Google will sync Apple Address Book data, iCal calendars, and Safari bookmarks across multiple Macs and iPhones?
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why is .me usefull?
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Google will sync Apple Address Book data, iCal calendars, and Safari bookmarks across multiple Macs and iPhones?
Assuming that you also meant that in addition to showing a little gmail icon on your home screen, the google app also downloads and inserts the new email/calendar event/contact into the native iPhone applications, that's half the battle.
So assuming you update your iPhone calendar/contacts, how does the iPhone push the updates to the google cloud?
I think it's pretty clear that isn't what Solesk was saying.
But in any case, whatever. I'm not criticizing MobileMe, just trying to figure out the target market. Some posters here have been helpful in that regard, although I think for the great majority of people's needs, much of the functionality can be found for free elsewhere, including Google.
The market would be people that want seamless, push access to their PIM information. The same market that BlackBerry and Windows Mobile/Exchange devices are shooting for.
IMO, the idea is that your PIM data lives in one place (the cloud) and updates are instantly/seamlessly transfered to the native applications on your devices (iPhone, Mac, Windows PC).
I agree that you can find a lot of the functionality for free, but IMO, it doesn't always integrate with native applications and the syncing isn't instant (or even automatic in some cases).
He asked "What am I not grasping?"
I told him what he wasn't understanding.
How would YOU answer that question? I thought it was pretty straightforward. I honestly can't figure out what you thought the answer should be, so no, it's not "pretty clear."
Despite Phil Schiller's "Exchange for the rest of us" marketing slogan, MobileMe is missing one crucial Exchange feature: group sharing. I think Apple missed the boat big time by not joining social bandwagon.
Why not take MobileMe a step further by letting users create a social network where they can share calendar, contact, and photos?
For that matter, why not offer feature limited version of MobileMe (no storage, no email, # of events/contacts-capped calendar/contacts sync) to get users hooked?
Why not take MobileMe a step further by letting users create a social network where they can share calendar, contact, and photos?
For that matter, why not offer feature limited version of MobileMe (no storage, no email, # of events/contacts-capped calendar/contacts sync) to get users hooked?
Wrong. Apple's phone doesn't do the pushing, a server does. GMail would have to offer push service (real not this imap stuff) and then we would have Push email. There's nothing stopping Gmail except for Google.
if you absolutely must use native apps. then no. but to update any of these already requires an internet connection. so there's no difference in requirements between downloadign it all to a native app and just viewing in in google.
maybe you guys dont understand what 3rd party apps will be able to do for free.
even picture hosting can be done through flickr. from any computer / internet enabled phone.
I was referring to your mention of 'Apple Address Book data, iCal calendars, and Safari bookmarks.' I thought it was clear that the solution Solesk proposed didn't involve the Apple applications themselves, yet accomplished the same, or similar results. But if that wasn't clear to you, I apologize.
Can anyone who isn't using e-mail for corporate purposes explain to me why the actually need push e-mail as opposed to, say, a five minute pull cycle?
For me push email isn't the attraction, it's the over-the-air syncing of calendars/contact. Even if that was delayed by a few minutes it wouldn't affect me. If push comes along for free that's great.
Yes, but adding a contact or calendar event on the iPhone's Contacts.app or Calendar.app won't update the Google Address Book over the air (I dunno if it does it when you connect to iTunes). You'd have to go to Google through Safari.
The difference is simply the ability to use native applications.
It's like saying "why do I need Apple Mail, Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird, etc. when I can just go to Gmail.com?"
In order to edit the Google calendars, you have to go online to edit them. I find adding an even to iCal a lot faster than going online.
So it's whether you want to use entirely web-based tools to update/add stuff or you'd like how all the native applications are integrated.
Of course the one thing that can put a stop to MobileMe is if Google came out with their own iPhone Mail,Calendar,Address book...but they'd need to come out with a PC and Mac version of the app too (to mimic the entire MobileMe experience).
google will never do that. what they might do is write an app that will run on the iphone and make it easy to update and access all your info without going through safari.
Wait, isn't that what I said? (of course they might integrate it all into one app instead of three separate)
iPhone app as well as Desktop App.
That will pretty much cover MobileMe.
well they dont need a desktop app. you can use your web browser just fine. the mobile app would be just to make it more readable. but you'd still be editing data that exists solely on the web.
To me, MobileMe was the most exciting part of the SteveNote. With all of Micro$oft and Googles scrambling to get Cloud computing out to the masses, they completely missed Apple's sneak attack. And now they are going to be playing catch-up. MobileMe is going to be central to the iPhone in the coming years. It's going to add 20GB or so to your phone's storage, and it's going to synthesize all of your computers and devices in to one. I was always on the fence with .mac, but to me, mobileme is a no-brainer. My $100 is already spent. I can't wait until it comes out. It's revolutionary. I'm so excited by this. MobileMe is "the future."
Well one may also keep in mind that though we may compare Gmailto Apple Mail and Gcal to iCal, we certainly canot through in there Gmail's stupid address book which autoatically add any thing and anyone as a contact. I certainly wouldn't want Google's address boos to mess up my entire contact list on the iPhone or on my Mac.
That being said Google may perfectly build an app that opens up a connection to their own server to sync data.
I am a Google App owner with a personal domain. The only thing that kind of ping me here is that even though I would be able to forward my email messages to my @mac.com account, I doubt i'll be able to customize the from-line of the webmail
That being said Google may perfectly build an app that opens up a connection to their own server to sync data.
