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Apple's .Mac Service to be Renamed, Revamped?
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The only elements that aren't widely available for free from other services is the Syncing and Back to My Mac features. They are hardly worth the 99 dollars a year price of entry though, especially since the iPhone isn't currently in the Sync loop. The iDisk part should be a nice feature with it's tight Finder integration, but it is sooo ssssllooowwww and quirky I have stopped using it.
Ah well alright, just thought I would let everyone know. Apple is going to be doing a lot of refreshing over the summer it seems. Steve did say that he has lots of big things in store for 2008
So does this mean we will see t-shirts at WWDC that say:
I use %@.
?
Rocketman
No one is trying to guess at the new name
.i
?
.x
...
apple sure likes the two letters...
.xi
...
Actually, %d & other %(whatever letter) is often used in some C-type programming languages (and possibly some non-C languages) for using variables in string outputs. Instead of having to hard code the name of it a million times, programmers can just assign the name of the service to a variable, and whenever they need to put in the name of the variable. Like in C:
This makes it easy if you frequently change the name of something, or there's a lot of instances of it in one file. Easier to change it once instead of 100 times.
I found that too. Using the built-in WebDAV never worked for me. I found using Transmit with the iDisk worked much, much better. And since I had to do that anyway, I dropped Dot Mac all together and just got my own website for the same $99 a year. But I get unlimited email accounts, 1 TB of space, multi-domain support, can create FTP for friends to use and I just build the site with Rapidweaver. All pretty easy to do.
Maybe Back To My Mac will finally work the way it was supposed to...
For the record, I love my .mac account, but it is a shame how its features, like iDisk, are still buggy and flawed. The Gallery Feature from the last update is excellent. The price should be dropped a little, and I look forward to any additions (I really would like iPhoto Synchronization).
For the record, I love my .mac account, but it is a shame how its features, like iDisk, are still buggy and flawed. The Gallery Feature from the last update is excellent. The price should be dropped a little, and I look forward to any additions (I really would like iPhoto Synchronization).
Second that (or third or Nth). Enhanced features, much lower price, and I'd pay. I've sat by the sidelines on .mac for years waiting for the price to drop to $25-30 a year.
Did I say anything about free? But I'm paying a buck a month to my web hoster, and 8 bucks a year for my domain name and that gets me much more than what .mac is offering. And, Apple makes too many functions .mac-only that could work with any other web host just the same. What the hell did I buy iLife for if just about everything still requires an annual payment to work smoothly and integrated?
Nobody wants anything for free, Mr Conjecture, but this "yes, only $129 for the OS, unlike our competition! Oh, yeah, those awesome apps we're always prattling about? Sorry, gotta buy them. What, you actually want to use them? That will be a small fee of another 100 bucks!" is bollocks.
.Mac just maybe IS worth $99
So, now I am going to try and justify why i have it. The usual caveats: YMMV, this isn't an complete analysis, I am not happy with .Mac, I am not unhappy enough to leave... but I think about it every year.
It is annoying when someone says $99 for {lists one function of .mac}. I'd pay $39, maybe, for that. etc. .mac, therefore is terrible.
Website hosting:
Godaddy is $4.05 per month for 10 GB storage and 300GB transfer 1yr =$48.60 Plus domain registration and renewal.
[.Mac Value to me equals say $55]
Email Address:
Too many free options
[.Mac Value to me equals say $0]
Backup Software
I really like the back up software, when I used it for work and it was a business deduction it was worth about $99 or more to me b/c equivalent back up programs would be near that price or more.
Now, I can back up without it, but is takes more time and without .Mac i'd probably buy a back up software program, some DVD's and i'd pay for updates every couple years. so ..
[Annual .Mac value to me for back up $20]
Product upload tied into iMovie and iPhoto
Without this tie-in I would just export the movies to QT format and upload to my website hosted at Godaddy. I'd probably buy an FTP client and update it ever couple years to the newest version
[Annual .Mac value to me for easy uploads tied to .Mac service, $10]
iCards
[Value to me $0]
Bookmarks
Value to me $0
iDisk
Value to me $0
Back to my Mac
Value to me $0
Groups
Value to me $0
So, I feel like I have been pretty conservative in my valuation and it is worth about $85 to me, and I pay $99 without discount. So, I am not happy with dot mac (esp. since i don't use it for my work anymore). But is it terrible, kinda, but it is 'nice' and it is convenient to use and not worry about building a webpage just to throw some pics up for grandma or friends. If you wanted to build a page as nice as .mac you would spend some money of the software or you would spent many of your hours building/coding by hand.
