MobileMe
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MobileMe closed, grab your stuff now
It's official -- Apple shuttered the virtual doors of MobileMe as of yesterday. Knowing that some people still haven't moved their files from the me.com warehouse, Apple is offering a limited-time second chance. Heading over to me.com right now, you'll see the screen shown above. On it are links to get an iCloud account set up (finally), download your photos from the Gallery, and grab any files that you totally forgot to download from iDisk. You might be surprised what you find! I thought I had downloaded everything from MobileMe, but I actually had four Gallery albums full of iPhone photos and videos from the pre-Photo Stream era. I have to laugh -- when I tried downloading those albums in Safari, I kept getting .download files that weren't complete. When I tried the same downloads in Google Chrome, they quickly stalled out. It could very well be that MobileMe is being overloaded by those who waited a few days too long to download their files or move to iCloud. One other note to those who tried out the iWork.com beta in the past: Apple is giving you until July 31, 2012 to grab those important files that you moved into the iWork.com vaults back in the day when you thought that was the future of iWork documents. If you are a beta user of iWork, you should receive an email similar to the one seen above. Full instructions on how to move your critical documents can be found here.
PSA: The end of MobileMe is nigh, time to move on or move out
The death knell for MobileMe has been ringing for some time, but if you've had your hands on your ears, hoping it'd go away, sadly this isn't the case. Tomorrow sees the service hang up its storage-boots for the last time, before being brutally put down released to pasture. If the 20GB olive branch Apple offered wasn't enough to turn you onto iCloud, then this is your last call to pack up your virtual things, and make sure the door doesn't hit you on the way out. And while breaking up is never easy to do, there are plenty more fish in the sea.
Sandvox adds iWeb migration assistant to scrape your iWeb/MobileMe site
The June 30 sunset date for MobileMe is only a few short weeks away. If your website is built with iWeb and hosted on MobileMe, there's no time like the present to get it shifted over to more permanent hosting. To better serve iWeb users looking to move their existing sites into Sandvox, Karelia has introduced a new migration assistant in its version 2.6 update. This tool allows you to enter the URL for an iWeb-based site, and then it scans for key text and image elements as well as links and page structure. It's a make-do solution that works around the need to parse and process iWeb's proprietary project files. Instead of reverse-engineering Apple's format, Sandvox scrapes your site to recover key website content. It then provides a rough outline that you can then customize inside the app. The transfer is not perfect. You will need to inspect and correct fine details like page names, on occasion. But by preserving your content and site structure, you won't have to copy and paste those years of blog posts, or re-create those photo albums that you worked so hard on. A company spokesperson explained to TUAW that while they couldn't offer a native import feature, they wanted to reach out to iWeb users and offer the simplest possible transfer solution -- imperfect as it is -- so users could quickly get up to speed with Sandvox sites. Of course, the iWeb application itself will still keep working past June 30; if your site isn't hosted on MobileMe, it's not at risk right now. The new assistant is due to go live in the Mac App Store today, and is a free upgrade for existing purchasers.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me move on from iWeb and MobileMe
Dear Aunt TUAW, With the demise of MobileMe and [the corresponding decreased functionality of] iWeb the question has come up with myself and friends as to what to use instead. Looking for something along the lines of iWeb but with a bit more flexibility. Something like Adobe DreamWeaver is way too complex and I'd like to avoid web based applications that restrict you to their hosting services. I'd like to be able to simply build a web site and upload to my own host provider. Your loving nephew, Richard Dear Richard, Auntie took a look around at possible replacements. She feels comfortable recommending Karelia Software's Sandvox 2 as a well-rounded iWeb replacement. It offers great easy-to-use features that impressed Auntie, whose iWeb use was admittedly scattershot at best. It's not cheap -- US$80 -- but after some intensive hands-on testing, Auntie feels it's perfect for people looking for a simple, flexible, and friendly solution with lots of handy webpage designs. In Sandvox you'll find easy ways to create photo albums, blog posts, web pages and more -- most of what you'll be missing. And the interface will feel familiar and comfortable to anyone who has used iWeb, with the app's "what you see is what you get" live editing. "We've been taking care of people graduating from iWeb for years," a Sandvox spokesperson told TUAW. "We think people making the move should jump over sooner rather than later now." Karelia publishes a handy migration guide, too. You will, however, have to find your own website hosting plan, but Sandvox makes that easy too. You can select a remote provider and use FTP/SFTP/WebDav with an easy built-in "Publish" button. Uncle Steve covered some hosting options for the post-iWeb era here. Other quick and easy website design options recommended by far-flung members of the the TUAW clan include RapidWeaver, Freeway Express AS and Flux. Uncle Steve also pointed out that if you want to have the control of hosting your own site but still want the convenience and sophistication of a full content management system, you can install your own WordPress setup... but that may be more geek aggravation than you signed up for. Hugs, Auntie T.
