Apple accidently ships MobileMe boxes; Google Talk for iPhone

***AppleInsider*** · 07-03-2008, 12:24 PM

Apple this morning is sending couriers to fetch and recoup MobileMe retail boxes that were mistakenly delivered early to some customers. Meanwhile, Google has released a streamlined Google Talk messaging client for iPhone and the iPod touch.

MobileMe breaks free a few days early

Around the same time that @me.com email addresses became active for some existing .Mac subscribers, Apple began shipping MobileMe retail boxes to customers who had pre-ordered the service through its online store.

Couriers were apparently asked to hold local delivery until sometime mid-to-late next week, but at least one of them mistakenly began making home deliveries this week.

The MobileMe retail box pictured below was delivered to one customer today. When he called Apple Support because he couldn't activate his service, a rep told him that the box shouldn't have been delivered and that a courier would return to take it back into custody, then redeliver it later.

.Mac customers making the transition to MobileMe should check out AppleInsider's what you need to know guide on moving to the new service.

Users who have not synced their .Mac Web bookmarks to Safari by now should do so immediately, as the service will be discontinued on July 6th. Apple had previously said it would discontinue .Mac Web bookmarks on June 30th, but has extended the deadline for syncing.

Meanwhile, prospective MobileMe subscribers can pre-order a single license MobileMe account from Amazon for $89.99 (a $10 savings) or the Family pack with one individual account plus four Family Member accounts for $134.99 (a $45 savings).

More information on MobileMe is available in this AppleInsider article or at MobileMe.com

Google Talk for iPhone

Also on Thursday, Google released a new streamlined Google Talk web application for the iPhone and iPod touch that's accessible via www.google.com/talk from the mobile version of Safari. Some of the features of the new app are:

Chat with your Google Talk contacts in real time. Send and receive instant messages in chat sessions with your contacts. Move easily between multiple open chats.

View and search for your Google Talk contacts. See the availability and status message of your contacts and change your own status on the go.

Go off the record if you don't want to store your chats. Off the record chats are not stored on Gmail.

Google notes that Google Talk must be open in your Safari browser and you must be logged in to receive instant messages.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

ktappe · 07-03-2008, 12:36 PM

"They can have my MobileMe box back when they pry it from my cold, dead hands."

jtismee · 07-03-2008, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

a rep told him that the box shouldn't have been delivered and that a courier would return to take it back into custody, then redeliver it later.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

What an enormous waste of gas!!!!

Who cares if he has the box now, its not like they're going to change anything about it.

chriskeo · 07-03-2008, 12:42 PM

who cares if they have it now, if they cant active it yet what's the difference, the activation date is the same regardless

Ireland · 07-03-2008, 12:47 PM

Shock horror!

Mobile mich

bdkennedy1 · 07-03-2008, 12:49 PM

What a complete lack of common sense and a waste of resources. We'll pick it up and redeliver it in a few days.

If it were me, they wouldn't get it back.

pixelcruncher · 07-03-2008, 12:52 PM

They obviously have yet to finish the work on the Mobile Me logo. That's got to be the temp logo they threw together in PS five minutes before the keynote in order to maintain secrecy.

bdkennedy1 · 07-03-2008, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pixelcruncher

They obviously have yet to finish the work on the Mobile Me logo. That's got to be the temp logo they threw together in PS five minutes before the keynote in order to maintain secrecy.

I hope you're being sarcastic. Like they're going to send the shipping companies new boxes to put the software in?

solipsism · 07-03-2008, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Meanwhile, prospective MobileMe subscribers can pre-order a single license MobileMe account from Amazon for $89.99 (a $10 savings) or the Family pack with one individual account plus four Family Member accounts for $134.99 (a $45 savings).

The cheapest I've found is $79.96 for both the single and family packs.

Quote:

Google notes that Google Talk must be open in your Safari browser and you must be logged in to receive instant messages.

Too bad it can't cache your chats. The downfall of Meebo is that if you leave Safari or even check a different Safari page for too long you are disconnected. A real pain in the arse. Can't wait for Adium on the iPhone to be released.

jpellino · 07-03-2008, 01:06 PM

...they recalled them simply due to the rampant spelling errors on the bottom of the box front.

Jimzip · 07-03-2008, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpellino

...they recalled them simply due to the rampant spelling errors on the bottom of the box front.

Hahaha, that woke me up properly!

Jimzip

krynsky · 07-03-2008, 01:30 PM

If a rep told me someone was going to take back a delivery I'dd tell them to go F__K OFF. What is Apple going to do, sue me into returning it? Even their hot to trot lawyers aren't that quick.

I love apple, but sometimes they go a little nuts.

