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Dear Aunt TUAW: Should I renew MobileMe?
Dear Aunt TUAW, So my MobileMe account is expiring on the 15th, but the rumors are all abuzz about the possibility of Apple launching MM as a free service in April. Sure, they're usually pretty good about giving some sort of refund or iTunes store credit if you're in a window just before they do something drastic, but I don't want to pay $99 now for $50 on iTunes in a month. Does your weather sense tell you free is really on its way, or should I bow to breaking my piggy-bank for uninterrupted service? Hugs, Your nephew Dan, the "Mobile Maybe"
Rumor: Apple to hold iOS 5 and MobileMe media event in April
German Apple site Macerkopf.de is claiming via a "trusted source" that Apple is set to hold a media event sometime during the first two weeks of April in which Apple will preview iOS 5 and also launch a revamped MobileMe service. The site offers no details on the features of iOS 5 or what the MobileMe revamp might entail, but it is not unreasonable to assume Apple would be holding such an event in the near future to prep developers for the next release of iOS, which presumably will be released with the iPhone 5 in the summer. For those of you wondering if you should wait until the release of iOS 5 to buy a new iPad 2, which ships this Friday, don't bother. Apple has stated in the past that all iPad owners are entitled to one free iOS upgrade. It will, however, be interesting to see whether Apple plans to charge original iPad owners (who already got their free upgrade with iOS 4.2) for the iOS 5 upgrade. Macerkopf.de's original posting about the iOS 5 event can be read in English (via Google Translate) here.
Apple working on unlimited downloads of purchased iTunes music, setting MobileMe free?
You know all that rumor and speculation about Apple launching a subscription-based streaming music service? Forget it -- at least until the next rumor comes along. Bloomberg is citing three people with knowledge of private talks between Apple, Universal Music, Sony Music, and Warner Music to make purchased music more easily accessible to iTunes users. Two sources claim that an agreement could be announced by midyear. Contrary to popular speculation aroused by Apple's purchase of Lala, they're not talking about streaming music from Apple's new North Carolina data center scheduled to come online in the spring. According to Bloomberg's sources, Apple is instead, planning to offer unlimited downloads to any device linked to the same iTunes account. So, purchase a track on your iPhone and download it again for free to your iPad without having to go back and tether the mobile device to your PC or Mac for a sync. Hard disk crash? No worries, there's a permanent backup in the cloud. Of course, there's nothing preventing Apple from providing unlimited downloads in parallel with a streaming service except for the labels and artists who prefer the higher revenues paid out by download services. Then again, if it was left to them we'd still be buying our music on $15 CDs. Incidentally, one Bloomberg source was also caught blabbing about Apple's plans to overhaul the MobileMe service to store pictures, video, and other online content sometime this year. Better yet, it could drop from $99 per year to free -- something already reported by the Wall Street Journal a few weeks ago.
Apple removes MobileMe from online store, discontinues retail boxes
Need a bit more evidence that there's some big changes coming to MobileMe? Then you don't need to look much further than Apple's own stores, both online and off. The company has apparently now discontinued the boxed version of the software it sells at retail, and it seems that all traces of MobileMe have also been removed from Apple's online store, though you are still able to sign up for a free trial through the MobileMe website. AppleInsider further reports that both single user and family packs of MobileMe have been declared "end of life" by Apple, and that the service will undergo some scheduled maintenance tonight that may leave its web-based applications inaccessible for half an hour. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
MobileMe boxed copies going away
Apple is reportedly informing third-party resellers that boxed versions of MobileMe are now discontinued. Retailers can continue to sell their existing inventory, but supplies will not be replenished. This latest information falls in line with earlier rumors that suggest Apple may offer MobileMe as a free service with cloud-based digital lockers for music, photos and videos. In this scenario, Apple may briefly move to a digital-only sales model to let retailers sell their existing stock. Once the standing inventory is depleted, Apple will transition MobileMe to a free service in the upcoming months. Adding fuel to the fire of these rumors, Apple has removed the paid version of MobileMe from its online store, offering the service as a free 60-day trial. During its annual shareholders meeting on February 23, the Cupertino company also confirmed that it is getting ready to flip the switch on its North Carolina data center. The $1-billion center is rumored to serve as the hub for its free MobileMe service and possibly a cloud-based version of iTunes.