I am a Google App owner with a personal domain. The only thing that kind of ping me here is that even though I would be able to forward my email messages to my @mac.com account, I doubt i'll be able to customize the from-line of the webmail
Five minutes...
okay. There are 24 hours in a day.
That's 1440 minutes. Every five minutes means:
The phone pings (or pretty much connects) to the server 288 times.
What if you only get one email that entire 24 hours? 288 times connected to the server...that's a lot of battery wasted
Push on the other hand...the server simply sends that one message (like an SMS message would).
To me one of the most compelling things about using a mac and various mac products is the continuity of applications for media. I usually tell anyone that is switching to a Mac that they should really get .mac to get everything out of owning a mac. The integration for web galleries and idisk and appleTV is huge part of what it is all about. And anyone can do it out of the box. People don't get confused at to how it works Adding this more completely to the iPhone is huge, absolutely huge.
I also use a Dell laptop at work. With MobileMe I will never have to sync with that laptop. My Outlook will update and get update through MobileMe to my iPhone and my Mac's as well as my phone. I just can't ask for much more.
Does Google do all this? I guess so. But it isn't integrated into the fiber of owning a Mac. It only costs a $100 a year. To me it is a no brainer. Google is free, so if $100 is a stretch, absolutely or if you have a gmail email address .. I get it. But man, this MobileMe is perfect. When I am on vacation I often dump pictures daily onto my Macbook Air and drag a few onto a web gallery. It is automatically updated on line and friends who subscribe can see them and it is on my AppleTV at home. Now I will also be able to shoot over iPhone (admittedly low quality, but it will serve for some) pictures. This is THE ecosystem i want. I make a change on my crappy Dell computer at work... boom, everything is up to date. This will allow me to take my Air for business trips instead of my Dell.
It just makes sense. Google looks really really nice, I just think this is the holy grail for easy personal exchange of everything that is important for a mac and a cross platform user. and it is cheap, ... not free, but cheap. Now if it could keep all my iTunes libraries up to date.. that would be cool. This kind of product... like the Time Capsule... is what makes Apple such a compelling company for me.
I also use a Dell laptop at work. With MobileMe I will never have to sync with that laptop. My Outlook will update and get update through MobileMe to my iPhone and my Mac's as well as my phone. I just can't ask for much more.
Does Google do all this? I guess so. But it isn't integrated into the fiber of owning a Mac. It only costs a $100 a year. To me it is a no brainer. Google is free, so if $100 is a stretch, absolutely or if you have a gmail email address .. I get it. But man, this MobileMe is perfect. When I am on vacation I often dump pictures daily onto my Macbook Air and drag a few onto a web gallery. It is automatically updated on line and friends who subscribe can see them and it is on my AppleTV at home. Now I will also be able to shoot over iPhone (admittedly low quality, but it will serve for some) pictures. This is THE ecosystem i want. I make a change on my crappy Dell computer at work... boom, everything is up to date. This will allow me to take my Air for business trips instead of my Dell.
It just makes sense. Google looks really really nice, I just think this is the holy grail for easy personal exchange of everything that is important for a mac and a cross platform user. and it is cheap, ... not free, but cheap. Now if it could keep all my iTunes libraries up to date.. that would be cool. This kind of product... like the Time Capsule... is what makes Apple such a compelling company for me.
Suppose so, but if you only expect one message I guess you'd use a longer interval. In addition, it's not going to drain the battery that much.
I guess i will add my two cents...
I currently have .mac so i will get Mobileme automatically but i am extremely excited about it. Currently, I have 3 computers. A MacBook for School, a MacBook Pro for home and an old Dell that i do random things on in the event I need to use Windows. I also have an iPhone. The advantage to Mobileme is that if I add a contact on my MacBook while at school and then go somewhere with my MBP and i need that contact, it will be there. Basically, if I add a contact right now, I have to plug my iPhone into my computer and sync it, now, i won't have to. The only time I will have to sync it is when I want to add music. All contacts, calenders etc will be synced over the air which will be nice.
For someone like me who used iCal for everything, I find myself syncing my iPhone all the time just so my calender will be up to date. Now instead of daily syncing, i can do it maybe once every week or two just to switch up the music.
This is the main advantage of Mobileme to me and I feel it is targeted to people like myself. Some won't find use for it, but for people like me with 3 computers to keep in sync and an iPhone, it will be a life saver!
I currently have .mac so i will get Mobileme automatically but i am extremely excited about it. Currently, I have 3 computers. A MacBook for School, a MacBook Pro for home and an old Dell that i do random things on in the event I need to use Windows. I also have an iPhone. The advantage to Mobileme is that if I add a contact on my MacBook while at school and then go somewhere with my MBP and i need that contact, it will be there. Basically, if I add a contact right now, I have to plug my iPhone into my computer and sync it, now, i won't have to. The only time I will have to sync it is when I want to add music. All contacts, calenders etc will be synced over the air which will be nice.
For someone like me who used iCal for everything, I find myself syncing my iPhone all the time just so my calender will be up to date. Now instead of daily syncing, i can do it maybe once every week or two just to switch up the music.
This is the main advantage of Mobileme to me and I feel it is targeted to people like myself. Some won't find use for it, but for people like me with 3 computers to keep in sync and an iPhone, it will be a life saver!
.Mac has these types of group features already. I'm sure we'll see them back in MobileMe.