Apple updates .Mac

Apple unveiled an update to its .Mac package of subscription online apps today. Most notably, .Mac now integrates with the just-announced iPhoto '08, offering synchronization between iPhoto and a web-based online gallery viewable "in any browser you like" (we should certainly hope so!). Oh, and it integrates with the iPhone, too, via a new "Send to Web Gallery" feature on the phone that -- you guessed it -- will upload pics snapped with the handset straight to your online gallery. The synchronization is two-way, meaning that other folks can upload pics straight to your gallery and they'll sync with the iPhone as well. Videos don't get left out of the equation, either; Web Galleries and the iPhone will both support 'em. Think you'll need more capacity to handle video, though? No worries -- the service now includes 10GB of storage with 100GB of monthly transfer (2.5GB / 25GB for family pack sub-accounts), which'll be available "within a week" according to Apple, with optional upgrades of 10GB and 20GB on deck. Price stays the same: $99.95 per year.

[Angelo @ Aug 7th 2007 1:57PM]

Any upgrades/changes to Aperture?
There's been no change in Aperture for sometime now.

Thanks,
Angelo

[john Buck @ Aug 7th 2007 5:20PM]

angelo try this

Aperture Updated to 1.5.4

According to the blurb in software update, this Aperture update "is required for compatibility with iLife '08. This update is recommended for all Aperture users."

john

[Angelo @ Aug 8th 2007 1:33AM]

Thanks John, I just updated today.
But, there's been no enhancements.

[Rob @ Aug 7th 2007 2:00PM]

New features just showed up in the .mac rss feed,

1. you can use your own domain name and redirect it to your .mac webpage,

2. More storage "ull .Mac members now get 10 GB of combined iDisk and email storage, which you can allocate as you wish. Family Pack master accounts also get 10 GB, while Family Pack sub-accounts get 2.5 GB each."

From http://www.mac.com/web/en/Blog/rss.xml

[Michael @ Aug 7th 2007 2:03PM]

http://www.mac.com/web/en/Tips/Archive.html details 3 new features.

[Evan @ Aug 7th 2007 2:22PM]

Who maintains their own website anymore? Personal websites are out, social networking sites are in. MySpace, FaceBook - integrate with those.

[Razor @ Aug 7th 2007 5:10PM]

I do.

[snapel @ Aug 7th 2007 2:40PM]

Are we ever going to get .mac syncing to iPhones? I am talking about contacts, calendars, bookmarks, everything just like one of my internet-connected macs? Of course the photo and song syncing can still be done in iTunes, but my iPhone will become SO MUCH MORE when my administrative assistant adds a calendar event and I don't have to do anything to have it appear on my iPhone...

[Michael @ Aug 7th 2007 2:48PM]

Steve says new storage allocations available "within a week". Just checked and my account already shows the new capacity. Good timing... recently I ran out of space and today I'm able to backup my data for the first time in weeks.

[Scott @ Aug 19th 2007 10:22PM]

My online account review showed the storage increase quickly, but my .Mac control panel and iDisk view (within the finder) still shows a 1GB capacity. I wonder if only a software update will correct these...

[rishio @ Aug 7th 2007 3:24PM]

When they say you can use your own domain, does that mean I can use www.mydomain.com instead of www.mydomain.mac? Does it also mean i can use my email: [e-mail] instead of [e-mail]?

[Matthew Perkins @ Aug 7th 2007 3:36PM]

I don't think it works that way for e-mail, but for web, yes.

[Neil @ Aug 9th 2007 1:58PM]

this update was needed real bad. i just switched frm a PC to a Macbook pro, and even tho the ride was bumpy, i enjoyed it all, except for one thing - the .Mac subscription. It was such SHIT i was surprised apple could make such a miserable product and people would actually be stupid enough to use it. And then i found out that i was not alone in my distaste for .mac. when there is a dearth of free services that offer much better stuff than .mac . Gmail, Flickr , blogger... need i even go on?
i really regret having wasted a 100 dollars on this crap, which is quite a bit of money where i come frm. even with this update, i'm not sure i will continue with my sub. wat they really need to do is add more usability for people with PCs along with other Macs, many more application, more storage space, and most of all, a huge reduction in price. actually they shud offer it free as an addon while buying macs, or shud come with a one-time fee. and tho it is useful to sinc with other macs and iphones, they shud think abt the poor ppl who have other PCs!
PS - really srry fr the huge comment. this is the first post ever thats gotten me flowing like this

[Anton @ Aug 7th 2007 4:56PM]

I have tried login into .mac free trial for 60 days but it seems like useless because everything is all about demo version. I mean you cannot interact to the software application. What I want is that a free trial that has ability to explore the use of the software and apply to see to it how it really works.

[Beeeej @ Aug 7th 2007 6:18PM]

Well, no wonder I kept getting inexplicable bounces when I tried to e-mail .mac users last night.

[DoctaDJones @ Aug 7th 2007 9:07PM]

Sweet, so the new .Mac features require iLife '08. So I'll assume that my $99.95 a year will get me a free copy of iLife '08 right?

[emgmac @ Aug 7th 2007 11:29PM]

I would use if you could pay monthly like xbox live or netflix but 100 dollars is alot for vaporware :[

[Geoffrey Sperl @ Aug 8th 2007 8:27AM]

Not sure how it's vaporware - it does exist. All of the services are there and they work as advertised. Even comments above yours note that the 10GB of space is already appearing in user accounts.

Now, do I think the same services can be brought together user free and cheaper alternatives? Yes. Gmail easily handles e-mail, Google Calendar, along with a lifetime purchase ($65) of Spanning Sync, takes care of calendaring. No, there isn't an Address Book sync yet, and the oft-rumored Google Drive doesn't yet exist, but there are other options for those sort of things...

But, is .mac vaporware? No.

[Raia @ Aug 8th 2007 6:09AM]

I'm a .mac subscriber, mostly for the IMAP email account, all the extra features I thought would be fun to check out. Turns out most of them are useless, in fact google offers more for free! Where is the online calendar? Google has been doing this for a few years and the .mac one is read only when viewed from another computer? I was expecting a big overhaul from this update, but needless to say I am disappointed. More space for my $100 a month FTP~ uhhmm I mean .iDIsk is something, but the base services need to be more current. ANyone else agree with me here?

[Geoffrey Sperl @ Aug 8th 2007 8:31AM]

Agreed. I left .mac two years ago because Apple clearly isn't interested in making this a truly mature service. Google has Gmail and Google Calendar (which works nicely with Spanning Sync and iCal). Online backups can be handled via Mozy. You can always create a homepage by customizing the front page of a blog or somesuch (plus Google even has free homepages).

The only things missing are online file storage (which Mozy might handle for you, depending on your usage) and Address Book sync... that's it. I'm hoping Spanning Sync tackles that some time soon.

[Galley @ Aug 8th 2007 9:52AM]

I suspect we will see even more .Mac goodness when Leopard ships. Yes, an online version of iCal is a must.

[BulkHedd @ Aug 8th 2007 2:57PM]

So does this mean if I but .Mac from say, Amazon.com, for a discounted price ($79.99) I'll still get those new features and the extra storage space? I've never used .Mac before but that 10GB of space is kind of enticing.