Is the box important when buying MM?

[brayhite]

I was going to buy MM off eBay for nearly half the price and they would just send me the code. Will I ever need the box? I'm sure it's just a three page manual and something that says Made by Apple in California is all that is in it, but I didn't know if something important was in there.

Thanks.

 

[sniffies]

No, it is not.

The only reason why you would need it is in case of an emergency, such as explosion in Apple data centers causing loss of all the user information, including their own. God forbid!

Otherwise, once you type in the activation code and hit the 'return' button, that's it, there's no going back. It's permanently attached to your account. No one can re-claim the same code whatsoever.

But then again, there are oversuspicious people out there that will tell you otherwise.

 

[flynz4]

I have heard that the places that sell the Mobile Me "codes via email" on eBay are often sold by people who have cracked the algorithm on how to generate a valid MM code (same with similar AppleCare codes).

The problem will arise if someone buys the same code from Apple... and then they ask you to show the proof of purchase, plus the card with the original code on it. Also... if Apple keeps a record of which codes they have ever generated... and you register a code never created by Apple... they may also cancel your account.

You can buy them legitimately on Amazon for a discount of about 30+ percent. I personally go that route.

/Jim

 

[Morod]

The box does contain the cool Apple stickers. Other than that, nah....
BTW, I go the Amazon route too. Maybe not as cheap as ebay, but totally legit which is worth some peace of mind to me....

 

[MikhailT]

I was going to buy MM off eBay for nearly half the price and they would just send me the code. Will I ever need the box? I'm sure it's just a three page manual and something that says Made by Apple in California is all that is in it, but I didn't know if something important was in there.

Thanks.

My understanding is that Apple recently changed the policy on the MM Codes that it can no longer be sold without the box. So Apple is likely to reject your MM code if you don’t have the card with the code on it.

 

[RaceTripper]

Apple doesn't verify the code until your account actually renews. You could potentially enter the code and think everything is OK, and then on your renewal date have the code rejected.

 

[steve knight]

I bought a family pack off of ebay and they sent me the code and today I got the box. the code was verified right away but I was on a 60 day trial.

 

[sniffies]

My understanding is that Apple recently changed the policy on the MM Codes that it can no longer be sold without the box. So Apple is likely to reject your MM code if you don’t have the card with the code on it.

Apple doesn't verify the code until your account actually renews. You could potentially enter the code and think everything is OK, and then on your renewal date have the code rejected.

Wait, so what you're saying is that Apple would accept one's activation code but reject it on the renewal date because no physical box was found??? How is this even realistic???

 

[RaceTripper]

Wait, so what you're saying is that Apple would accept one's activation code but reject it on the renewal date because no physical box was found??? How is this even realistic???

I bought my MobileMe Family renewal on eBay and entered the code 12 days before my account expired. It was accepted right away. However, On the day of renewal Apple let my account expire for a day while they verified the code. I even had the box. My iDisk and syncing was all screwed up for a day. I had done this all in advance so there would be no service interruptions or hiccups. Didn't help. After that episode I'm not planning to do another renewal, and will switch to other services by the time it renews again.

 

[PDACPA]

Maybe I am over cautious, but if I receive a shrink wrapped box with the code in side, I am fairly certain that it is not a "hacked" code. That does not mean someone could not have openned it and resealed, but at least I have all the evidence of the real purchase incase Apple rejected. I could also go back to the seller.

 

[netdog]

No. Just buy it from a BIG seller with 100% ratings.

 

[brayhite]

I bought my MobileMe Family renewal on eBay and entered the code 12 days before my account expired. It was accepted right away. However, On the day of renewal Apple let my account expire for a day while they verified the code. I even had the box. My iDisk and syncing was all screwed up for a day. I had done this all in advance so there would be no service interruptions or hiccups. Didn't help. After that episode I'm not planning to do another renewal, and will switch to other services by the time it renews again.

With that being said, any idea of what services you may switch to? The real benefit I want from MM is the wirelessly synced calendars. If there's a practical way to do this without MM, then I'm all ears. If not, hopefully the rumor of some MM services being free will come true and wireless iCal syncing will be one of them.

 

[RaceTripper]

With that being said, any idea of what services you may switch to? The real benefit I want from MM is the wirelessly synced calendars. If there's a practical way to do this without MM, then I'm all ears. If not, hopefully the rumor of some MM services being free will come true and wireless iCal syncing will be one of them.

I just figured I have until next August to sort it all out.

I already use Dropbox for files since iDisk is unacceptably slow. I'll look into using Google for calendars most likely. I have a few things that sync through MobileMe, but some offer alternatives (like Dropbox or something else).

 

[lethalillness]

The box does contain the cool Apple stickers. Other than that, nah....
BTW, I go the Amazon route too. Maybe not as cheap as ebay, but totally legit which is worth some peace of mind to me....

The stickers and peace of mind while at a lower price than Apple charges (if you wait for the right time) make the slightly higher price all worth it to me! Not to mention the box looks pretty fancy LOL.

 

[ulbador]

I paid 46$ on Amazon for a sealed "MobileMe Old Version" in October and it worked great to renew my account. From looking at it since, it looks like the prices have ranged from 42$ to 60$ on Amazon for them. I have Amazon Prime too so that usually helps to save on shipping since they usually come from 3rd party sellers.