Apple's new MobileMe Calendar out of beta, available to all members

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Apple announced Thursday that its new web-based calendar application for MobileMe subscribers has officially exited the beta stages and is now available to all members.



To start using the new calendar members simply need to sign in to me.com/calendar, click "Upgrade now" in the lower left corner of the Calendar web application, and follow the instructions. However, members who've been using the Calendar since it was a beta product don't need to do anything.



Better iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch integration



Apple says the new MobileMe Calendar was designed to integrate more fluently with the built-in calendar app on iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches by always keeping it in sync with a Mac or PC. New events or changes are automatically pushed to iOS 4 devices so the calendar stays up to date. Users who schedule a meeting on their iOS devices will also see that meeting pushed everywhere too.



Share calendars with family and friends



The new version also makes it easier for users to share calendars with one or more MobileMe members to keep everyone on the same page. For example, users can create a shared calendar called "Family" for weekend activities, then allow family members to edit events, and then receive email notifications informing them of those changes.



Publish a calendar for a group or team




Another new features lets users share a read-only public calendar, which Apple says is ideal for publishing an events calendar such as a child's sports team schedule. Once set up, a link to view the calendar can be sent to other team members for viewing on their iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or PC.







Event invitations with RSVPs




Users can also invite guests to an event by adding their email address to the event (they don't have to be a MobileMe member) and guests will get an invitation email they can respond to directly by clicking a link. The event then automatically updates, making it easy to track RSVPs right in the calendar.



New web application



All these features tie into new web application at me.com with redesigned day, week, and month views, as well as a new list view to make scanning events easier.



Apple says the new web application works best with Safari 5, Firefox 3.6, and Internet Explorer 8. Compatibility with iPhone or iPod touch requires iOS 4.1, while iPad users must be running either version 3.2 or 4.2 (due this November). Mac users must have Mac OS X 10.6.4 installed and PC users will need MobileMe Control Panel version 1.6.3 and Outlook 2007 or 2010.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 53
    mj webmj web Posts: 918member
    It made my calendars go haywire! If not for TM I would've been screwed big-time! Totally unreliable eye-candy in IMHO.
  • Reply 2 of 53
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Would love to have heard the discussion at Apple on why we need the torn off pad paper remnants in the corners or the calendar. Totally cheesy gimmick clip art.
  • Reply 3 of 53
    oskiooskio Posts: 60member
    Thanks for updating your overpriced cloud software Apple!



    MobileMe should be MobileFree...
  • Reply 4 of 53
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Apple announced Thursday that it's new web-based calendar application for MobileMe subscribers has officially exited the beta stages and is now available to all members....



    I wonder if this was what the 3 hour massive outage/screwup on Tuesday was all about?
  • Reply 5 of 53
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SuperDuperCheese View Post


    I still don't get why people buy MobileMe. It's nice, but google calendar does the same job for...free



    There's a lot more to MobileMe than just a calendar and not everyone uses Gmail. In fact I don't know any serious tech person who would use Gmail as their main email address, most just use it for throwaway stuff.
  • Reply 6 of 53
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SuperDuperCheese View Post


    I still don't get why people buy MobileMe. It's nice, but google calendar does the same job for...free



    If you want Back to My Mac, the price is reasonable since to get that functionality along with iDisk you need to pay somebody, might as well be Apple. Plus nobody sells a Find my iPhone app at any price.
  • Reply 7 of 53
    gustavgustav Posts: 827member
    If "gimmicky clip art" is all you are complaining about, then it looks like Apple has done pretty well.



    I like the new interface - it looks good.
  • Reply 8 of 53
    I continue to wonder why iCal can not calculate from a known birthdate or anniversary date so that a recurring event will tell me which Birthday or Anniversary the event is. This simple math function should be a easy fix / feature.
  • Reply 9 of 53
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gustav View Post


    If "gimmicky clip art" is all you are complaining about, then it looks like Apple has done pretty well.



    I like the new interface - it looks good.





    No complaint just surprise that the Steve would agree to that. I just started using it so I have no opinion yet on the features or the interface controls, although, it seems to be snappier. (for the record)
  • Reply 10 of 53
    gustavgustav Posts: 827member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SuperDuperCheese View Post


    I still don't get why people buy MobileMe. It's nice, but google calendar does the same job for...free



    Yes, but Google does not:

    - sync data other than calendar and address book

    - provide online storage

    - have a well-integrated way to publish photos

    - have Find My iPhone

    - have Back To My Mac

    - let me publish my address book to another user



    But they do use my data to sell advertising.
  • Reply 11 of 53
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SuperDuperCheese View Post


    I still don't get why people buy MobileMe. It's nice, but google calendar does the same job for...free



    Mobile me has:

    a website feature (sucks)



    Photo gallery you can share that is connected to iPhoto and also appleTV an iOS devies (nice)



    Find my iphone and find my Ipad: worth the price for this feature alone. If your phone is buried under a couch in silent mode you can use GPS to verify it's home and then send a sound even though it is in silent mode. Nice!



    iDisk: store you crap in the cloud. not bad, not good. About 20 gigs for standard plan



    back to my mac: I use to do business from home from time to time. nice.



    iLife syncing: fantastic.ios calenders and desktop calender in sync in real time at all times. Includes contact syncing. Love it.



    email address: who cares.



