Alternative to @me.com?

I've been a subscriber to iTools, .mac, MobileMe and now iCloud. Sadly I had to lose my @mac.com email owing to abusive emails but I never really minded the rather babyish @me.com email as I had a forwarding address I could use. However, this has stopped working for the second time in as many months - no notification, just me knowing I should have received an email I never got, testing it by sending an email to my forwarding address and never getting it. This appears to be a particular problem with the address and MobileMe as forwards to a charity email I have.

Anyway, I know some of the original reviews of MobileMe complained that @me.com seemed a rather childish domain and having given the address out even over the last couple of days people look slightly askance and say they've never heard of it. Do you think Apple will ever open up @icloud.com as an option? I'd have though customers would find it preferable, or even bring back @mac.com The me address seems somewhat incongruous with the death of MobileMe anyway.

Incongruous as a product strand though isn't it? I'm surprised Apple hasn't at least opened up iCloud as well as Me, as they did with .mac and me.com to give customers the choice and also to provide extra recognition for iCloud. After all, lots of people emailing with @icloud.com is a fairly effective unconscious form of advertising.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tallest Skil 

@me is as "babyish" as @yahoo or many of the other e-mail names available. It's here to stay.

True, but both are more so I'd say than hotmail.com and certainly gmail.com.

Well one is a nomenclature for the company with mail on the end, the other is descriptive of fast mail because it's email. Me just sounds narcissistic. It's not only myself who's said this - plenty of reviews at the time and since say it is less pleasing and 'adult' or business-like than .mac and I'd say the same is also true in comparison with iCloud. Now MobileMe has gone there seems little reason to keep it in isolation, at the expense of @mac.com or @icloud.com, both of which at least refer to existing Apple products.

Seems the issue today wasn't with email forwarding service at all but iCloud - got a whole bunch of messages through this evening. Wonder if anyone else has had any problems. Nothing in system status.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tallest Skil 

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpw_amherst 

Me just sounds narcissistic. It's not only myself who's said this - plenty of reviews at the time and since say it is less pleasing and 'adult' or business-like…

It's the name of an e-mail domain. This doesn't matter to anyone intelligent. Who cares what it "sounds like" at a given time? @aol sounded funny at first, serious during its time in power, and absolutely pathetic now. @gmail used to be cool in private beta. Now that we know the darker side, it's avoided by every business worth its salt.
If Apple opened up @mac.com and @icloud.com for new e-mails, I'd grab mine of them, too. But it's seriously not a big deal. I'm not against those two being used–other than the complete lack of simplicity–I'm just against the idea that @me is in any way less valid.

I think we're going to have to agree to disagree. AOL is the acronym of America On-line - of course as you know - (in old days when those were two words!), gmail=Google Mail etc. Me doesn't reflect a brand, even in the days of MobileMe the address wasn't @mobileme.com - it bears no relationship to an Apple product, especially now. I just think that's odd. I don't think @aol sounds pathetic now - it might because AOL is not the competitor it once was but it has brand recognition, like Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail etc. I'm not sure 'me' does. I know lots of people who use macs who have no idea what @me.com relates to.

And thanks also Marvin for your reply. Most helpful. I'm lucky in that I do have my my proper name without a number with Apple, but I also take your point that it sounds less professional being a free 3rd party solution. Even alumni forwarding addresses can give the impression you're still a student so I'll look into what you say.