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I'm not renewing my .Mac account.

LucasLand

LucasLand

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 6, 2002
759
93
New England
I've got 20 days left on my .Mac account. I get constant email reminders from Apple regarding renewing my account. I just don't think I'm going to do it.

It seems like Apple will be coming out with a major update for OSX every year. That always cost at least $120. It also costs $100 to renew .Mac. As much as I like both of them, I can't see myself spending an extra $200+ each year on my computer. I love Apple, but that is getting steep. I think I will just buy Panther when it comes out.

I also just switched to comcast cable service. It comes with 25mb of web space. That's only 1/4 of what .mac offers, but I'm sure I can handle a trimmed down website. I was only currently using 50% of the space that .mac comes with.

I will miss all the neat features that .mac offers, but there are plenty of neat programs out there that can take its place. I've been finding more & more of them at macupdate.com

Anybody else considering not renewing .mac?
 
I for one just ordered .Mac on Tuesday along with my new PowerBook since I remember years back when they had iTools for free and how cool some of the features were. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to try .Mac since I have been stuck on OS 9 until now, so next week hopefully I will be running on my new PowerBook in OS X using my .Mac account. A big plus for me is the fact that I am getting rid of AOL and I want a nice .Mac email/iDisk/webpage/screen name/etc to replace it. Overall, it is cheaper to pay $99 than the monthly cost of AOL over a year and I have cable modem at home and DSL network at school, so that should be a nice change from the suckiness that is AOL.
 
Shame...

Seems you might ditch it just as it becomes usefull...well for people with multiple workstations at least.

I heard that it will give you a synchronised 'work' folder under OSX 10.3. That will be totally awsome for me as currently I am using a FW drive to stay ontop of document changes between multiple computers...its a real drag.

Heres to hoping :)

PS. If anybody knows of another way to do this please feel free to enlighten me :)

Mord
 
I have just used my 2 month trial and have now purchased .mac. I wish i did it when i got my powerbook but no matter.

I have just tried backup, isync and ical for the first time since i got my first mac nearly 6 months ago. I cannot believe i never did it sooner. I suppose i thought it would be to much hassle but no, its so easy and its neat how it backs up iTunes playlists and Safari bookmarks.

I'm just wondering how it intergrates itself back into the system if say after a format.

.mac for life.
 
I just renewed also. I use my iDisk for file transfers to remote workstations, iPhoto pages to family members, iSync for bookmark syncing to remote workstations, web sites for myself and friends and storing photo's for all of my eBay sales pages.

I don't think that you can find a fully integrated 100mb solution that can do all of these things for less, but good luck.

It was money well spent last year, and with Panther it will be even better this coming year. I also got the "EverQuest for free" offer, so that saved my $50. Plus, I own stock in Apple, so more money for them....better for me.

Peter Lehrack
a satisfied iDisk user.
 
comcast

just fyi... comcast offers 25mb PER E_MAIL ADDRESS... i personaly get 7 e-mail addresses so... 25x7... 175mb of total webspace... all you have to do is setup more e-mail addresses.

To Do This:

go to comcast.net

sign in under your "master" account

go to "Service Center>Account Management (these are in the toolbar on your left.

then click "associate memberships/e-mail IDs" in the "account management" table on the right.

this will take you to a screen that tells you how many e-mail addresses you have been allotted and will let you set them up, simply click "create new e-mail ID" and follow the steps... then setup webspace for each account.

granted .mac is a little more convinient because your webspace isnt spread over 7 different urls... BUT, you are saving $100 a year
 
Are you sure you get 25mb per email? The sales guy said you get 25mb total for all emails. Maybe he was wrong?
 
I also will be renewing my .Mac next month. I couldn't live without it. Besides, I love my email address. Any time I share it with someone and it's my name at mac dot com, they say "Well, that figures." :) I'm a known fanatic, so it's easy for everyone to remember.

Dan
 
I'm reneweing. .Mac has become invaluable to me. At first it was just convience but now I find my self dropping stuff in my iDisk so I can access it at work. The address book is great! And now I have all my bookmarks whever I go...It's much more useful than I had anticipated. PLUS, I'm getting the $20.00 gift certificate for the Apple Store which I will use towards the purchase of a Bluetooth adapter so I can get the new wireless keyboard and mouse! Apple's gonna make a bundle off of me ;)
 
Re: Shame...

Originally posted by LordMord
Seems you might ditch it just as it becomes usefull...well for people with multiple workstations at least.

