You cannot create new @me.com e-mail addresses at this time, and you probably won't be able to in the future unless iCloud gives you an @me.com address, which is unlikely.
Not unlikely at all, did you not listen to the iOS5/iCloud keynote? iCloud does give you a me.com address. Not sure if you can set up from Lion though.
If I was to create a Gmail account would all the features still be available to me?
you can create a me.com email address using the iCloud beta if you like.
Is it an easy process? Just sign up/pay for the developer account, and install the iCloud beta? I have seen a screenshot where it looks that easy, allowing you to just create the e-mail address.
I would also like to use it for iTunes purchases and stuff. How is iCloud right now for it being your sole Apple ID, and would my old one from my developer account be linked?
i used my apple ID as it is, but enable mail under icloud, it made my iCloud account, but i kept the existing apple ID. so my apple ID is xxx@gmail.com but my iCloud email associated with it is xxx@me.com. you don't have to change the new iCloud email address to be your apple ID. once created.
also developer stuff is linked to the device, not the apple ID
plus you can't do it on lion yet, i think it's only on iDevice only, tho i could be wrong
Good to know. Can you change your xxx@me.com to be as your Apple ID?
Or can you even change your Apple ID after you have got your free me.com?
Thanks shandyman. I don´t yet have my free @me.com, but im may be going change it to become my Apple ID. Do i have all my content if i change from xxx@suomi24.fi to xxx@me.com ??you can have your me.com as your apple ID, but best not to do it until iCloud officially launches in the fall. i assume free me.com apple ID's can be changed as they're just going to be normal apple ID's.
but i don't know if you can change your me.com email once it's set up, like if you have it at bobsmith@me.com but you want to have bob.smith@me.com, you cannot do that currently, don't know if that will change.
Thanks shandyman. I don´t yet have my free @me.com, but im may be going change it to become my Apple ID. Do i have all my content if i change from xxx@suomi24.fi to xxx@me.com ??
yea as it's just going to be a username change only, but honestly, at least at the mo, i don't feel confident changing it to a me.com address as my login for my apple ID lol.
plus you can't do it on lion yet, i think it's only on iDevice only, tho i could be wrong
I think you can do it via OS X - when you go to add an iCloud account if you haven't set up iCloud on iOS I expect it will take you through the same process - there is a button on the screen to add a new Apple ID - clearly if you've not got an apple ID you can't have an iCloud account.
Of course it only works if you have the iCloud software installed - which you can only download if you have a developer account. If you do have it it works on the public release, just tried it.
Thanks for all the info. So, if I create a @me.com address and use it as my Apple ID, does my prior e-mail/Apple ID become associated with it?
if you set up the me.com email address under the apple id, then change the Apple ID to be your me.com address, then you have all the same things as it's the same account but you've just changed the name.
if you set up a new me.com address totally from scratch and not via your apple ID then youwill have 2 seperate apple ID's.
that make sense? as i think i've said the same thing a few times now....
If I set up a brand new @me address through iCloud, will I be able to change the username (email) down the road to an @gmail or @yahoo? Current @me addresses created through mobileme are unable to be modified in any way and I'm curious if this has been changed.