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MobileMe to Become a Free Service?

bowlerman625 said:
MacDailyNews.com is carrying a story saying there is a rumor out there that the MobileMe service will become free at some point.

Interesting concept if the rumor is true!
Click to expand...

Then they better improve the performance first. If they offered it free then more users would really bog down the current MobileMe
 
I would be shocked... but you never know. Maybe they will offer it for free if you purchase a Mac.
 
What they need is tier level pricing. Those who wish to only use the features of say Find My iWhatever can choose just that, storage + e-mail, e-mail, etc.
 
Mobileme is certainly worth more than free. Apple doesn't scrape your emails and other data to target adds at you a la Google.

I could see Apple making some features of Mobileme free. I don't think they're just going kill a revenue stream but they could offer a basic free Mobileme account which gives you.

A me.com email address with 5 aliases.
Sync features
"Find my damn iDevice"
Calendar, Contacts, Bookmark sync
Web page
Gallery
iWork.com

Then roll out Mobileme Pro


Make iDisk more like Drop Box.
Enhance the sync
Online Backup
Cloud Music (Lala style)
iWork.com Pro (adds collaborative editing)
Whatever other cool stuff they can deliver
 
MobileMe to Become a Free Service?




110026-mobileme_cloud.jpg


MacDailyNews posts an unconfirmed rumor that Apple is planning to make its MobileMe syncing service free for all users.
We have received a tip that we cannot confirm, hence our "RUMOR" designation, that nonetheless has at least an air of credibility about it that says "Apple is planning to make MobileMe free." . . . No timeframe was given for MobileMe to go free, other than: "sooner than later... depends on certain facilities going operational."
Click to expand...
Speculation about "certain facilities going operational" of course centers around Apple's massive new data center under construction in North Carolina. In late March, Apple began ramping up hiring for the data center, suggesting that an opening may be approaching.

MobileMe is currently priced at $99 per year, although Apple frequently offers discounts when purchased with Apple hardware, and lower prices can also be found though other vendors.

Due to the unconfirmed nature of this claim and MacDailyNews' own caution, we are placing this rumor on Page 2 for interest and discussion.

Article Link: MobileMe to Become a Free Service?
 
jessica. said:
What they need is tier level pricing. Those who wish to only use the features of say Find My iWhatever can choose just that, storage + e-mail, e-mail, etc.
Click to expand...

nuckinfutz said:
Mobileme is certainly worth more than free. Apple doesn't scrape your emails and other data to target adds at you a la Google.

I could see Apple making some features of Mobileme free. I don't think they're just going kill a revenue stream but they could offer a basic free Mobileme account which gives you.

A me.com email address with 5 aliases.
Sync features
"Find my damn iDevice"
Calendar, Contacts, Bookmark sync
Web page
Gallery
iWork.com

Then roll out Mobileme Pro


Make iDisk more like Drop Box.
Enhance the sync
Online Backup
Cloud Music (Lala style)
iWork.com Pro (adds collaborative editing)
Whatever other cool stuff they can deliver
Click to expand...

These are both good ideas and very feasible.
 
nuckinfutz said:
Mobileme is certainly worth more than free. Apple doesn't scrape your emails and other data to target adds at you a la Google.
Click to expand...

It's naive to assume that Apple won't use MobileMe data in the future to serve you ads.

Then roll out Mobileme Pro


Make iDisk more like Drop Box.
Enhance the sync
Online Backup
Cloud Music (Lala style)
iWork.com Pro (adds collaborative editing)
Whatever other cool stuff they can deliver
Click to expand...

Given the [lack of acceptable] performance of the current service, all of these things are just going to be painful to use. If they can devote some more bandwidth to them, I could see it being a hit.
 
I'd be so pissed/happy if it were to become free... 1 year of .Mac and 2 years of MobileMe.

Pissed, I spent $99 for 3 years

Happy, more people will have access to MobileMe's benefits.
 
I doubt the truth of this rumor, but it is still interesting nonetheless. One question it raises: How will Apple handle paying customers' subscriptions that expire after the point this takes effect?
 
Honestly, I am about to not renew. It's just not that useful. The only thing I would keep it for is the online idisk, and with dropbox or novadrive coming up with better and cheaper alternatives, I see no reason to continue to use it. However, if Apple makes it free, then they can use that as another feature of their products in general. They could sell the idisk storage, or give away 5 gigs or something, like drop box does.
 
I don't want more people bogging down the system. I want them to improve their mail service with tagging, grouping and searching options. Oh, and I want .mac back! :)
 
I'd rather use Google's Gmail, Calendar and Contacts than MobileMe. The only thing I can see mobileme useful for is iDisk and Back to My Mac.
 
miles01110 said:
It's naive to assume that Apple won't use MobileMe data in the future to serve you ads


Given the [lack of acceptable] performance of the current service, all of these things are just going to be painful to use. If they can devote some more bandwidth to them, I could see it being a hit.
Click to expand...

It's illogical to think they will. Apple sees iAds as a way for developers to deliver free or $.99 apps on the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad without going broke. iAds are not something that Apple wants to push beyond their mobile offering and app store. They have no history looking to leverage advertising.

Well we must think that they're building the NC datacenter for a reason. Initially I thought it was an average sized datacenter but it is in fact humongous (5x larger than their California datacenter) so clearly they have BIG cloud plans.
 
Makes sense, all Apple needs is the cloud.

If it is indeed free, this is a welcomed change.
 
I get the feeling they are not really making any money on it, so it would make sense to give it away as a benefit of "using a mac."
 
I've always thought MobileMe should be a free service that comes as a benefit of owning a Mac. The usefulness of MobileMe just doesn't justify the $99 pricetag -- especially when other services offer something similar for free.

P-Worm
 
iansilv said:
I get the feeling they are not really making any money on it, so it would make sense to give it away as a benefit of "using a mac."
Click to expand...

Huh? If they aren't making any money for it now (with relatively few people paying for the service) how would it make sense to give it away for free (with many many more people not paying for it?)

I for one use it ALL the time. When you have more than one device (multiple macs, iphone), it's SO nice to have them sync wirelessly, immediately, and without having to login every time, on the native apps. iCal, Contacts, Safari links: I am a very frequent user of the mobileme syncing on all of these.
 
I've heard similar rumors about MobileMe going free. Makes sense if Apple could leverage the new iAd system to generate targeted campaigns, and effectively subsidise the cost of opening the system up to more users.

It would also pave the way for multiple cloud-based user accounts for the iPad.
 
P-Worm said:
I've always thought MobileMe should be a free service that comes as a benefit of owning a Mac. The usefulness of MobileMe just doesn't justify the $99 pricetag -- especially when other services offer something similar for free.

P-Worm
Click to expand...
While I agree, MobileMe is still in my eyes the best of the bunch. That's how they get away with charging $99/year. However, if it became free, they could really talk up how great owning a Mac is because of MobileMe.
 
If this comes true, I just hope this doesn't water down the Mobileme service. I use Mobileme to keep my business life in order. I'd rather it remain $99 and stay quick and reliable than it become a free junk service.
 
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