I heard that it will give you a synchronised 'work' folder under OSX 10.3. That will be totally awsome for me as currently I am using a FW drive to stay ontop of document changes between multiple computers...its a real drag.

Heres to hoping :)

PS. If anybody knows of another way to do this please feel free to enlighten me :)

Mord
Click to expand...
Maybe network the computers together using Ethernet or an Airport Modem.
 
In my personal opinion, I don't think that the .mac account is worth the $49 I paid for it (I signed up during the half price sale). However, I've been using my .mac email and have been using Backup and some web hosting. So, I'm kinda stuck. Now, I defiantly don't think it's worth $99. Again, however, it's such a pain to switch to something else so Apple has me sucked into this.

Perhaps with the Panther, .mac would be worth the money. We shall see. If Apple isn't making money off of this, it would be a crying shame.
 
i looked around online, it seems you're right... 25mb to share among 7 e-mail addresses... sigh, looks like comcast lied to me yet again...


the only thing that makes me really not like .mac is you can't post your own web pages (for example, you cant use texteditor to create an html file and then use .mac to post it on the internet). i have tried and tried and i can only find a way to make sites using the templates that are built into .mac... does anybody know a way to get around that? right now im using my 175 mb (i mean, 25 mb... grr, drat) that comcast gives me to host a site but id like to use .mac if itz possible.
 
Originally posted by LouCFur
i looked around online, it seems you're right... 25mb to share among 7 e-mail addresses... sigh, looks like comcast lied to me yet again...


the only thing that makes me really not like .mac is you can't post your own web pages (for example, you cant use texteditor to create an html file and then use .mac to post it on the internet). i have tried and tried and i can only find a way to make sites using the templates that are built into .mac... does anybody know a way to get around that? right now im using my 175 mb (i mean, 25 mb... grr, drat) that comcast gives me to host a site but id like to use .mac if itz possible.
Click to expand...

Of course you can do that.

http://homepage.mac.com/robin_martin/

Are you trying to link from one of the template pages or something?
 
I can get just about anything in .Mac for free elsewhere.

That is the main reason I don't buy .Mac.

• HomePage web publishing
Post photos on the web in just a few clicks using iPhoto, or create a website with vacation movies, newsletters, or your resume.
freewebs.com - great service for free.

• Virus protection*
Award-winning virus protection from industry leading McAfee® includes automatic virus definition updates.
Definitely not needed for a mac.

• Automatic file backup
Use Backup software from Apple to save your important files to iDisk, CD or DVD.*
I can backup my **** to 250free.com.

• iDisk online storage and file sharing
Transfer files too large to email, exchange documents with Mac and Windows users, or just store files online. Learn more about iDisk Utility and new iDisk Utility for Windows XP.

How much storage do you get? Probably not much. I can get 250 MB for free from 250free.com.

• .Mac Mail
Full-featured .Mac Mail includes web access, auto-reply, and IMAP and POP support, plus tons of storage and no annoying ads.
there are millions of free email services. I get plenty of space, support, etc from my RoadRunner email. But I prefer my free nyc.com account (because I dont need lots of space, and because it has a short domain name).

• Address Book and Bookmarks
.Mac Address Book and .Mac Bookmarks put your contact data and bookmarks online and at your fingertips, wherever you are. You can even synchronize with your desktop Address Book and Safari bookmarks.
I don't really know about this feature. Couldn't I just put my bookmark folder on my website (freewebs.com) or my storage site (250free.com)? Maybe not but I don't really know much about this feature.

• iSync and iCal Convenience
With iSync software, keeping your contacts, calendars, and bookmarks in sync between your laptop and desktop is one click simple, and so is publishing calendars to the web for friends, family, and groups.
don't need it. And if I did I could find a way to do it for free I bet.


• .Mac exclusives
Enjoy exclusive member perks like free software, free prints, and special offers when you join as a full member!
I think I can live without these.

So basically, .Mac is worth about $10-25 not $100.

scem0
 
Originally posted by scem0
I can get just about anything in .Mac for free elsewhere.

...
• Automatic file backup
Use Backup software from Apple to save your important files to iDisk, CD or DVD.*
I can backup my **** to 250free.com.

• iDisk online storage and file sharing
Transfer files too large to email, exchange documents with Mac and Windows users, or just store files online. Learn more about iDisk Utility and new iDisk Utility for Windows XP.

How much storage do you get? Probably not much. I can get 250 MB for free from 250free.com.

