MobileMe stays live through June 30, 2012
Apple's new iCloud service is a full, free replacement for MobileMe. But iCloud won't officially launch until iOS 5 debuts this fall. What does that mean for existing MobileMe subscribers?
Not long ago we advised our readers not to pay for a MobileMe upgrade if their accounts were about to expire. Not to brag or anything, but it looks like that was some pretty sweet advice. Current MobileMe subscribers have had their accounts extended until June 30, 2012, over a full year of additional service. Apple isn't accepting new MobileMe subscriptions right now, and you're also unable to upgrade your current subscription to a Family Pack or purchase additional storage. If you already have a Family Pack, however, you are still able to create new family member accounts.
If you took our advice and didn't pay to upgrade your account, you should have had full access restored by now. My MobileMe Family Account technically expired in the last week of May, but none of my services were ever restricted, and I've also been granted the same additional year of service as subscribers in good standing.
If you didn't listen to our advice (or didn't hear about it) and recently upgraded your MobileMe account, you can contact Apple for a refund. The refund terms sound a bit ornery, though; Apple only specifically mentions refunds being offered if you have a MobileMe box with an unused activation code. On the other hand, if you paid for an upgrade or started a new account within the past couple of weeks, if you plead your case to Apple (nicely), there's a pretty good chance the company will give you at least a partial refund.
MobileMe was down for about an hour this morning for some people (myself included), but the service is back up and running now. MobileMe's replacement, iCloud, will go live later this year, and unlike the US$99/year MobileMe service, iCloud will be free.
