the ID but lose access to the services.