OmniGroup has info for those syncing OmniFocus to MobileMe
Time is running out for OmniFocus customers who are still using MobileMe to sync their data. Apple is going to shut down the MobileMe service on June 30, 2012 and users need to switch their syncing services before this date. To help you transition away from MobileMe, OmniGroup lists several alternative syncing solutions, including its own sync server. Once you have chosen an alternative to MobileMe, OmniGroup also has a set of instructions that show you how to change the sync settings within OmniFocus. If you run into any difficulties, you can email or call their support team using the contact information provided on OmniGroup's website.
How to keep MobileMe mail working after iCloud turns it off
Here at TUAW on the tipline, we have heard no end of complaints about MobileMe. Some days, it seems like every other tip is about how much of a mess MobileMe email is. Which is probably why Apple is finally shutting the service down in a month or so, transitioning over to the new iCloud instead. But as TidBITS notes, MobileMe users will still be able to use their email addresses even after the service is gone: All you'll have to do is follow the instructions on the transitions page to set an option on the main site, and then you'll be able to keep accessing your MobileMe email even after the transition. My advice? Unless you're thrilled with MobileMe, it's time to move on to one of the many great free email services, of which Gmail is my first recommendation. Yes, changing your email address is a pain, and there are probably some of you out there on so many lists and services that you'll stick with MobileMe as long as you can. But if you want my advice, use this opportunity to get out while you can. Good luck!
MobileMe customers get free 20 GB of iCloud storage until September
Last year, Apple announced that it's shutting down MobileMe at the end of June 2012. To ease the transition from MobileMe to iCloud, the company offered 20GB of free iCloud storage to all existing MobileMe users. This free storage expires June 30, 2012, but a change in Apple's website, noticed by Macotakara, suggests the company is extending this freebie until September 30, 2012. Apple's FAQ page for the MobileMe transition was recently updated and now reads, MobileMe members with 20GB of purchased storage receive a complimentary iCloud storage upgrade of 20GB, and accounts with additional purchased storage (40GB to 60GB) receive a complimentary upgrade of 50GB after moving to iCloud. These free upgrades are good through September 30th, 2012 When the free trial ends later this year, customers can pay to keep the 20 GB of storage or accept a downgrade to the free 5 GB iCloud storage plan. [Via AppleInsider]
Apple gives MobileMe holdouts an olive branch, extends 20GB iCloud offer to September
Still skittish about jumping from MobileMe to iCloud, even after Apple promised you a free copy of Snow Leopard to ease the pain? Have no fear: Apple has quietly extended its offer to upgrade those paying for 20GB of MobileMe space to a matching amount on iCloud the next time they renew. You now have until September 30th to make the leap at no extra cost, instead of the original June 30th cutoff. And if you've been paying for 40 to 60GB of MobileMe storage, you can get 50GB of iCloud space on the same terms. It won't take away the sting of losing iDisk, Gallery or iWeb at the end of June, but if you're the sort who routinely needs a lot more storage than a free 5GB iCloud account -- and don't like the alternatives -- you now have that much more breathing room.
Replacing iDisk with online storage of your own
With the June 30, 2012 death of Apple's MobileMe service looming just a little over two months away, some Mac users are still wondering what to do to replace one of the keystone pieces of the service -- iDisk. Macworld's Glenn Fleishman provided some tips today on how to replace iDisk with your own online storage using some common Mac apps that let you treat a remote FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, or Amazon S3 server like a Mac volume. The trick, says Fleishman, is to get file-sharing access via a hosting company or a storage system like Amazon S3, Google Storage, or Rackspace Cloud Files, and then use either Nolobe Software's Interarchy (US$30) or Panic's Transmit ($34) to create a Mac-mountable volume. Of the two Mac apps, Fleishman notes that Transmit works most like the default mode of iDisk. It provides a glimpse into the remote server's file structure, but doesn't download or sync files locally. As such, if you need to open a large remote file to edit it on the Mac, you must first wait for the file to be downloaded. After an edit is made, saving the file requires the file to be uploaded back to the source. That can definitely take some time. Interarchy's Net Disk feature is more like iDisk with synchronization enabled, allowing a Net Disk to synchronize changes to your computer, from your computer to the server, or in both directions. This ends up working more like Dropbox, where files are stored locally instantaneously, but then synchronize with the server behind the scenes. Fleishman includes instructions on how to create a mountable disk using either Transmit or Interarchy. Just remember to get your iDisk replacement into place prior to June 30th!