MobileMe's new calendar mandatory for all users by May 5
MobileMe users were notified today that all users will be upgraded to the new calendar service on May 5. The new MobileMe calendar includes calendar sharing, invitations and an upgraded web app. Those who want to upgrade right away are urged to have the latest software updates and back up their existing calendars before performing the upgrade, which can be done on MobileMe's calendar page. Those looking for more help can check out the support page. The new calendar web app entered beta on July 7, 2010 and exited beta on October 14.
Apple tells shareholders North Carolina data center is for iTunes and MobileMe, set to open this spring
Well, it looks like Apple's just put an end to some of the speculation surrounding its massive data center in North Carolina. According to AppleInsider and Electronista, Apple told shareholders at its annual meeting today that the center is for iTunes and MobileMe (along with Apple's "corporate systems"), and that it is set to open sometime this spring. As you might expect, it doesn't seem like things got much more detailed than that, but the news does certainly lend some credence to earlier rumors of a cloud-based, Lala-infused iTunes service and a significantly expanded (and possibly free) MobileMe offering. Here's hoping we'll hear a bit more from Apple itself next week.
Apple MacBook Air survey gets chatty about 3G
Apple isn't much of one for customer surveys, but this recent missive to select MacBook Air owners has all sorts of goodies inside it. Most notable is the large amount of questions on 3G data connectivity, a feature that Apple has so far avoided adding to any of its laptops, even though it sells a tablet computer with the functionality. Interestingly, Apple has waited so long on this feature that its primary objection -- the need to pick a specific carrier over another -- has disappeared thanks to Qualcomm's Gobi chipset. On the other hand, most people get 3G data onto their laptops these days through tethering, whether it be with their phone or a dedicated MiFi-style device, and Apple's survey seems to be designed to pick up on the prevalence of all these tendencies. Other aspects of the survey deal with data storage and syncing (MobileMe and Dropbox get shout outs), missing functionality that keeps the Air from being a primary computer, and other miscellany. If you want to get overanalytical with the whole thing, Apple might actually be trying to feel out the dividing line between an iPad and a MacBook Air, instead of the dividing line between a MacBook Pro. Perhaps this year's expected Sandy Bridge or (we wish) Fusion refresh of the MacBook Air could have something more in store? Check out the source link for the whole thing.
The iPhone nano to forgo local storage? Common sense says 'no'
Well, MWC is in full swing, where folks like LG, Samsung, Sony, and Nokia are pouring their souls out in front of us in device form. So, naturally, the rumors are swirling about... the iPhone nano. In a followup to the Wall Street Journal's big story, Cult of Mac is claiming some additional inside info from a source with a "great track record." The main idea is that the iPhone nano would rely on the cloud to such an extent that the device wouldn't really have any local storage to speak of, outside of a streaming buffer. This would of course go hand in hand with a MobileMe / Lala-powered streaming music service, and result in significant component cost savings (flash memory is still pretty spendy). While this sounds like a beautiful dream, it doesn't make much sense in 2011. Streaming all your music and other media over a capped 3G connection doesn't sound very consumer-friendly, and there are still plenty of situations where having a nice offline stash of music is a lifesaver. But there's a bigger problem: where do you put your apps without local storage? Android's historic shortage of app storage really bit it in the ass, and we doubt Apple wants to go down that route. Sure, we can see a 4GB or so ultracheap device, with a heavy reliance on streaming media (many people get most of their music from Pandora these days, anyways), but a memory-free iPhone just doesn't sound feasible at this point in time.
