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Steve Jobs tweeted a few days ago that MobilMe was going to be free for Mac uses.


lol if you think ceoSteveJobs (who posted that tweet about mobileme) on twitter is the real deal, then perhaps you should read some of the other tweets. stuff like "I don't care what you think of me. You care what I think of you", "Number of apps in iPad commercial: 42, number of black hands: 0", and "Why charge 80 for Apple earbuds? because someone somewhere will pay for it"
 
It's naive to assume that Apple won't use MobileMe data in the future to serve you ads.

the moment I see an ad on mobileme is the moment i stop using it.... it's a "perk"



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.

https://www.macrumors.com/2010/02/22/aerial-footage-of-apples-north-carolina-data-center/ maybe?
 
That would be awesome. They should at least cut the price. MobileMe adds so much value to your iProducts, I have a MacBook, an iPhone and since yesterday an iPad, and MobileMe makes all three of them so much more valuable. But I know lots of people who would like to use MobileMe, but who say that 79€ is just to much for it.
 
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


They don't ad but but they iAd-will! I wager ! (metaphorically speaking)
 
MobilMe Free + iAd = Bummer

This is easy to see

MobilMe Becomes Free

MobilMe gets laden with 1Ads

All part of the Apple strategy

I would be happy to keep paying $99/year for adfree Mobilme
 
I'm one of the people that find the price tag to be a bit hefty. But, I'd rather not use it than have a free watered-down service.
 
One of the main bonuses of a paid service is that it limits the number of users so they can get an email such as joe.blogs@me.com. When services become free, more people sign up until people have to settle for Joe.M.blogs5739@me.com, and then the service looses its upper-market feel.

I would much prefer to apply for a job using the first address for instance.
 
This is easy to see

MobilMe Becomes Free

MobilMe gets laden with 1Ads

All part of the Apple strategy

I would be happy to keep paying $99/year for adfree Mobilme

What exact strategy is this? People are confusing what Google, Yahoo or Microsoft would do versus Apple. Consumer are so encumbered with the concept that free means advertising they cannot see any other way. We've used iTunes for free since it's inception with nary an ad that didn't focus on media.

I dun know if MobileMe is going free or not but I doubt Apple has much interest in advertising beyond the App Store.
 
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

I second this!
 
Mobile Me services could well be tiered.

free, slightly limited service, iAd supported

or full, paid for service, minus the iAds.
 
Mobile Me services could well be tiered.

free, slightly limited service, iAd supported

or full, paid for service, minus the iAds.

Why would I want iAds?

MobileMe sells Apple hardware. It works with PCs but only within context of synchronizing data to mobile devices from Apple.

MobileMe isn't here to sell Blackberry, Android or WinMo phones it's here to make data sharing easy between applications and Apple mobile devices.

You guys aren't thinking this through. You're assuming that Apple has the same ability to deliver advertising that Google does and that's false. iAd is a product that's for the mobile space. Apple has excellent analytics from the App Store but where is their analytical data for the web in general? Riiiiiiight it doesn't exist.

You cannot become Google just by slapping up some advertising on a page and waiting for the cash to come in. The ads we see on a web page are just the tip of the iceberg.

If MobileMe becomes free it'll likely be very very basic (maybe sync only) and Apple will entice you to get the Mobileme Pro version once you get a taste of their freemium love.
 
The usefulness of MobileMe just doesn't justify the $99 pricetag -- especially when other services offer something similar for free.

I disagree. First, nobody else offers it all in one place. Second, nobody else has the same simplicity. Third, there are features (most notably, find my iphone) that can't be replicated no matter what other service you use. And when you consider that you can get MM for $60 at Amazon and elsewhere, I think it's more than worth it. $5/month is worth it for any of things I just listed, or even just to be ad-free.
 
Knowing apple when you buy an apple product mobileme will be free for a certain amount of time, than you will have to renew the membership for the $100.
 
I meant it might happen, it's just a thought.

Well they did kill itools so in the end they'd have to kill the whole MobileMe brand.

Luckily the Apple today is cash rich compared to the Apple 8 or so years ago. We certainly should be expecting more from Apple.
 
what about this:

to me it makes sense the following way:

Mobileme free but iAd support or some sort of bing advertisement
Mobileme without ads and some extra features for the ppl that pay
 
I always have to laugh at things like this. It's akin to people complaining about having to pay $50 for 12 months of Xbox Live.

$99 a year is a pittance for MoblieMe; break that down over 12 months and it's roughly $8 a month. I don't know about the rest of you, but I know that I easily blow $8 a week on things I don't even remember from week-to-week, let alone setting $8 a month to the side.
 
I always have to laugh at things like this. It's akin to people complaining about having to pay $50 for 12 months of Xbox Live.

$99 a year is a pittance for MoblieMe; break that down over 12 months and it's roughly $8 a month. I don't know about the rest of you, but I know that I easily blow $8 a week on things I don't even remember from week-to-week, let alone setting $8 a month to the side.

It's the human way. We all know we waste money on other things. I have my sports websites that I often pay about $10 to keep up on current events. Being a working class bloke means that a certain amount of disposable income comes with the territory.

Everyone's needs are so different. If you have one device MobileMe isn't going to make much sense. If you have a couple of Macs, an iPod Touch, and iPhone or iPad then suddenly without MobileMe you're relying on web based tools (and the weakness they come with) or your spending a lot of redundant effort in data entry.

For me I'm at a point where I try to get things organized. My Safari bookmarks scream "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder" though I'm not an OCD person in every facet of my life. What this means in the context of MobileMe is that I can be out and get notified of of an interesting web address. I add it to my phone and voila before I get home the bookmark is on my Mac where it should be.

My motto is "never input data twice"
 
There will always be a paid upgrade, and apple will skillfully construct their free plan to make sure everybody using will want the paid version.

I'll happily switch to mobileMe for my calendar, contacts, etc. but I'm staying with gmail for the email. Find my iWhatever would be lovely, I'd rather not rely on Undercover or some other solution that a burglar with half a brain cell would not open.
 
This is easy to see

MobilMe Becomes Free

MobilMe gets laden with 1Ads

All part of the Apple strategy

I would be happy to keep paying $99/year for adfree Mobilme

I agree with that. I would keep paying $99 a year for no ads. I am a Christian Minister and the last thing I want is ads on my website. I once belonged to a church that opted for free web hosting. They immediately cancelled when ads for beer, sports illustrated swimsuit, and playboy started appearing in banners.
 
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