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.
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.
Comments
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.
Mobile mich
If it were me, they wouldn't get it back.
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?
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.
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.
...they recalled them simply due to the rampant spelling errors on the bottom of the box front.
Hahaha, that woke me up properly!
Jimzip
I love apple, but sometimes they go a little nuts.
really accidentally do anything. It was the courier who made a mistake, right?
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.
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.
There's something to be said for the Chinese tradition of not referring to yourself directly.
--Michael W. Perry, Untangling Tolkien
...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.
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.
It's not that hard, trust me.
...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...
And by POP I presume you meant Push, and no, that is currently not active, as explained above.