Every few months, for the last few years, Internet bloggers have rumored that Apple’s MobileMe Internet service is just moments from becoming free. Recently the rumors have kicked up to explain the massive data center Apple recently finished building in North Carolina. Then there was “evidence” discovered in some of the iOS 4.2 framework files. Still, if you buy a new Mac, or a new iOS device and want “syncing for the rest of us,” you need to sign up, and pay, for MobileMe.
MobileMe is (according to Apple), “a service that pushes email, contacts, and calendar events over the air to all your devices.” Basically keeping your “iPhone, iPad, Mac, and PC…in perfect sync,” wirelessly. Preceded by .Mac, MobileMe was released in the summer of 2008. Since it’s introduction, MobileMe has retailed for $99US (per year) for individual users and $150US (per year) for a 5-member-family pack. While I find the price reasonable (especially when divided monthly) and have dedicated several tutorials to maximizing the service, it would still be nice to get MobileMe (or a majority of it’s features) for free.
So, is MobileMe becoming free for the masses? I think it might be, soon, and here’s why:
Loyal Apple fans likely noticed that the mother ship slightly modified their public website a few weeks ago. The tweaks were minor, but fun, bringing us a slightly darker navigation bar and some flashy sprites under the “Mac” landing. Apple made the modifications using HTML5, a new Internet standard that they’ve been backing for sometime. While the modifications were simple and welcome, most people didn’t perk up and take notice too much, myself included. That was until today.
While helping a new Windows-to-Mac convert, I was explaining the benefit of MobileMe, particularly in light of their new Verizon iPhone purchase. “It’s a great way to keep all of your information synchronized and backed up,” I said before jumping online to load up additional reading for the switcher. Instead of just typing the URL to Apple’s MobileMe page (which I know based on their site map/setup), I chose to navigate through Apple’s website instead. In the past, I’d log onto Apple.com, click “Mac” in the navigation bar and then click “Applications” in their product-slider. A little box icon of MobileMe sat, in that section, just after the respective iLife and iWork icons.
But, guess what was missing now? MobileMe. I continued exploring, assuming that it had been moved. I checked “Mac,” “Accessories,” even “Server.” Nothing. Not even a self-promoting banner on the page, like the one that had lived there for-eve-er.
Anxious, I typed in the URL that I had initially skipped: http://www.apple.com/mobileme
BAM. Finally, some info on the service popped up. But, a bit hard to find, don’t you think? Imagine being a new user, someone unfamiliar with Apple’s site, or perhaps not even sure what the “internet service” they heard about was called. Apple certainly isn’t advertising MobileMe in television commercials.
My last stop was Apple’s Online Store: again, there was nothing on the landing page. In fact, there wasn’t a single mention of the service ANYWHERE on the main-store-page. I had to dig to find it buried in “Mac Accessories,” twelve products deep.
It’s particularly odd that Apple adjusted their product matrix just before and during the launch of the Verizon iPhone. MobileMe is such a natural compliment to the iPhone/iPad/Mac that it seems unusual to hide it from millions of potentially new customers.
Unless, of course, you were just about to announce that it’s FREE…another reason for Mac & iOS users to taunt the others.
What do you think?
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Well folks, it’s that time of year: Apple’s fall music event. While it’s not written in stone, Apple has held a music oriented event for the last few years and has used the platform to announce all sorts of things: AppleTV, new iPods, etc.
If you’ve been following some of the rumors circulating in the blogosphere, you’ve no doubt heard about the possibilities of a revamped AppleTV (tho we heard this earlier in the spring too). The rumors seem to continue and now are gaining more buzz because of the apparent negotiations Apple has been making with major television networks like Fox & ABC. The rumors seem plausible…and building a device to circumvent traditional cable TV is something that only Apple could pull off.
iPod revisions are almost always a “for sure” occurrence. Last year, Apple added some features to iTunes (album LPs, syncing improvements, etc) and beefed up specs on their iPod line. Most notably, they added a video camera to their popular iPod Nano.
There is little doubt that Apple will again update the iPod line, but the question remains: how?
I think it’s safe to bet that the iPod Touch will be getting a major upgrade. The overall design hasn’t changed [much] in years, and with Apple’s latest “FaceTime” creation, i think our little Touch is going to be sporting both a front & rear camera.
I’m also hoping to see a rewrite (64bit) of iTunes, possibly even a rename (i mean, iTunes does a lot MORE than play tunes); perhaps Apple might call it the iHub? Wishful thinking.
Other rumors are pointing to upgraded versions of iLife, but i doubt that. The event has traditionally been focused on music, so i think that iLife will wait until early next year.
