Future .Mac services?

[shakespeare]

Well, I went out and subscribed to .Mac. I mean, money's not a concern, and it will just make owning a Mac that much simpler. I really like the integration of the iDisk server, for instance, and the File Sharing HomePage pages, which share the Public Folder on my iDisk. I know there are free ways to do this, but this is OS-integrated, and again, if I have the money, why not?

Anyway, I know we all are expecting more services to be added to .Mac in the future, so my question is,

What do you guys think will be added to .Mac in the coming months?

 

[RBMaraman]

If they come out with the iPhone, I'm sure it will be integrated into .Mac services. I would love to have the ability to download my voice mail messages to my Mac! If they came out with that feature, I would definitely subscribe to the phone service and the .Mac service.

They should also make it so .Mac subscribers recieve so sort of discount in Apple stores.

 

[nuckinfutz]

I agree

.mac users should receive specials software, Applecare etc.

I wouldn't mind seeing something concerning gaming as a service.

I love the idea of voicemail. That would be cool. Voicemail available anywhere.

 

[reyesmac]

I have no proof of this

If I had to guess at what might be possible with .mac I could come up with a few ideas.

1. Shared iPhoto albums. You would be able to maintain a family album with multiple people on a .mac account. No need to send relatives photos because they will all be available to the whole family.

2. Shared iTunes. This would be different, you would only be able to stream music over the internet and only to another .mac authorized user. That way you can't steal music.

3. More complex web page designs and technologies that allow a user with minimal skill to come up with a very good looking site.

4. Virus protection like PC users have. You go to a web page and the web page will scan your disk for bugs.

5. Automatic software updates for ALL of your applications.

6. Discounts on OS upgrades.

7. Extra themes, desktops, icons, screensavers.

8. Ability to keep your PDA updated with emails and such when you connect it to the internet.

9. Ability to remotely administrate your computer.

10. Ability to make the computer at your house be used as a web server without having to worry about changing IP numbers. No need to register a domain name. It will be your .mac nickname @ .mac.

11. They might give you access to vast quanities of knowledge and information. Like, all that music for iMovie they had online once. Well, they could have things like that for iDVD, iMovie. They could also give you access to electronic books, live concerts. Or they could take their idea of Quicktime TV and make it what it was supposed to be, a way for you to watch television on your computer. It would not be like tv, it would be shows or news that gets updated once a week.

Just more of the same, but different.

 

[clubsport]

Spymac have just posted a rumor detailing a possible new feature of .Mac - SMS.

I really like this idea. Coupled with a new iApp, say "iPager" or something along those lines, you could get details of new emails, upcoming iCal appointments, or news from your phone.

You might even be able to just send SMS to your friends.

If this feature was introduced, I would buy .Mac in a flash.

 

[oldMac]

How about Pay-per-view movies?

Has Apple got any Quicktime DRM stuff that would work for that?

Apple seems to have the right Hollywood connections. But this would probably make more sense if Apple were to produce a home entertainment unit.

 

[peterj1967]

They need to make the Jaguar address book work through .mac.

I'd like to be able to get to my addresses from any machine I'm working on without having to have a seperate set of addresses in webmail.mac.com and my local address book.

iCal would be even better if I could add events through a web interface and they would show up on a local iCal.

To much to ask for, but I may be willing to pay more for it. More access control over folders in iDisk. I'd like to be able to set up a few "accounts" with different access to different folders. They need to go beyond just the public folder.

and I'd take any additional feature I didn't have to pay for

--PJ

 

[kiwi_the_iwik]

I STILL can't see this as a good idea from Apple. I mean - let's run through what you get for your money:

•The service is slow, even on a DSL connection (and SLOWER if you live in an unsupported Apple region like me in the UK... Apple acknowledges the region problem - i.e. little or no phone support, offline and/or intermittent iDisks - and are planning to rectify it mid-2003. Great. They'll already have been paid for not supplying a proper service for a year...)

•You get a disk storage system that's no better than a Zip disk (and more expensive than buying a portable USB cross-platform Zip drive with 3 disks thrown in for free...)

•Virex software for OSX - hands up who's ever heard of a UNIX virus?

•Email - what you get with Yahoo for FREE, but you have to pay $100/year for...

•Other extranneous software similar to the stuff that you can get downloaded as freeware/shareware from the internet (a LOT less than $100).


Thanks, but no thanks. I'll wait until they start providing a service that's WORTH the money they ask for. And don't anybody give me that mullarchy about how Apple provide us with such wonderful pieces of software - such as iMovie and iTunes - for free. Well, I paid £2000 for my Apple system, and the fact that those programs came with the hardware played a big part in my wife's - ah, I mean my - decision to get it in the first place.

And like I've said before, it's the principle of the matter.

Apple can't get away with trying to make a fast buck by jumping on the bandwagon, it's wheels running over it's loyal customers in the process.

 

[medea]

As far as the email goes yes you can get a free email with Yahoo, but it's only a 4mb account and if you want increase that to 10mb it's 10 bucks a year anyways..mac gives you 15mbs and is as good an email as you can get with a good attachment allowance and I have not received any unsollicitated junk nor do I have to deal with ads if I use the webmail, I also do not feel that any of the services are slow and Im on Cable. do be so eager to disrepute .mac yet, and more will be added to the services soon. pretty soon the free email and webpages are going to be extinct and in the end they will all go the way of.mac.

just my opinion though.

 

[SilvorX]

if it included a totally legal music sharing app (for .mac users only), that could end up giving users lots for their dollar (100 megs storage idisk/webspace, email acct, n some other stuff)