Apple offering free Snow Leopard update to MobileMe holdouts
Mama had it right -- procrastination is bad -- but mama never knew Apple. For Leopard users still clinging tightly to their MobileMe account, it looks like the path to iCloud just got a wee bit cheaper. Qualifying MobileMe holdouts are reportedly receiving email notifications that point them to a special portal; behind a registration form, folks are finding a free copy of OS X 10.6 (on DVD, no less). The goal here is to get customers to make yet another jump to Lion (an extra $29), but the idea of keeping most of that cloud functionality via iCloud is certainly enticing. As MacNN so accurately points out, it's odd that Apple's not including the $69 USB drive version of Lion, which contains the ability to boost even Leopard users to OS X 10.7. If you're one that generally skips out on reading those automated Apple emails, you might want to make an exception for this one.
Apple is giving away Snow Leopard to MobileMe customers
In an effort to get the remaining MobileMe customers upgraded to Lion and iCloud, Apple is offering a free upgrade to OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard for those still running OS X 10.5 Leopard. Macgasm posted pictures of the missive, which directs MobileMe customers to this link. After signing in, those who need a copy of Snow Leopard can get an installation DVD after filling out mailing information. Snow Leopard retails for $29. Those who take advantage of the offer will still have to pay $29.99 to upgrade to Lion. The Snow Leopard upgrade program expires on June 15, a couple weeks shy of MobileMe's shutdown date of June 30.
Is the new Journal feature in iPhoto for iOS the start of something bigger?
I certainly hope so. One of the joys of using a Mac with MobileMe was that someone with little or no computer sophistication could get photos easily published to the web. Great for families sharing with distant relatives and friends, or anyone who needed to get a gallery of photos to the internet only had to make a couple of quick clicks and it was done. It was sad when Apple announced the demise of MobileMe, which goes dark this June, and the loss of MobileMe galleries. Photo Stream is cool, but the photos expire after a month. Many Apple customers were hoping for a replacement for those galleries, and the new iOS version of iPhoto is riding to the rescue. What's offered is more powerful in some ways than the MobileMe galleries. The templates are prettier, you have more control of the appearance of the pages, and you can include location data and even weather. You can't password protect sites, but maybe that will come. Photo Journals is a nice feature and not a direction I expected Apple to go. There's one fly in this ointment: iPhoto for OS X does not have the Photo Journals feature. It allows sharing to MobileMe (not for long), Flickr and Facebook. Some photo sites, like Picasa, provide plug-ins that will let you upload directly from iPhoto. It would seem pretty obvious that the Mac OS version of iPhoto would allow this, but as of today it doesn't. If iPhoto for Mac gets the Photo Journal feature it will go a long way toward making customers happy, especially the people thinking about moving from the PC to the Mac. For my friends who have recently made the switch, they often mention the simplicity of MobileMe galleries. Tim Cook hinted last fall that some of the expiring MobileMe features could be rolled into iCloud, and this seems to be a start. Maybe that good idea is not dead yet. Readers, how about you? Do you want to see Photo Journals across the entire Apple product line?
Daily Update for February 24, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
Apple halts iCloud push services in Germany
Apple was handed a setback in Germany recently when a court ruled in favor of Motorola in a patent infringement case involving Apple's iCloud and MobileMe push email service. A new support document on Apple's German website confirms the company is halting push email for its customers that are inside German borders. The document gives customers instructions on how to setup email to be delivered at regular intervals. The support page notes that iCloud email will resume its push behavior outside Germany, while MobileMe push email will be disabled until further notice. This change in iCloud and MobileMe is the result of a lawsuit Motorola filed against Apple in April 2011. Judge Andreas Voss of the Mannheim Regional Court ruled that Apple infringed on Motorola's European patent, EP (European Patent) 0847654 (B1). This patent describes a "multiple pager status synchronization system and method." Motorola was awarded a preliminary injunction and exercised its right to enforce the patent by putting up a 100 million euro bond. Apple will likely appeal this ruling, but until then iCloud and MobileMe push email will be unavailable to those who live in or travel to the European country. [Via Macerkopf]
Apple says iCloud and MobileMe push email down in Germany, due to Motorola lawsuit (Update)
Cupertino says it is has suspended push email via iCloud or MobileMe for users in Germany, due to "recent patent litigation by Motorola Mobility." Numerous disputes currently rage between the two companies, but this issue likely relates to a recent injunction Motorola won against iCloud. Push still works for Contacts and Calendars, but there's a page up on Apple's German support site (see the source link) telling people to use the Fetch settings on their iOS device to collect emails. There's a similar page on Apple's US site giving the same instructions to users who are travelling to Germany. Meanwhile, push email for OS X and via other service providers such as Microsoft Exchange Active Sync, is unaffected.Update: We've heard back from Apple and for its part, it is treating this as no big deal, focusing on the fact that it only applies to push email specifically and customers can still receive their emails other ways as mentioned above. As it is, it says this will affect only a "limited number of customers." Check after the break for the company's statement.