Lafe · 07-03-2008, 01:33 PM

Am I misreading something, or is the article's title off-base? Sounds like Apple didn't
really accidentally do anything. It was the courier who made a mistake, right?

Ireland · 07-03-2008, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pixelcruncher

They obviously have yet to finish the work on the Mobile Me logo. That's got to be the temp logo they threw together in PS five minutes before the keynote in order to maintain secrecy.

I like the logo.

Ireland · 07-03-2008, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lafe

Am I misreading something, or is the article's title off-base? Sounds like Apple didn't
really accidentally do anything. It was the courier who made a mistake, right?

Oh Jeeze, what a world of difference.

Inkling · 07-03-2008, 02:51 PM

Are their people at Apple who actually think having an email address that ends in @me.com is a plus? I find it incredibly tacky, like getting stuck on a long trip with someone who can't talk about anyone or anything but themselves. Me, me, me, me.... All those "My" icons on Windows machines affect me much the same way.

There's something to be said for the Chinese tradition of not referring to yourself directly.

--Michael W. Perry, Untangling Tolkien

cykz · 07-03-2008, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpellino

...they recalled them simply due to the rampant spelling errors on the bottom of the box front.

Thanks!
I came back to the article fully convinced that there would be nothing wrong with the spelling. I would have laughed anyway.

gumashow · 07-03-2008, 03:04 PM

Hey all... well, my @me email address is working. Just sent a test email to it and it arrived -- not in apple mail app that is configured for mac.com but it did land in my .mac webmail mailbox. I am wondering if we will now have to configure 'mail' for the @me address. Unless the POP section is not in service yet.

And, I HIGHLY doubt that Apple will be sending couriers to pick up anything that was delivered prematurely. Like one poster said, it's not like it can be activated yet.

ALSO, this is probably a dumb question but, if I buy a .mac box now at a discount will I be able to use that registration after mobleme kicks off... i assuming yes but what do you all think? thanks.

antiorario · 07-03-2008, 03:18 PM

It's accidentally. Noun: accident > adjective: accidental > adverb: accidentally.

It's not that hard, trust me.

Rot'nApple · 07-03-2008, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpellino

...they recalled them simply due to the rampant spelling errors on the bottom of the box front.

Either misspelled words or that courier has a long trek to go from Cupertino, CA to Germany or Austria to pick it up...

PG4G · 07-03-2008, 03:49 PM

No, Mail should work directly with it. However, Push will not currently work. This is probly because the software hasn't been installed for it (the software update that will also change everything from .Mac to MobileMe), and I doubt Apple will have activated push yet at the server. IMAP will still work with Mobile me anyway.

And by POP I presume you meant Push, and no, that is currently not active, as explained above.

bobertoq · 07-03-2008, 03:50 PM

Where does it say it was an accident? I don't see a label on the box that says, "We shipped this by accident, don't open until the 11th".

Also, aren't some of the words spelled wrong? Kalender :P

jpellino · 07-03-2008, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rot'nApple

Either misspelled words or that courier has a long trek to go from Cupertino, CA to Germany or Austria to pick it up...

I hear Chuck Noland's on the case.

PG4G · 07-03-2008, 04:42 PM

Er... do you guys think english is the only language? kalendar is German. Its a german box, and the tipoff was from Germany.

jpellino · 07-03-2008, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PG4G

Er... do you guys think english is the only language? kalendar is German. Its a german box, and the tipoff was from Germany.

That was the AppleInsider sense-of-humor detector you just jammed your pinky toe on.

PG4G · 07-03-2008, 04:58 PM

That was the Australian sense-of-humor detector you just jammed your pinky toe on. Laughing about American arrogance about them being the centre of the universe is a favorite Aussie pastime.

Buck · 07-03-2008, 05:03 PM

Die Mobile Me, Die.

pixelcruncher · 07-03-2008, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ireland

I like the logo.

My tastes aren't very mainstream. I don't have any T-shirts with unicorns or Care Bears or sparkly rainbows. I'm more of a titanium, glossy black, brushed metal kinda guy.

u1725 · 07-03-2008, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobertoq

Where does it say it was an accident? I don't see a label on the box that says, "We shipped this by accident, don't open until the 11th".

Also, aren't some of the words spelled wrong? Kalender :P

It's the german box

PG4G · 07-03-2008, 05:31 PM

read above... we've already been discussing the humorous nature of that comment.

Hattig · 07-03-2008, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by u1725

It's the german box

ORLY? You don't say!

Or could it be the Austrian box ... or the German Swiss box?

allblue · 07-03-2008, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hattig

ORLY? You don't say!

Or could it be the Austrian box ... or the German Swiss box?