Lastly, it’s possible that Apple will announce the release (or release date) of the much anticipated “white iPhone 4.”
What do you think?
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Thanks for the Question!
Before I begin, I think some clarification would help: to start, iWeb is a part of Apple’s iLife application suite. iLife comes FREE on all new Macs and is available for other users for $79 US (or $99 US for a family pack). iWeb, along with the rest of the suite, is not available to trial. You either own it, or you don’t. I assume that you already have it pre-installed since you are asking. You can verify this by checking in your dock (where the iWeb shortcut may live) or checking your applications folder for the actual application. See it?
When you launch iWeb for the first time (or set up your Mac for the first time), you are prompted to sign up for a trial of Apple’s “MobileMe” service (you can also sign up ANYTIME through the MobileMe pane in your System Preferences). The service offers a number of benefits, many of which have been covered elsewhere on this blog. Check out the Tutorial Vault for more.
New users (those who haven’t had MobileMe before) can sign up for 60 days, free. After that, a $99 US (per year) fee will be charged to your credit card, annually, unless or until you cancel.
iWeb users have a distinct advantage when using MobileMe because the service offers easy, integrated online storage for your website. After you’ve designed your site, or after you make changes to it, your site can be updated and viewable to the masses with just “one-click.” It’s super-easy (other software requires exporting, uploading, FTP setup, sometimes other FTP software, etc.).
With that being said, iWeb is still independent of MobileMe and it’s auxiliary services. It is an application that is designed to help you build beautiful, interesting websites with drag-and-drop simplicity —- even if you choose not to use Apple’s MobileMe services.
If you were taking advantage of the MobileMe’s trial, and publishing your website to Apple’s host servers, your site would become inactive and disappear if you chose not to renew the membership. The creation files would remain in iWeb and could be republished to MobileMe or to another host.
It’s also important to point out that iWeb doesn’t require that you use MobileMe’s hosting services. Once you create a site in iWeb, under the Site Publishing Settings, you’ll see three options to getting your website online:
-publishing to MobileMe:
-publishing to another host (via the built-in FTP):
-exporting to a local folder
So there you go. If you’d rather use a host different than MobileMe, you can. And still retain “one-click publishing.”
While I personally think the MobileMe service is well worth the price, and it’s integrated service will make your life that much easier, they aren’t required or necessary. You can still take advantage of all of Apple’s incredible iLife apps.
I hope that helps!
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Well, after months of speculation, Apple announced their next generation iPhone yesterday: the iPhone 4. I took some time to review the technical specs and to think about how the news will impact you.
Right away, I have to admit that Steve’s keynote left me conflicted — much of what was announced was expected, rumored, even leaked, so there were little surprises. However, the biggest surprise [to me] was that some of these rumors actually came true; “video chat” on the iPhone has been whispered about for years, so I wasn’t surprised to see it added to the new iPhone, but instead, was more impressed that Apple managed to make it work. Effortlessly.
Also, surprising was the lack of other announcements. I mentioned in an earlier post that we might see a bump with AppleTV, MacBook Air, iLife, MacPro, iTunes or at least some glimpse in the future of OS X, but no. Steve’s keynote was dedicated nearly 100% to iPhone and its operating system, iOS 4 (formerly iPhone OS).
Let’s break down the announcements:
Name:
Gone are the days where the iPhone’s name is associated with the network it runs. Finally, Apple has decided to name the phone for its own generational evolution — the iPhone 4.
Design:
The iPhone 4 sports a super-sexy new housing comprised of glass and stainless steel. The prototypes that leaked (and were sold around the internet), proved to be real. Still, the design is truly something to behold.
Not only is the new phone 24% slimmer than the previous model (iPhone 3GS), the new iPhone 4 is packed with a variety of nice new physical upgrades. Among those that really stand out are the new larger battery (up to 40% more life, per charge) and the new top mounted microphone. The average consumer will likely overlook this mic, but shouldn’t; the top-mounted mic will not only help when video chatting on the phone (more on that later) and recording video, but it will also use “sophisticated audio technology to suppress unwanted background noise.” This should improve call quality tremendously and really help a caller hear your voice, even if you are in a noisy crowd, restaurant or bar. Awesome.
Additionally, the iPhone 4 now includes a built-in gyroscope to help monitor more user movement. This doesn’t sound like much, but really needs to be seen to be appreciated. Once developers (I suspect lots of gaming developers) start to take advantage of this sensor, we are going to have a whole new category of *cool* applications. Steve played “Jenga” in his demo and, while he looked crazy spinning around on stage, the simple app was awe-inspiring.