Apple working on major revamp of MobileMe, could be free
On the eve of the start of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today, the Wall Street Journal online tech section ran a short post discussing a new, less-expensive iPhone that is apparently in the works (and all but confirmed by the Wall Street Journal). The timing of the post was impeccable -- by "leaking" this information on Sunday, the WSJ and Apple ensured that the iPhone will be the major topic of discussion at MWC without Apple having to exhibit or even attend the conference. In order to achieve a low price point that would make iPhones even more ubiquitous than they already are, the post speculated that MobileMe would become a free service that purchasers could use to contain their music, photos, and videos. The result? The new iPhone wouldn't need as much storage to hold all of those memories and tunes, so the price would drop. According to sources who spoke to the Wall Street Journal, the new MobileMe service could make it to iOS devices by June depending on the outcome of licensing talks. WIth the new service, your iPhone or iPad would have access to your iTunes library wirelessly. No syncing to your Mac or PC would be required, nor would you need to have massive amounts of memory to store the music and video files locally. To paraphrase the Microsoft ads that are currently making the rounds, "To the cloud!" The Journal went on to say that the service would probably be backwards-compatible with the iPhone 4. As with all rumors, remember that despite the source, this may be well-meaning fiction. We'll see for sure as 2011 progresses. In the meantime, what do you think about a free MobileMe? Do you think it will happen this year? Leave a comment below.
Wall Street Journal backs up "iPhone nano" rumor
We may be in for quite the shakeup of the iOS world if Ethan Smith's new article in the Wall Street Journal has any weight to it. Smith makes some pretty bold claims about a new, less-expensive iPhone, which he states has an edge-to-edge screen and weighs quite a bit less than the current iPhone 4. This lines up pretty well with a lot of the "iPhone nano" rumors that we've been seeing for years, and it's certainly intriguing to see the Wall Street Journal putting its stamp on the story. Presumably, this smaller iPhone would behave more like a data "access point" than a place to store all of your music, movies and books. Those, says Smith, could be managed by Apple's MobileMe service (which would be turning into a free cloud computing service alongside the launch of the new phone), therefore eliminating the need for large amounts of storage space on the actual device. How well this would work is a topic still up for debate, but you know how it goes: Apple always finds a way. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what Jobs (or Cook) has up his sleeve in the coming months. The WSJ article hints at a summer release for both the micro phone and the revamped MobileMe service.
WSJ corroborates the mini-iPhone, says Apple may make MobileMe free (update: 'edge-to-edge' screen)
The Wall Street Journal has weighed in on rumors of Apple's smaller iPhone, and citing "people familiar with the matter" the publication says that the rumors are likely true. One such familiar person reportedly saw a device half the size of the iPhone 4, bearing the codename "N97," and said that the handset will be only about half the size of the original, and at only around half the price too. Amazingly, those anonymous sources continued to divulge information, expressing the idea that Apple could finally make its MobileMe cloud service suite free, and that it just might be the platform from which Apple could finally launch a streaming music platform and lessen the need for all those gigabytes of flash storage in your pocket. We'll let you know if or when any of that happens, okay? Update: The WSJ's source proved even more talkative after getting an eyeful of the Samsung and Sony announcements this morn; the publication's article has been updated to read that the device is "significantly lighter" than the iPhone 4, has an "edge-to-edge" touchscreen, and "voice-based navigation" of some sort.
Mac.com email addresses getting the boot? Signs point to 'No.'
On Friday, we got a rather nervous tip from reader Julian (echoed in this MacStories post) pointing to his Apple Discussions thread about the future of @mac.com addresses. The thread cited a conversation with an Apple support chat representative that seemed to indicate an imminent end-of-life for the vintage mac.com emails, with all incoming and outgoing mail being forced over to the equivalent me.com address. Since the mac.com domain predated the July 2008 relaunch of Apple's web services as MobileMe by several years, many subscribers have never bothered to update all the various spots where their mac.com addresses are used, and the prospect of being pushed to do so is obviously a bit worrisome. It's not at all clear, however, that this is actually happening, despite the rather sharp level of anxiety. Why the agita right now? As with most Apple news nowadays, it begins with the iPhone. In a subtle tweak to iOS 4.2, Apple changed the MobileMe account setup to only allow the me.com address if you're activating your mail account 'fresh' on the device. While anyone who upgraded from 4.1 or earlier without deleting and reactivating accounts is completely unaffected, trying to set up a mac.com account under MobileMe on a 4.2 iPad or iPhone will always result in the me.com equivalent address being used for inbound and outbound mail. (Keep in mind that you will still get incoming mac.com mail regardless of the account setup, as the two addresses are linked to the same mailbox -- JoeyFatone@mac.com is the same as JoeyFatone@me.com as far as inbound traffic is concerned.)