No, Orly is in France.

jpellino · 07-03-2008, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PG4G

That was the Australian sense-of-humor detector you just jammed your pinky toe on. Laughing about American arrogance about them being the centre of the universe is a favorite Aussie pastime.

Nice backpedal though.

jpellino · 07-03-2008, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PG4G

No, Mail should work directly with it. However, Push will not currently work. This is probly because the software hasn't been installed for it (the software update that will also change everything from .Mac to MobileMe), and I doubt Apple will have activated push yet at the server. IMAP will still work with Mobile me anyway.

And by POP I presume you meant Push, and no, that is currently not active, as explained above.

He likely does mean POP, standard *retrieval*, so we could explicitly configure a mail.app account to deal with the me.com account without needing the push.

Which, by the way currently works just fine. Simply make a POP account for me.com using the same mail and smtp servers, ports and authentication as a mac.com POP setup. Simply substitute me.com for mac.com wherever it occurs. Just tested it from my me.com account to another private account, and all's well. Both directions.

SpamSandwich · 07-04-2008, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PG4G

That was the Australian sense-of-humor detector you just jammed your pinky toe on. Laughing about American arrogance about them being the centre of the universe is a favorite Aussie pastime.

Aw, c'mon... don't tell me all Aussie's are bitter like you.

datamodel · 07-04-2008, 06:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pixelcruncher

My tastes aren't very mainstream. I don't have any T-shirts with unicorns or Care Bears or sparkly rainbows. I'm more of a titanium, glossy black, brushed metal kinda guy.

Sounds like a hell of a T-shirt...

**JeffDM** · 07-04-2008, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krynsky

If a rep told me someone was going to take back a delivery I'dd tell them to go F__K OFF. What is Apple going to do, sue me into returning it? Even their hot to trot lawyers aren't that quick.

I agree, the damage is done. People usually can't just unsee something. Just the part about a courier picking it up so they can re-deliver it at the proper time just sounds like a solution a mindless drone would present.

stevenoz · 07-09-2008, 12:14 PM

I wonder if it was someone born in the 1980s (the materialistic, egocentric me-generation some say) who thought up me.com? I would be loathe to use such an address!

Plazman · 07-16-2008, 02:17 PM

Google Talk seems like a strange name for an app that you don't talk to, not does it talk to you. Am I missing something?

07-03-2008, 12:24 PM	#1
*AppleInsider* Kasper's Automated Slave Join Date: Nov 1997 Posts: 6,159	Apple accidently ships MobileMe boxes; Google Talk for iPhone Apple this morning is sending couriers to fetch and recoup MobileMe retail boxes that were mistakenly delivered early to some customers. Meanwhile, Google has released a streamlined Google Talk messaging client for iPhone and the iPod touch. MobileMe breaks free a few days early Around the same time that @me.com email addresses became active for some existing .Mac subscribers, Apple began shipping MobileMe retail boxes to customers who had pre-ordered the service through its online store. Couriers were apparently asked to hold local delivery until sometime mid-to-late next week, but at least one of them mistakenly began making home deliveries this week. The MobileMe retail box pictured below was delivered to one customer today. When he called Apple Support because he couldn't activate his service, a rep told him that the box shouldn't have been delivered and that a courier would return to take it back into custody, then redeliver it later. .Mac customers making the transition to MobileMe should check out AppleInsider's what you need to know guide on moving to the new service. Users who have not synced their .Mac Web bookmarks to Safari by now should do so immediately, as the service will be discontinued on July 6th. Apple had previously said it would discontinue .Mac Web bookmarks on June 30th, but has extended the deadline for syncing. Meanwhile, prospective MobileMe subscribers can pre-order a single license MobileMe account from Amazon for $89.99 (a $10 savings) or the Family pack with one individual account plus four Family Member accounts for $134.99 (a $45 savings). More information on MobileMe is available in this AppleInsider article or at MobileMe.com Google Talk for iPhone Also on Thursday, Google released a new streamlined Google Talk web application for the iPhone and iPod touch that's accessible via www.google.com/talk from the mobile version of Safari. Some of the features of the new app are: Chat with your Google Talk contacts in real time. Send and receive instant messages in chat sessions with your contacts. Move easily between multiple open chats. View and search for your Google Talk contacts. See the availability and status message of your contacts and change your own status on the go. Go off the record if you don't want to store your chats. Off the record chats are not stored on Gmail. Google notes that Google Talk must be open in your Safari browser and you must be logged in to receive instant messages. [ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

07-03-2008, 12:36 PM	#2
ktappe Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Wilmington, DE Posts: 134	Not "They can have my MobileMe box back when they pry it from my cold, dead hands."