...
scem0
Click to expand...

Umm I won't use .Mac either but you're wrong here. Both of these uses are Against the terms of service at 250free.com. You are only supposed to use it to host a website not to store your information.

Just letting others know if you might be thinking of it, READ The fine print. It's for personal websites ONLY! No data storage or filesharing is allowed.

macboyX
 
You know, I used to have an iTools account (years ago). But, I have not felt the need to goto .mac. My main reason is price, $100 is too much for the service. Also, iDisk is extremely slow (10MB On a Dual T1 setup at 2am EST took 2 hours), the rewards for haveing a .Mac account are.... A Crappy Home Page, a storage space (When I'd be better off sending Zip Disks to anyone), and virus protection (No Viruses, no Problem.). The only .Mac feature I use is iCards, and they are free, so I don't see the Point of .Mac. I have an e-mail account, that I can check from anywhere, I have 2 Yahoo Groups I can use to store files, and its faster anyway. I have no need for a calender or bookmarks to be stored on the web, and I have a Zip Drive, and a 40GB iPod (Enroute) so I don't need iDisk.

I know, some people love .Mac, but I feel as though it doesn't live up to Apple's high standards.

Now I'm not bashing .Mac, I'm just saying it could use a vast overhaul, and a cheaper price tag. I would say, $50-US Maximum price for a basic 20MB account, then I might think about it.

Also, I have all the same things .Mac has, for free under the same banner at Yahoo. And Yahoo works on my UNIX box at School and Work.

TEG
 
Originally posted by scem0
I can get just about anything in .Mac for free elsewhere.
Click to expand...

Uh, not exactly...take a look at the links in my sig. I did those in a couple of minutes with no HTML coding whatsoever.
 
I have also just renewed my .mac subscription.

I get free webspace from my Cable provider but have never used it as you have use ftp. With .mac I can get a web page up in seconds.

Anti-Virus software - free (you can never be too careful). If Apple gets the market share that they want you can be sure that some a**hole will create a virus or two.

Backup - yep use that too. the new version 2 (beta) works great with my ipod .

I also like accessing my email, address book and Safari bookmarks at work (PC:( ). iSync is the jewel in the crown.

I have also benefitted in the free software that we occaisonally get.

Finally, .mac will only get better over time.

And fyi I chose the £15 discount at the apple store whch I intend to use to get the new Apple bluetooth mouse for my 12" powerbook (1st rev) , but thats an issue for another thread!
 
Originally posted by Dale Sorel
Uh, not exactly...take a look at the links in my sig. I did those in a couple of minutes with no HTML coding whatsoever.
Click to expand...

Take a look at my website, I did not even think about HTML when I made it and there are TONS of templates to use. The website builder at freewebs.com is awesome. It is really easy to use and everything. And it offers HTML based site creation in addition to template based.

And before you start talking about how much better the .mac templates are, and how much easier they are I just want you to keep in mind that apple's is $100, while freewebs is free (and IMO it looks just as good).

Originally posted by MacBoyX
Umm I won't use .Mac either but you're wrong here. Both of these uses are Against the terms of service at 250free.com. You are only supposed to use it to host a website not to store your information.

Just letting others know if you might be thinking of it, READ The fine print. It's for personal websites ONLY! No data storage or filesharing is allowed.

macboyX
Click to expand...
Im not afraid to break rules. They offer 250MB for free, I'm gunna use it for storage. If they see it breaking rules and ban me from the site then I'll use the thousands of thousands , of thousands of websites that offer free webspace.

scem0
 
SPam

one word....in the 3 years i have had my .mac email address, i have only had 3 spam messeges. Unfortunately they came after I actually paid for the email address. But for me it is well worth avoiding spam email. Not sure if it has helped the rest of you but it worked for me. Like to hear other experiences from all of you.
 
Originally posted by scem0
Take a look at my website...
Click to expand...

Uh, do you have a link to your site?

If they see it breaking rules and ban me from the site then I'll use the thousands of thousands , of thousands of websites that offer free webspace.
Click to expand...

Uh, I couldn't get any of the three links you provided to load.
 
Originally posted by Dale Sorel
Uh, do you have a link to your site?



Uh, I couldn't get any of the three links you provided to load.
Click to expand...

its at the bottom of all my posts on the website thingy.

I don't know what happened to the 3 links. They were to sites that were portals to sites offering free websites. There were a bunch.

scem0
 
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