Apple extends MobileMe accounts--again

In an apparent attempt to make up for the problems that plagued MobileMe's launch in July, Apple has announced that it will extend user accounts another 60 days for free--that's on top of the 30-day free extension Apple gave users in July.

In an e-mail sent Monday to MobileMe subscribers announcing the extension, Apple acknowledged that the Web services suite needs more work:

We have already made many improvements to MobileMe, but we still have many more to make. To recognize our users' patience, we are giving every MobileMe subscriber as of today a free 60-day extension. This is in addition to the one-month extension most subscribers have already received.

We are working very hard to make MobileMe a great service we can all be proud of. We know that MobileMe's launch has not been our finest hour, and we truly appreciate your patience as we turn this around. Read this article for more details.

The MobileMe Team

The linked article on Apple's support site explains the extension and eligibility.

MobileMe is the next evolution of Apple's .Mac service. It's essentially a cloud storage solution that allows subscribers to synchronize e-mail, calendars, contacts, photos, Safari bookmarks, Dashboard widgets, and more, among Macs, the iPhone, and the iPod Touch. It allows for 20GB of storage on Apple's servers, and it even cooperates with Outlook on Windows computers. Because it is Web-based, subscribers can access the online applications from any Web browser.

But from its launch on July 10, MobileMe had problems. Most notably, subscribers had trouble accessing the site, and some even lost e-mail. Subscribers also reported problems accessing calendars and contact information, which was caused by a misjudgment in demand, according to an Apple blog post.

Earlier this month, Apple CEO Steve Jobs admitted that it was a "mistake" to roll out the company's MobileMe service at the same time it launched the iPhone 3G and other big products, tech news site Ars Technica reported.

[sanenazok]

Let's see, $99 per year that's $8.25 per month or $16.50 loss per user for this latest extension. Good thing's Apple rolling in dough. Wonder who's going to be fired for this, though.

[ckurowic]

Is there a poll out there that shows how many users have had problems with MobileMe and how many have not? I do not personally have the service so I cannot comment on it at all. I will be traveling quite a bit in the near future, and currently have a web-server running on an old Mac-Mini (G4) with DynDNS service so I can get to it from wherever I am. I wonder if MobileMe would do anything that I cannot already do for free, so far it does not seem so. Comments?

[Perry_Clease]

I had some problems the first few days after the big switchover, but after that it has been working fine for me.

[ikramerica--2008]

Yes, depending on what you want to do. Running a "web-server" though is nothing to do with what MobileMe/.Mac is.

[CBSTV]

I have had no problems with MobileMe.

[ikramerica--2008]

Were you an existing .Mac customer or a new iPhone customer?

[Galaxy5]

I think this was pretty gracious - spend 90 days to get the product ready to ship after delivering it to customers, then crediting customers back for the development time?

[Stephen Macklin]

I think the technical term is Beta Testing.

[ikramerica--2008]

To answer one question: EVERYONE had problems. Not just a few. All .Mac subscribers had problems on and off for 1 week. Then since then, there have been sporadic problems that may or may not have impacted everyone. I was fine for a while, then last week couldn't get email for 1/2 a day, couldn't send it for a full day, and some messages came 3 or 4 days late.

To answer another question: according to an analyst at Schwab I was talking to, Apple has already fired someone over the mess. I don't know who was fired, but when I explained all the .Mac problems combined with the 3G iPhone issues he knew about, his response was "no wonder Apple fired that guy." Don't know who "that guy" was?

[msolominow]

No, everyone did not have problems. I've been a .Mac/MobileMe customer for 6-1/2 years without a single complaint. I realize I just may be lucky, but getting three free months of service when I haven't had a single issue with my service seems like a pretty good deal to me.

[zichi2]

I was a .Mac user for about three years until the change over to MobileMe, I one short problem for two days when I couldn't access my desktop email, but I could still use it online. I think its great news to get a three month extension.
I think Apple made the mistake of not rolling out MobileMe one month prior to the release of the new iPhone when there were less members.

[dukecityjim]

I used .Mac since it was rolled out. Never had a problem until Mobile Me rolled out. Have had a number of issues when syncing my iPhone.

I wish they hadn't done away with being able to access your bookmarks online. After syncing, I have 3 varying copies depending on which device I'm on.

Unless they get things squared away very quickly, I won't be renewing it when mine expires in October, or will it be December now?

[lanes123]

This is great! I have had no problems with MobileMe.

[joetesta70]

mobile me iS A DISASTER. STAY AWAY.

[Dalkorian]

What experiences have you had with MobileMe? Care to give any concrete examples, or is that to difficult for a poor troll yelling from under the bridge?

I don't have MobileMe, but I know quite a few people who do. They have had a few problems in the first week, but all claim the service has been solid for them since. Obviously that's not a wide sampling, but it does disprove your disaster comment doesn't it.

[Perry_Clease]

"by joetesta70 August 19, 2008 5:49 AM PDT
mobile me iS A DISASTER. STAY AWAY."

And you are a troll

[hazel70]

Let Microsoft take a lesson from that regarding customer service, we had problems with Windows Vista for over a year before it started to work decent, what did Microsoft do for you? I did not even see a apology to their customer about it.

[Dalkorian]

M$ doesn't have to apologize for anything because they don't consider your computer yours. It's theirs now and you are subservient to them. Take it like a slave and shut up! (Examples: DRM, WGA)

Obviously Apple can't get away with that attitude with MobileMe.

[ender21]

Dalkorian,

I'm not sure the kill switch in iPhones would agree with you.

[itsaspork]

I had a strong feeling MobileMe was outsourced - Not made in Cupertino. Some screens had "Engrishy" language on them that suggested an Asian ourside-contractor source. These have disappeared. Apple has also subtly redesigned the MobileMe interface in stages, so it actually says "Logout" now - the earliest iterations had a graphical On-Off button. All these points to a poorly-managed 3rd party.

[Perry_Clease]

I have a feeling about that as well.

[Vegaman_Dan]

Now Apple is taking an entire financial quarter loss on the product. I'm not so sure this is to compensate customers for the service failure so much as a financial writeoff to offset profits in other divisions (such as the iPhone or iTunes). This isn't uncommon in the industry. It may just be an accounting situation that Apple is taking advantage of. There is no way to tell for sure however as Apple doesn't talk.

I used it for a short time and cancelled it. If I have to tell it what to sync, then why don't I just buy a jump drive and move things back and forth by myself. I have heard there is a free MS product that copies everything in the background and is a lot less hassle, called foldershare and I am going to try it.

[Lawrence Leichtman]

I had .mac and switched over to mobile me. I dropped it after 1 week of never being able to connect or upload anything to the site. I'm not sure a 60 day extension of junk is worth my time. If they want to beta test they should beta test but don't make me pay $99 to do it for them.

[AppleSuxLeo]

There is a reason businesses run on and count on Microsoft. They are able to scale up and provide reliability AND accountability. MobileMe exposes Apple for what it is...a S*** company adept at pumping out iPods made by Chinese prison labor.
Live Mesh is leaps and bounds ahead of MobilePee.

[tonylouk]

why would any one pay for an email account when you can have one for free?