07-03-2008, 12:42 PM	#4
chriskeo Registered User Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: New Jersey Posts: 20	Who Cares who cares if they have it now, if they cant active it yet what's the difference, the activation date is the same regardless

07-03-2008, 12:47 PM	#5
Ireland Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Ireland Posts: 8,561	Apple accidentally ships a box for their rip-off service, oh no more money for them!! Shock horror! Mobile mich Collecting my SSD iMac Fry-die. :D

07-03-2008, 01:06 PM	#10
jpellino Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 259	Clearly... ...they recalled them simply due to the rampant spelling errors on the bottom of the box front.

07-03-2008, 12:49 PM	#6
bdkennedy1 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 402	What a complete lack of common sense and a waste of resources. We'll pick it up and redeliver it in a few days. If it were me, they wouldn't get it back.

07-03-2008, 12:52 PM	#7
pixelcruncher Registered User Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 119	They obviously have yet to finish the work on the Mobile Me logo. That's got to be the temp logo they threw together in PS five minutes before the keynote in order to maintain secrecy.

07-03-2008, 01:30 PM	#12
krynsky Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 2	Take it back? WTF If a rep told me someone was going to take back a delivery I'dd tell them to go F__K OFF. What is Apple going to do, sue me into returning it? Even their hot to trot lawyers aren't that quick. I love apple, but sometimes they go a little nuts.

07-03-2008, 01:33 PM	#13
Lafe Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 222	Am I misreading something, or is the article's title off-base? Sounds like Apple didn't really accidentally do anything. It was the courier who made a mistake, right?

07-03-2008, 02:51 PM	#16
Inkling Registered User Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Seattle Posts: 58	Memememememememememe.com Are their people at Apple who actually think having an email address that ends in @me.com is a plus? I find it incredibly tacky, like getting stuck on a long trip with someone who can't talk about anyone or anything but themselves. Me, me, me, me.... All those "My" icons on Windows machines affect me much the same way. There's something to be said for the Chinese tradition of not referring to yourself directly. --Michael W. Perry, Untangling Tolkien

07-03-2008, 03:04 PM	#18
gumashow Registered User Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Hollywood Posts: 15	Hmmm Hey all... well, my @me email address is working. Just sent a test email to it and it arrived -- not in apple mail app that is configured for mac.com but it did land in my .mac webmail mailbox. I am wondering if we will now have to configure 'mail' for the @me address. Unless the POP section is not in service yet. And, I HIGHLY doubt that Apple will be sending couriers to pick up anything that was delivered prematurely. Like one poster said, it's not like it can be activated yet. ALSO, this is probably a dumb question but, if I buy a .mac box now at a discount will I be able to use that registration after mobleme kicks off... i assuming yes but what do you all think? thanks.

07-03-2008, 03:18 PM	#19
antiorario Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Italy Posts: 43	It's accidentally. Noun: accident > adjective: accidental > adverb: accidentally. It's not that hard, trust me.

07-03-2008, 03:49 PM	#21
PG4G Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 333	No, Mail should work directly with it. However, Push will not currently work. This is probly because the software hasn't been installed for it (the software update that will also change everything from .Mac to MobileMe), and I doubt Apple will have activated push yet at the server. IMAP will still work with Mobile me anyway. And by POP I presume you meant Push, and no, that is currently not active, as explained above.

07-03-2008, 03:50 PM	#22
bobertoq Registered User Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 165	Where does it say it was an accident? I don't see a label on the box that says, "We shipped this by accident, don't open until the 11th". Also, aren't some of the words spelled wrong? Kalender :P ALTER BRIDGE is the greatest rock band of today. Myspace \|\| Street Team

07-03-2008, 04:42 PM	#24
PG4G Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 333	Er... do you guys think english is the only language? kalendar is German. Its a german box, and the tipoff was from Germany.

07-03-2008, 04:58 PM	#26
PG4G Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 333	That was the Australian sense-of-humor detector you just jammed your pinky toe on. Laughing about American arrogance about them being the centre of the universe is a favorite Aussie pastime.

07-03-2008, 05:03 PM	#27
Buck Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 257	Die Mobile Me, Die.

07-03-2008, 05:31 PM	#30
PG4G Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 333	read above... we've already been discussing the humorous nature of that comment.

07-09-2008, 12:14 PM	#38
stevenoz Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 8	I wonder if it was someone born in the 1980s (the materialistic, egocentric me-generation some say) who thought up me.com? I would be loathe to use such an address!

07-16-2008, 02:17 PM	#39
Plazman Registered User Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 3	Google Talk? Google Talk seems like a strange name for an app that you don't talk to, not does it talk to you. Am I missing something?

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