.Mac members face iSync outage

iSync, Apple Computer's .Mac member service for synchronizing contacts, passwords and other information among multiple devices, has been down since Tuesday.

".Mac sync services are currently unavailable. Changes made to synced information will be reflected when the problem is resolved. All other .Mac services are unaffected. Last Updated: 04/05/06," says a service message currently on Apple's .Mac support home page.

The .Mac System Status indicator also shows an orange triangle instead of green circle beside "Network Status," signaling a problem.

According to postings on .Mac's Community Forum, the outage, which Apple confirmed on Wednesday, actually began on Tuesday morning.

Due to the outage, some users have been unable to install the Mac OS X 10.4.6 update which Apple released on Tuesday.

"If you use iSync, you should perform a full sync with your devices before installing this update," Apple's Mac OS X 10.4.6 Update support page states. "Mac OS X 10.4.6 Update includes a later version of iSync with several improvements."

Apple would not say what caused the outage, or when iSync service would again become available.

"We have no further information to offer other than what we have already posted on our site," Teresa Weaver, a spokeswoman for Apple, told CNET News.com.