Apple encourages MobileMe customers to transition to iCloud
MobileMe is scheduled to be shut down in June 2012, and Apple has begun encouraging users to transition to iCloud. Email messages are going out this week that promote iCloud's services and provide a big 'ol blue button for customers to click and begin the migration process. iCloud offers most of the services MobileMe customers are used to (keychain sync and iDisk are absent, for example) and, according to CEO Tim Cook, is the foundation for the company's future. It's only February, so stragglers have some time, but not much. It's definitely time to start thinking about making the move.
Apple and Motorola scuffle over iCloud and push email
Motorola scored a victory against Apple today when it won a permanent injunction against the company's iCloud and MobileMe push email service. According to FOSS Patents, the injunction is "preliminarily enforceable," which means Motorola can enforce the ruling right away by posting a 100 million euro bond. Posting a bond and enforcing this ruling is risky, though. If Apple appeals and wins, then Motorola will be liable for damages from enforcing this injunction early. If enforced, Apple must disable the push email portion of its iCloud and MobileMe service. Customers in Germany affected by this injunction will have to turn off push email and configure their mail clients to pull down emails periodically. This permanent injunction resulted from a complaint filed by Motorola in April 2011. Apple has the right to contest this ruling and will likely file a formal appeal with the Karlsruhe Higher Regional Court.
iCloud now has 85 million users
In its recent conference call discussing its record-smashing financial results, Apple revealed that its cloud syncing service, iCloud, currently has 85 million users signed up. iCloud debuted alongside the iPhone 4S and iOS 5 as a free-of-charge replacement for Apple's old MobileMe service, and its growth over the past three months has apparently been explosive; during the same period, iCloud signups exceeded unit sales of Macs, iPods, iPhones, and iPads combined. Apple has called iCloud part of its "strategy for the next decade," and as an iCloud user myself I can see why. The cloud syncing service runs much faster and much more seamlessly than MobileMe ever did, and it's very hard to argue with the price: $0 gets your email, calendars, contacts, and documents synced across all your devices with almost zero effort.
Type to your iPhone with Type2Phone and your Mac keyboard
As a general rule, I avoid reviewing apps from friends. You send me a pitch, I pass it along to the team. But when Matthias Ringwald, Bluetooth developer extraordinaire told me about Type2Phone, I really wanted to try it out myself. For $4.99, this Mac app transforms your computer into a wireless Bluetooth keyboard. If you're not exactly following why anyone would care about that, let me explain why this utility fills a huge hole in the iOS experience, particularly for developers. Nearly all recent devices now support external Bluetooth keyboards for text entry. You navigate to Settings, enable Bluetooth, select a device and pair to it. You can then type using a physical keyboard rather than the onscreen touch one. This greatly speeds up text entry. What Type2Phone does, by emulating a BT keyboard, is let you perform the same announcement and pairing tasks, but from your OS X desktop. That means, if you're testing software on your device (or you just want to type to your device with your computer nearby for any other reason), you can pair and go in just a few seconds, without having to drag out a hardware keyboard. The application remembers the pairing details for you, and you can select each device from a pop-up menu. For devs, that's insanely useful. You can instantly type into text fields, into text views, or into any object that implements a UITextInput protocol. Type2Phone means you can do your text entry from your normal keyboard, along side your normal development tasks. It evaporates a messy annoying detail of development. Personally, I'd prefer if the app offered a way to switch off its scrolling text preview (you see it at the top of this post) -- I type fast enough that the scrolling letters make me a bit dizzy -- but aside from that, this app did its job exactly as promised. You can grab Type2Go from the Mac App Store.
'Welcome to iCloud' emails sent out prematurely
Between the upcoming media event on October 4 and recent downtime on MobileMe, it's looking likely that iCloud's public launch is coming soon. An email sent to an AppleInsider reader, reprinted below, adds yet more evidence for an imminent debut of iCloud. Welcome to iCloud. The Apple ID for your iCloud account is [redacted] and it's what you'll use to get your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and PC set up. Just follow these instructions and you'll be up and running in no time. Once iCloud is set up, it stores your content and wirelessly pushes it to all your devices. For example, buy a song with iTunes on your computer, and it will appear on your iPod touch and iPad. When you snap a photo on your iPhone it will automatically be sent to your iPad. You can start creating a Pages document on your iPhone, and put the finishing touches on it from your iPad. There's no need to dock or sync to your computer. With iCloud, it just works. AppleInsider obviously feels the email is legitimate, though it was apparently leaked early since the setup instructions page is not yet live on Apple's site. iCloud replaces Apple's existing MobileMe services and is free to all users. Apple has given no firm release date for the service other than "fall," but according to feedback we've heard from developers the service appears ready for launch should Apple decide to publicly debut it at the October 4 event.