iPhone rumor two-pack: multitasking gestures and MobileMe Photo Streams? (Update: those pics are real)
Looks like the iPad might not have an exclusive on those new "multitasking" gestures unearthed in the latest iOS 4.3 beta, because BGR's got some shots up of an purported internal build that seem to indicate Cupertino intends to push them down to the iPhone line as well. Now, there are a couple of obvious red flags here -- using "four or five fingers" sounds pretty unreasonable for a 3.5-inch display, though it'd certainly tie in with recent rumors that Apple's turning sour on the physical Home button and might indicate that the complete redesign we're hearing about could include a slightly larger display. Of course, it could also indicate that this is really early software with the wrong (read: iPad) wording -- but at any rate, we could definitely see the benefit of, say, a two-finger gesture to swipe between apps. Now, on to part two: 9to5 Mac seems to have unearthed traces in the iOS 4.3 beta of a new feature called "Photo Streams" that seems to be -- you guessed it -- a way to share continuous streams of photos with friends you approve, presumably through MobileMe (which would fit in nicely with the Find my Friends stuff). Alone, that's not worth $99 a year -- plenty of other services offer similar functionality -- but we wouldn't be surprised if this were bundled in with a bunch of MobileMe refreshes this year. Update: We just received an interesting tidbit of information on the above pic (and others that BGR has its hands on). According to sources, after the iPhone 4 barroom debacle, Apple made significant changes to how it keeps track of -- and identifies to third parties -- its devices. Namely, the company began adding clauses to screens on the phones which read "Confidential and Proprietary, if found, please contact..." followed by a 408 number (that's Cupertino, of course). This prevents any misunderstanding from parties who may come across these devices. So what does it all mean? Well, not much, save that it seems these photos we're viewing are in fact the real deal... which means gestures may be headed to your iPhone. Intrigue!
Find My Friends MobileMe feature found in iOS 4.3 beta release
Yesterday, Apple rolled out iOS 4.3 beta to developers, and the first look at the latest iOS version yielded up some gems, including multi-touch gestures, hotspot functionality, a return of the orientation lock and new camera effects. Earlier today, MacRumors uncovered settings for a feature called "Find My Friends" in this recent beta. This string was associated with MobileMe and may be a social feature similar to Google Latitude or Facebook Places, two services that let you locate and communicate with nearby contacts. This is not the first time Apple has toyed with the idea of using location to help find others around you. A patent filing for a concept application called iGroups surfaced last year. The patent describes a location-based service that would let members of a group locate one another using GPS coordinates. Group members could also use encrypted tokens to share information. The patent specifically mentioned trade shows and rock concerts, so this idea, if it ever materializes, may have limited usage. It will be interesting to see what Apple may have in store for iOS in this growing area of location-based services. While many third-party applications use location information in novel ways, the core operating system and built-in iOS applications only scratch the surface of what is possible with direct access to always-on location information. [Via Engadget]
'Find my Friends' MobileMe feature revealed in iOS 4.3 developer build
Looks like Apple will be adding a new "Find My Friends" feature to its MobileMe service in the not too distant future. The settings pictured above were unearthed in the latest iOS 4.3 developer build that's already yielding a healthy list of new devices and functionality including in-app AirPlay video support, a carrier-dependent personal WiFi hotspot, the return of the physical orientation lock switch, and a host of new multitouch gestures. Presumably Find My Friends will offer functionality akin to the free Google Latitude app doing little to justify Apple's $99 MobileMe annual cost. Update: Remember Apple's iGroups location-based social networking patent application? We just did.
