Apple shutters MobileMe, keeps data available for 'limited time'
Apple lived up to its word on Sunday by closing down its MobileMe service, though it is allowing users to move their accounts to iCloud or download photos and files for a "limited time."
A closed sign appeared on Apple's Me.com website over the weekend, as noted by MacRumors. The page now contains links for migrating an account to iCloud, downloading photos from Gallery and downloading files from iDisk.
After announcing its replacement iCloud service, the Cupertino, Calif., company warned last June that it would sunset MobileMe on June 30, 2012. It sent a reminder to users early last month of the impending shutdown.
In order to help entice remaining customers to move to iCloud, Apple has extended free storage upgrades and even given out free copies of OS X Snow Leopard to some users. In May, the company published a FAQ informing customers that if they had already purchased 20GB of storage from MobileMe they would receive the same amount of storage in iCloud until September 30, 2012. OS X Lion users have reportedly been offered free copies of Snow Leopard so they can install the Mac App Store and upgrade to Lion, which is required for some of iCloud's features.
Apple re-upped its commitment to iCloud last month at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, Calif. The company announced there that iCloud will gain Notes and Reminders syncing later this year, as well as tighter integration with OS X Mountain Lion.
A closed sign appeared on Apple's Me.com website over the weekend, as noted by MacRumors. The page now contains links for migrating an account to iCloud, downloading photos from Gallery and downloading files from iDisk.
After announcing its replacement iCloud service, the Cupertino, Calif., company warned last June that it would sunset MobileMe on June 30, 2012. It sent a reminder to users early last month of the impending shutdown.
In order to help entice remaining customers to move to iCloud, Apple has extended free storage upgrades and even given out free copies of OS X Snow Leopard to some users. In May, the company published a FAQ informing customers that if they had already purchased 20GB of storage from MobileMe they would receive the same amount of storage in iCloud until September 30, 2012. OS X Lion users have reportedly been offered free copies of Snow Leopard so they can install the Mac App Store and upgrade to Lion, which is required for some of iCloud's features.
Apple re-upped its commitment to iCloud last month at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, Calif. The company announced there that iCloud will gain Notes and Reminders syncing later this year, as well as tighter integration with OS X Mountain Lion.
Comments
What was niece for me was the free Web hosting provided by MobileMe, together with iWeb. Although iWeb will probably not be supported anymore .. it still works, and I have found an alternate host for my site (created with iWeb). I have to say I have trouble to understand the logic behind this decision, but time will probably tell ....
I waited until the last minute to migrate to iCloud because I don't plan on upgrading my iPhone 3G until the next version comes out this September or October. These instructions were helpful in getting my iPhone 3G to sync with iCloud. http://macmanusnl.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/icloud-and-the-officially-unsupported-iphone-3g-sync-works/
I can't upgrade to Lion because my Intel MacMini is not a Core 2 machine. I tried to get Snow Leopard's Address Book to sync with iCloud, but kept getting duplicates, and finally decided that it wasn't worth the trouble since I don't really use address book ever. I was able to get iCal on Snow Leopard to successfully sync with iCloud.
I can comfortably coast along for a few months now until I can upgrade my hardware.
What decision? To make their cloud service free so it's used by more than a handful of their iOS and Mac OS users?
As for your web hosting there are plenty that are so simple to use with plenty of additional options and inexpensive enough to still save you money over what you paid for MM. You can even go the free route and use Tumblr and other such services if you still want to use someone else's domain to host your page.
I do believe you've got that backwards...
Not backwards but it is incorrect. Leopard users were offered free copies of SL since you need to have SL installed to install Lion.
I moved my iWeb websites over to DV Host (http://www.dvhost.com), and it works just as easily. After changing my publishing settings, I continue to press the "Publish" button in iWeb. It took 10 minutes to change everything. The difference is that it now publishes to DV Host instead of MobileMe.
I think it's a good solution for us MobileMe "refugees" who want to continue using iWeb.
I hope iWeb will still be part of the next version of iLife, because to be honest I haven't found anything that's as simple to use. I tried RapidWeaver, Sandvox, etc, but didn't like any of them.
Not sure about iWeb but iCloud is clearly MobileMe 2.0, or .Mac 3.0, depending on your point of view.
I just migrated, and the transition went well. I miss the level of syncing that MM had, such as keychain and dashboard syncing, but for now, I can live without them.
I anticipate that iCloud will become much more deeply integrated into future versions of Apple's operating systems as their cloud vision matures. And that's precisely what I like about Apple. It's a bet on the future of operating systems, and Apple tends to make the right bets.