Not to be a prick but my wage is pretty good, so I can't justify spending any time building a website or working with a hosting company and Ftp'ing etc if you apply my hourly wage to the time I spend building a website (if not for .mac) the expense gets big, quick.
I feel better to have vented a little. I hope someday i can say .Mac is worth $160 and i pay $99!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, now I am going to try and justify why i have it. The usual caveats: YMMV, this isn't an complete analysis, I am not happy with .Mac, I am not unhappy enough to leave... but I think about it every year.
It is annoying when someone says $99 for {lists one function of .mac}. I'd pay $39, maybe, for that. etc. .mac, therefore is terrible.
Website hosting:
Godaddy is $4.05 per month for 10 GB storage and 300GB transfer 1yr =$48.60 Plus domain registration and renewal.
[.Mac Value to me equals say $55]
Email Address:
Too many free options
[.Mac Value to me equals say $0]
Backup Software
I really like the back up software, when I used it for work and it was a business deduction it was worth about $99 or more to me b/c equivalent back up programs would be near that price or more.
Now, I can back up without it, but is takes more time and without .Mac i'd probably buy a back up software program, some DVD's and i'd pay for updates every couple years. so ..
[Annual .Mac value to me for back up $20]
Product upload tied into iMovie and iPhoto
Without this tie-in I would just export the movies to QT format and upload to my website hosted at Godaddy. I'd probably buy an FTP client and update it ever couple years to the newest version
[Annual .Mac value to me for easy uploads tied to .Mac service, $10]
iCards
[Value to me $0]
Bookmarks
Value to me $0
iDisk
Value to me $0
Back to my Mac
Value to me $0
Groups
Value to me $0
So, I feel like I have been pretty conservative in my valuation and it is worth about $85 to me, and I pay $99 without discount. So, I am not happy with dot mac (esp. since i don't use it for my work anymore). But is it terrible, kinda, but it is 'nice' and it is convenient to use and not worry about building a webpage just to throw some pics up for grandma or friends. If you wanted to build a page as nice as .mac you would spend some money of the software or you would spent many of your hours building/coding by hand.
Not to be a prick but my wage is pretty good, so I can't justify spending any time building a website or working with a hosting company and Ftp'ing etc if you apply my hourly wage to the time I spend building a website (if not for .mac) the expense gets big, quick.
I feel better to have vented a little. I hope someday i can say .Mac is worth $160 and i pay $99!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You many valid points. While I'll admit, I'd like to have some things for free, but I also feel people should be paid for their effort. But there's a point where somethings get to expensive/greedy. It's kinda like Apple never having anything less than like 28% profit margins (or whatever amount it is). I don't mind Apple being successful and making a little bit of profit so they can grow/change what's needed, but after a point, it gets too much profit. IMO, either pay the low-end workers (janitors Chinese sweatshop workers, etc.) more or lower the costs. Like many people have said, you can get many of .Mac's features plus a bunch of other features for less at other places. Also, oil companies are bringing in record profits quarter after quarter. WHat do they need all that much money for? So I just feel that people should pay an amount that's fair to both the buyer & seller.
.Mac It's Fantastic
ditto! I think its a fabulous service. Real convenient way to publish web pages blogs and web galleries. A few moments and thats it done ready to share. Syncing data between 3 macs is a real cinch. Cost is an issue but when I think about iDisk storage space it hurts considerably less financially.
I do not like the speculated name change; Mobile Me yeuch! Mobile Mac would be better I think!
ditto! I think its a fabulous service. Real convenient way to publish web pages blogs and web galleries. A few moments and thats it done ready to share. Syncing data between 3 macs is a real cinch. Cost is an issue but when I think about iDisk storage space it hurts considerably less financially.