    Backup: feature sucks.



    Not perfect ... but worth the price in my opinion.
  • Reply 12 of 53
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SuperDuperCheese View Post


    I still don't get why people buy MobileMe. It's nice, but google calendar does the same job for...free



    Started getting warnings about using too much data from GMail and the only way to solve it was to purchase one of their business plans. It wasn't that i got a lot of mail but I did have a lot of devices syncing. If i have to buy something I was going to get something with extra features I thought were useful and someone that can be talked to for support if necessary. That is why I signed up for MobileMe.



    GMail did its job when it worked though.
  • Reply 13 of 53
    kevtkevt Posts: 195member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gustav View Post


    Yes, but Google does not:

    - sync data other than calendar and address book

    - provide online storage

    - have a well-integrated way to publish photos

    - have Find My iPhone

    - have Back To My Mac

    - let me publish my address book to another user



    But they do use my data to sell advertising.



    Google syncs my calenders & DropBox provides the storage.

    I'd be prepared to pay a bit for MobileMe, but imo it's way overpriced for what it

    offers when most stuff is available free if not quite so well executed.



    Maybe off topic but the Windows Phone 7 looked to have a decent looking calendar

    On my iPhone I've used Apps SaiSuke and Pocket Informant which are decent

    but feel that the iPhone should have a better calendar out of the box.
  • Reply 14 of 53
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by moe-jiller View Post


    I continue to wonder why iCal can not calculate from a known birthdate or anniversary date so that a recurring event will tell me which Birthday or Anniversary the event is. This simple math function should be a easy fix / feature.



    Agreed. Also frustrating that married couples must have separate cards in order to have separate birthdays.
  • Reply 15 of 53
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    I have an iPhone, I have an iPad, I have a Mac. Why do I need Me.COM?



    We have apps for this, we don't need webapps.
  • Reply 16 of 53
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SuperDuperCheese View Post


    I still don't get why people buy MobileMe. It's nice, but google calendar does the same job for...free



    When something goes wrong, Google is accountable to no one. You're not paying for it. They owe you nothing.



    With MobileMe, Apple is accountable to my dollar, plain and simple.
  • Reply 17 of 53
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SuperDuperCheese View Post


    I still don't get why people buy MobileMe. It's nice, but google calendar does the same job for...free



    Google aps are NOT free. You pay with your personal information. I'd much rather pay a nominal fee to Apple ($5 a month is hardly unreasonable) to keep my personal information private. Maybe some see that as ridiculous, but I think it's important to have the option for those of us who appreciate it.
  • Reply 18 of 53
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post


    When something goes wrong, Google is accountable to no one. You're not paying for it. They owe you nothing.



    With MobileMe, Apple is accountable to my dollar, plain and simple.



    Um, have you ever actually tried to get Apple support for a MobileMe issue? You can't get support via phone; they force you to use online chat, which often takes literally HOURS for a resolution (and occasionally ends without any resolution at all).



    Dn't get me wrong, I've been using MobileMe since before it was a paid service, and I do think it's worth it (though I was pretty pissed when they started charging for a service that they originally touted as free). However, Apple should be ashamed of the fact that they don't offer proper support for this (relatively) expensive subscription service. In this particular case, Apple has found a way to be anything BUT accountable.
  • Reply 19 of 53
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SuperDuperCheese View Post


    I still don't get why people buy MobileMe. It's nice, but google calendar does the same job for...free



    I take your point...but I've used MobileMe (.Mac) for years now. It has been sort of lagging for most of that time...however.



    I like the Apple ecosystem. So I'm "all-in!" I wouldn't have any other phone than the iPhone 4, just like I wouldn't have a router in my house that wasn't Apple.



    I know Google is free...but I find there offerings very disjointed and clumsy.



    MobieMe's best features are the syncing and saving settings from one mac to the next and the iPhone of course. It's worth the price for this feature alone.



    I do supplement it with DropBox, though.



    Best



    PS. CoDog...that's when I started using it too...when it was free. I forgot about that!
  • Reply 20 of 53
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    It’s amazing that whenever a story about a change to MobileMe pops up there are people that focus on that one aspect of the service and deem it unworthy of being a paid app.



    I have 5 accounts tied to a MobileMe Family Plan that I pay about $80/year to maintain. Besides the many Macs and Windows PCs tied to the service there are 12 iDevice that I am aware of that are tied to FindMy[iDevice] service. On top of that I use Back to My Mac for routine maintenance and updates using a special admin account for some of the Macs within my family. I also forward all my Gmail to my MM account so it will be pushed to my iDevices instantly. This also works with syncing Notes between these devices. Nothing else on the market even comes close to doing all that, not to mention the ease of use and low price for the service.
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