Also, DV Host have said they will continue to support iWeb indefinitely.
Well, yeah. iWeb is just an application. You make the stuff, you push it out. As long as browsers still render the code, iWeb will always work.
iWeb has a particular problem. There's no way to convert an iWeb site to a format that another editor can use. If you started your site on iWeb, you're stuck with iWeb forever (at least, as far as I know). Fortunately, I only had a couple of sites using iWeb and don't need them any more, so it's not a big deal for me, but it might be for a lot of people.
I really wish that they would have kept iDisk, even as a paid service, though. With all of these new server farms, it shouldn't be that big a deal. Unfortunately, none of the alternatives are as well-integrated.
I finally discovered One.com free Cloud Drive which works with iOS 3.1.3 and allows automatic synching of any folder on your Mac. It also works with WebDAV allowing you to automatically sync with your Mac, open and edit Pages docs on your iPhone/Pad, something even iCloud can't do yet.
As far as I can tell, it's the only solution for iOS devices which won't run iOS 4.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta
iWeb has a particular problem. There's no way to convert an iWeb site to a format that another editor can use. If you started your site on iWeb, you're stuck with iWeb forever (at least, as far as I know). Fortunately, I only had a couple of sites using iWeb and don't need them any more, so it's not a big deal for me, but it might be for a lot of people.
I really wish that they would have kept iDisk, even as a paid service, though. With all of these new server farms, it shouldn't be that big a deal. Unfortunately, none of the alternatives are as well-integrated.
While that's true in most cases, Karelia have made an extractor tool that takes your iWeb data, extracts it, and converts it to a format that their Sandvox web design program can understand: http://www.karelia.com/news/sandvox-26.html
That being said, and didn't like it at all. I find iWeb much more intuitive, and now that I have all my iWeb websites on dvhost, I have no plans to switch. I just hope Apple will at least release some small updates for iWeb in the future.
Everybody's moving on
And having fun
I was a fool for hanging here
And having none
I can't get over how Apple cut me free,
Oh lonesome me
There must be some way
That I can lose these digi-blues
Forget about my service past and
Find something old but new
I've thought of everything from "i" to Z
Oh lonesome me
I'll bet Cupertino's not like me
She's out and fancy free
Flirting with the fanbois with all her cloudish charms
But I still love her so, and brother
Don't you know it, I'd welcome MobileMe
Right back into my arms
[adapted from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/n/neil_young/oh_lonesome_me.html ]
Well, that helps, but I wouldn't be happy going from one proprietary format to another. As I said, I'm fortunate that I don't need my iWeb sites any more, but I'd be very upset if I needed to modify them.
I am quite upset with Apple about the MoblieMe to iCloud transition.
It REQUIRED me to upgrade to Lion when on the PC people can still use XP and even Vista!!!
Vista vs. Snow Leopard?
In doing so, I lost access to many important legacy Rosetta apps that were important to my workflow.
Sucks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton
Not sure about iWeb but iCloud is clearly MobileMe 2.0, or .Mac 3.0, depending on your point of view.
I just migrated, and the transition went well. I miss the level of syncing that MM had, such as keychain and dashboard syncing, but for now, I can live without them.
I anticipate that iCloud will become much more deeply integrated into future versions of Apple's operating systems as their cloud vision matures. And that's precisely what I like about Apple. It's a bet on the future of operating systems, and Apple tends to make the right bets.
Agreed. I don't think anyone likely to post to this kind of a thread wants to hear it but the real solution is just to move on.
The kind of websites facilitated by iWeb and MobileMe Galleries were terribly passé even in the late 90's. Why not get excited about the future and look forward to what's to come, instead of worrying over the pristine state of your 1990's vanity site? No one is going to visit your website of family photos except your mum anyway. Look forward to sharing your photos on shared photostreams next year instead of trying to code a whole silly "official website" around them. It's a better solution for the same problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta
Well, that helps, but I wouldn't be happy going from one proprietary format to another. As I said, I'm fortunate that I don't need my iWeb sites any more, but I'd be very upset if I needed to modify them.
I really don't understand what your talking about.
iWeb creates standards based websites just like any other website creation application does. Just load your "rendered" website into any other creation / editor app you want.
Am I missing something?
edit: ...and that said; I find (for my needs) iWeb to be the most useful and simple web content creation app around. Why stop using it just because Apple's online hosting service is gone? (I never used that anyway)
They must have changed it if you are correct. The last time I used iWeb, it was impossible to open the web site with any other page editor.