TekTrak phone locator offers two-use free version
Just because Apple released a Find My iPhone app and then made it free, doesn't mean there isn't room for a little friendly competition. TekTrak originally took on Apple's built-in iPhone location service by offering TekTrak Pro at a one-time US$4.99 price point as opposed to Mobile Me's $99 annual fee. Now that Apple made it free to iOS 4.2 users on iPhone 4, iPad and fourth-gen iPod touches, TekTrak is answering back with a free version that allows two uses for locating your phone, plus additional uses for inviting friends. This week, TekTrak launched a new free app to let anyone with a iPhone 4 or 3GS find their phone, track its previous locations and remote ring the phone from any web browser.
Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite for iPad gets PowerPoint editing for Christmas
The Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite for iPad has gained some new features that make it even more useful to business people on the go. Quickoffice, Inc. announced today that its mobile office suite for the iPad now has an editor for Microsoft PowerPoint files in addition to the Excel and Word editors that were available earlier. You can manipulate font type, color, size and style, and you can add, delete or reorder slides in a PowerPoint deck. Graphical editing tools allow object layering changes, insertion and editing of text boxes, and insertion and rotation of common shapes, images and text boxes. Another feature of the PowerPoint editor is that it allows the insertion of images from inside the app or from the iPad's Photo Library. When presenting from Quickoffice, the app supports video output using the Apple Dock Connector to VGA Adapter and provides a built-in "laser pointer" for pointing out highlights on the slides. There's also a filmstrip preview of slides to assist in making presentations on external monitors. While Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite for iPad now allows round-tripping of animations and transitions between the desktop app and iPad, there is still no way to edit or show custom transitions or animations on the iPad. The Quickoffice developers have noted that this is in consideration for a future update. It's also worth mentioning that the PowerPoint editing feature only supports PPT (Office 2003 format) files; PPTX (Office 2007/2010/2011 native format) presentations can be viewed and shown, but not edited yet. The app now supports additional cloud storage services, including Box.net, Dropbox, Google Docs, Huddle, MobileMe and SugarSync. If you already own the suite, this is a free update for you. To kick off the new update, Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite for iPad is on sale on the App Store for US$14.99, 40% off of the usual $24.99 price. Thanks for Mike Rose for the gallery screenshots! %Gallery-111932%
MobileMe will go down for maintenance tonight
Here's a quick heads-up. MobileMe will go down for maintenance tonight. Specifically, MobileMe account maintenance will take place on 12/14/2010 between 22:00 and 23:00 PT, while MobileMe sync maintenance will occur on 12/14/2010 between 22:00 PT and 12/15/2010 00:00 PT. Apple notes, "Due to scheduled maintenance, some MobileMe members may be unable to sync between their computers, iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch or view their contacts and calendars at me.com. Normal service is expected to be restored at the end of the maintenance window. We apologize for any inconvenience." Just get your work done before then, and we'll see you on the flip side. [Via 9to5 Mac]
Tips for protecting your iPhone from loss
Worried about losing your iPhone? You aren't alone. While many people lose their phones, there are a few precautions you can take in advance before it happens to you. Luckily for us, Jason D. O'Grady over at ZDNet recently lost (and found) his iPhone after it went missing for a few days, and he decided to share some of his tips on how to protect your iPhone from loss -- and how to get it back if you ever lose yours. Some of O'Grady's suggestions are obvious, like enabling Find My iPhone (which we have talked about here before), but there are a few more ideas on his list that may surprise you which you should check out. In addition, our very own TJ Luoma has a few more suggestions to maximize your chances of recovering your iPhone, and Steve Sande learned a few things after losing his iPhone a while back. The important thing is to take these steps before you lose your phone so that in the event of loss you are already prepared to try to get it back. While I don't do a ton to protect my own iPhone, I do use passcode lock, and I do a backup of it each and every day, just in case. Losing my phone would be bad, but losing the data on it would be even worse.