The iPhone 4 also supports a tremendously sharp IPS “Retina” screen. For non-tech people, this won’t mean much until you see it in person. It should be absolutely unreal.
The iOS:
Announced a few months ago (when it was released in beta for developers), the operating system that powers the iPhone, the iPod Touch and the iPad has come close to completing its fourth version. It will ship with the new iPhone on June 21st, and will also be available to most, previous iPhone and iPod Touch users. While iPod Touch users had to pay (typically $10) for upgrades in the past, users with modern enough devices can upgrade for free. iPad users will see an upgrade later this Fall.
While I won’t spend too much time talking about all the bells and whistles included in the new software upgrade, the standouts are all welcome additions: multitasking, folders, orientation lock, spell checker, iBooks, improved Mail app, etc.
Improved Camera:
Apple has made some excellent choices with the new iPhone 4’s camera. While most manufacturers are just beefing up the megapixel receivers in their mobile-phone cameras, Apple has gone one step further: the iPhone 4 has been bumped up to 5 megapixels (previously 3), but also includes “a backside illumination sensor,” a 5x digital zoom and an LED flash to help improve the overall quality of photos captured. The camera is also capable of recording full 720p HD video (making a solid competitor to the FlipHD).
The new front-mounted, second camera, will also help narcissists frame and capture personal pics with ease. It’s worth noting that while there is a second camera, mounted on the front of the phone, it is not as sophisticated or advanced as the rear-mounted camera. It will provide adequate results for personal shots and video conferencing, but is not designed to go the distance that the rear-mounted camera can.
Apple has also created a mobile version of their legendary iLife application, iMovie. While it’s amazing to see how well you can shoot, edit and share a full HD movie on the new iPhone 4, I can’t imagine wanting to edit a film on a screen that small. I think if the application is ported over for the iPad (which I imagine it will), it will have more success. Editing a movie on an iPad seems to have more appeal, more ease and more practicality.
The last major announcement, that I think deserves mentioning, was a doozy: FaceTime.
FaceTime is Apple’s name for phone-to-phone video conferencing.
What has been dreamed about for years, and rumored about for even longer, is finally a reality. Many other smartphone manufacturers have put a front-facing camera on their devices, but NONE have ever written the software required to instigate a video chat. Once again, Apple has not only made the future a reality, they’ve done it in such a way that even a complete novice will understand.
There is no setup, no configuration. If your call meets the requirements for a FaceTime chat, the option is one touch away. The requirements are fairly strict, but I don’t think alarmingly so. When you think and consider what is required to achieve a video chat (computer to computer), there are clear limitations that Apple has to work around. Among those limitations are the low-bandwidth, slow mobile networks, intense processor requirements and battery-sucking resources. That being said, it’s no surprise that FaceTime is available only between two iPhone 4 users, on a WiFi network.
What will be interesting (and something I hope for) is whether or not Apple will devise a way for Mac users to video-conference (assuming with iChat) iPhone 4 users via FaceTime. Imagine being able to video chat with a room full of colleagues, on a Mac, while you are mobile? That. Would. Rule.
Finally, Apple has also yet to clear up how FaceTime will account for the duration of your chat. Since it requires WiFi, and doesn’t utilize the mobile network, your provided carrier minutes shouldn’t be effected —- meaning, video chats would be free. Let’s hope that’s the case.
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If you aren’t aware, Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) begins in one week. This conference is significat to the public for a few reason:
1) This is a Mac/iPhone OS ONLY conference thrown by Apple themselves.
2) The conference is sold out.
And what’s most exciting…
3) Steve Jobs is opening the conference with a Keynote.
We’ve come to learn, from the past, that when Steve opens and addresses his legion of followers, new gadgets, software and other goodies appear. You may also be aware that Google recently made headlines with their developers “I/O” conference; they introduced many new things including the much bally-hooed “Google TV.” They also took a few shots at Apple. Will this be Steve’s chance to zing back? I’d bet on it.
In addition, there are tons of people speculating what may arrive during his keynote:
- The new iPhone OS 4.0
- a NEW iPhone (possibly the model that has been leaked all over the net?)
- a revamp (and maybe some REAL usability) of the AppleTV
- New MacPro Towers
- A revamp of the MacBook Air (when was that thing last upgraded!?)
- Details about the next major release of OS X
- iLife ’10 (let’s all hope it includes 64-bit versions of iTunes & iPhoto)
As always, only Steve and his tight-knit executive team know what he will present. Still, that doesn’t make it any less fun trying to guess what exciting new things are coming our way.
Expect a full debriefing report with opinions, from yours truly, that evening.
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