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August 6, 2007 12:50 PM PDT

Apple's .Mac service will be spotty during Tuesday's event

by Tom Krazit
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Update at 2:47 p.m. PDT:The headline on this story was changed from "Apple's .Mac service unavailable during Tuesday's event.")

Apple is expected to unveil new iMacs during an event Tuesday, but it could also have some improvements to its .Mac service up its sleeve.

Apple could be ready to update its .Mac service during Tuesday's Mac event.

(Credit: Apple)

Mac Rumors noted that Apple's .Mac service, which allows subscribers access to e-mail, data storage and Web publishing tools for $99 a year, will be down for undergoing maintenance Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. PDT, which happens to be the exact same time that Apple is hosting a "product presentation" at its Cupertino, Calif., headquarters. (Update at 2:47 p.m. PDT: The service won't be down the whole time.) Apple has said Tuesday's event will focus on the Mac, but that doesn't mean the company won't take the opportunity to launch a .Mac upgrade as well.

With everything else Apple's been doing over the past couple of years, including the Intel transition and the iPhone, the .Mac service has languished. CEO Steve Jobs acknowledged the dust growing on .Mac twice this year, during the company's annual meeting of shareholders as well as during an interview with The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg at the D: All Things Digital conference.

Apple usually takes its online store down when it's about to launch new products, such as the new iMacs that are expected to make their debut Tuesday in Cupertino. But shutting down the .Mac service seems a little more unusual. (Update at 2:47 p.m. PDT: The service won't be down the whole time.) It's possible the maintenance on the .Mac service might be required to introduce new features or capabilities.

Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Internet search, including Google, Yahoo, online advertising, and portals, as well as the evolution of mobile computing. He has written about traditional PC companies, chip manufacturers, and mobile computers, spending the last three years covering Apple. E-mail Tom.
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Grrrrrrrrrrrr
by GGGlen August 6, 2007 1:30 PM PDT
I don't care what improvements are coming to .Mac, I'm a
subscriber and to have it down is an inconvenience.
:-P
Reply to this comment
RE: GRRRRRRRRRRRR
by moofer August 6, 2007 6:02 PM PDT
Shouldn't the title of your post be:

WAAAAAAAHHH

?
Down?
by jsheaney August 6, 2007 2:11 PM PDT
It doesn't say .mac is going down for two hours. The exact text is:

Due to scheduled maintenance, .Mac members might be
intermittently unable to access some .Mac services from 10 AM to
12 PM PDT on 08/07/2007. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Reply to this comment
You're right, apologies
by Tom Krazit August 6, 2007 2:44 PM PDT
I misinterpreted Mac Rumors' report, we'll fix the headline and text now.
a Mac in...
by kool_skatkat August 6, 2007 4:09 PM PDT
There's a Mac in .Mac... isn't there?
Reply to this comment
I hope it is something good
by wylbur August 6, 2007 4:16 PM PDT
I am a mac user and have been considering giving up my .mac
account now that Virex is not included. They'd better come up with
something really good if they want to keep me because I just don't
see the point of .mac anymore when I can get equivalent services
for free.
Reply to this comment
Really?
by lkrupp August 7, 2007 6:50 AM PDT
"I just don't see the point of .mac anymore when I can get
equivalent services for free."

Would you mind naming a free service that allows one
seamlessly to sync their bookmarks, calendars, address book,
etc. with Apple's apps? How about one with free backup software
that works on Macs? How about an iDisk account built right into
OS X?
Less costly
by cyclelogicpress.com August 7, 2007 7:55 AM PDT
A free service for Mac users would be great. Something in
conjunction with Google?
Reply to this comment
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