At the risk of sounding like just another Microsoft bashing session, I already trust Apple’s MobileMe more than
Microsoft’s Mesh. Apple today unveiled the new service which it says will be up and running in July.
MobileMe will replace the venerable .Mac online file storage service and compete with Microsoft’s yet-to-be released Mesh synchronization system, which Redmond claims will support “all” mobile devices, but will initially work only with those running its own operating systems (of course).
The news was announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, which also served as the launching ground for a new, lower-priced iPhone model. More on that later.
Thought neither system is yet available, the way I see it, Apple already has two huge advantages. First, it’s got a built-in user base of .Mac people. The service has been around for years anyone buying a Mac is hit over the head to sign up. Second, Apple says MobileMe will work not just with Macs and Apple devices, but with Windows PCs too. So for the millions of us using Exchange at work and something else at home and on the road, a vendor-neutral solution is the perfect thing. Changes to any data anywhere are replicated to all places instantly and automatically, the company says.
I can’t say I’m crazy about the name; MobileMe sounds a bit like the attitude of too many people today: “Me, me me.” But I guess it’s better than an iSomething. I wonder what they paid for the domain me.com.
The service will cost US$99 per year and doubles .Mac’s capacity to 20GB. Current users of .Mac, which costs $69 per month, get the upgrade for free. That means you can subscribe to .Mac now and save $30 in July. There’s also a 60-day free trial.