I do not like the speculated name change; Mobile Me yeuch! Mobile Mac would be better I think!
100GB on idisk....
I recently experienced this...
http://digg.com/apple/iDisk_to_gain_a_significant_upgrade
I recently experienced this...
http://digg.com/apple/iDisk_to_gain_a_significant_upgrade
Mobil Mini Me
Mobile me, mobile mini me, whatever. It somehow reminds me of Austin Powerss movies and I just do not like the Mini Me character at all. If Apple changes the name to mobile mini or whatever... it will always remind me of Austin Powers movies, which IMO, are the stupidest movies ever made. I will than say goodbye to Apple.
Mobile me, mobile mini me, whatever. It somehow reminds me of Austin Powerss movies and I just do not like the Mini Me character at all. If Apple changes the name to mobile mini or whatever... it will always remind me of Austin Powers movies, which IMO, are the stupidest movies ever made. I will than say goodbye to Apple.
You can get back to your Mac using free software and sync too. What you pay for is ease of use. With .mac you don't have to figure anything out yourself as it's all setup. Apple's remote desktop is based in VNC which is free software. Sync is easy too. Macs and almost all other UNIX systems come off the self with software to sync to a remote folder over the 'net. Most of the guts under Mac OS X is build with free software. Apple engineers were smart they didn't re-invent many wheels, Unix users were syncing files and using a remote desktop with a graphic mouse driven interface back in the 80's
Oh yeah, its bad
How terrible is that. It's as dull and as boring as Windows Vista as well as the diabolical 70's architecture dotted around the UK. Yeuch!!
I'm really hoping that its an alias until they reveal the real name/service update.
dot Mac Air, it has a certain ring to it don't you think? LOL!
How terrible is that. It's as dull and as boring as Windows Vista as well as the diabolical 70's architecture dotted around the UK. Yeuch!!
I'm really hoping that its an alias until they reveal the real name/service update.
dot Mac Air, it has a certain ring to it don't you think? LOL!
Yes, OS X is built on free software, but you are wrong on so many things. The kernel and BSD layer are free software, but only a very very small part of the OS X system. All the apps, the Cocoa/Carbon UIs, etc... are 100x bigger than the open-source parts of OS X.
If it was so easy - Linux would have an OS X like desktop today. Instead its a hodgepodge of stuff. I run Fedora 9 and have tried others - they are no where near as good as OS X.
And sync isn't easy. Yes, you can use Unison, RSync, and so on - but that's for files. How about calendar, settings, addressbook, transmit favorites, and so on? .Mac sync is invaluable to me. BackToMyMac can be done for free too, but the point of the Mac is to make things easy. Isn't it?
Um, all those things are files as well (which rsync could in fact sync). But yeah .mac is very easy to use. Integration is already included in lots of Apple applications. I look forward to seeing what they can do with the service.
Win .
And you bring up a good point. Just like the paper value of words are a fraction of the meaning behind how those words are delivered in speech.
The same applies to an unreleased product / service . Judge the name after you've observed the marketing effort behind it. and the actual product.
It seems like relatively nobody today has an issue with the name Wii . However I remember thousands or rants and banter about the horrible choice of naming by Nintendo before the product was released.
Just to put the value thing into perspective, I just filled up my car and it cost more than my annual subscription to .mac
Having said that, if my car ran as slowly as iDisk does after filling up I probably wouldn't be too happy.
I really look forward to seeing "marked" improvement in iDisk performanc, Back to Mac performance, iPhone and Windows support. If Apple is smart they'll break whatever replaces .mac into 2 or 3 tiers.
Frankly all the "it should be free" folks need to wake the f*** up. The free stuff is over folks (legally). The Dot Bomb era proved that yes companies DO have to make a profit to stay in business.
Each person will have their own justification for using the new .mac. But this is Apple...it won't be free...it'll be slick and people will want it.
I expect the windows support to be quite robust and if people have problems with browser compatibility....voila get Safari for windows.
the new .mac could push me from Blackberry to the iPhone for my company usage. I really need the syncing features and I hope web hosting features improve for just the tinkerer such as myself.