Apple to charge $100/year for .Mac services (formerly iTools)?
At least according to ThinkSecret.com:
<a href="http://www.thinksecret.com/news/mwny02dotmac.html"; target="_blank">http://www.thinksecret.com/news/mwny02dotmac.html</a>;
I could see paying $100 for NEW, really cool services and features, but if iDisk, iCards and my mac.com e-mail are all hinging on that, that's going to be quite maddening.
Do you honestly think people will cough up $100, especially for stuff that's been free up until now?
I can imagine some some boos and hisses during the keynote Wednesday when (if) Jobs unveils this particular news.
<a href="http://www.thinksecret.com/news/mwny02dotmac.html"; target="_blank">http://www.thinksecret.com/news/mwny02dotmac.html</a>;
I could see paying $100 for NEW, really cool services and features, but if iDisk, iCards and my mac.com e-mail are all hinging on that, that's going to be quite maddening.
Do you honestly think people will cough up $100, especially for stuff that's been free up until now?
I can imagine some some boos and hisses during the keynote Wednesday when (if) Jobs unveils this particular news.
Comments
But to address the question at hand:
$100 for the current services would be ridiculous considering that it is all basically advertising for Apple. I would think that they would want their mac.com address floating around the internet, and with hotmail being free (or $20/yr for the ability to pop
People actually use iCards?
SlapTech reported the same thing, but either Apple is out of its gourd or these rumor sites don't have the full picture. I have a feeling that Apple will expand on its web-based services, but I imagine that they will keep basic e-mail at the very minimum, if not free iDisk space too. I think this $100 number might be the next step up: $8-10 per month will get you extra iDisk space, extra e-mail features (don't ask me what, I'm no e-mail power user), plus some other services (again, don't ask me what, I have no imagination tonight).
I can't imagine paying for iCards. :eek:
[ 07-15-2002: Message edited by: BuonRotto ]</p>
What Apple is about to introduce some CONSUMER web services far in advance of those to be offered by Microsoft? Something cool, something KILLER?
The problem with .Net is, nobody much can figure out what people are going to do across the net that they don't already do well locally on their own machines. To really open up the remote client movement will require something truly revolutionary.
I'm trying to think of something right now that would be a nifty applicatiion that would be widely used by remote. Sure, word processors and image manipulation exist, but that's not going to be something you can charge people to use.
Maybe wireless services? Blackberry's not making anybody rich, it's hit a wall. Anyway, that might require something small, like a cellphone or PDA, and let's just don't go there with this thread.
.Mac service is fairly unattractive if you don't have broadband. I use it more now than I ever did before DSL. Digital video? Maybe they'll offer to professionally burn DVDs for you if you upload it to your .Mac account? Too much data...WAAAAY too much data. Strike that.
Maybe an Apple dating service?
A MacWorld version of Ultima Online? Become a Mac Genius and stalk the halls of Javits looking for rumors or rumor-mongers....no, games is not a market to enter.
Man, I just can't think of anything that could push me into paying to have this service!
D
the $100/yr for iTools/.Mac is unfortunately quite true... you should be seeing a CNET/News.com piece on this quite soon. however, i don't know what kind of new services Apple plans on offering to start charging such a hefty fee.
<$10/mo is reasonable but it should be a pretty decent set of features. I definitely wouldn't want to pay for the Mac.com email - that should be a bonus for being a Mac user.
na
Apple has had WebObjects for like... how long? They could spiff-up WebObjects and re-brand it as part of .Mac to compete in the same area as MS's .NET.
While it MPEG 4 is ready to go on QT6, the MPEG-LA group is still holding out on the 2 cents per hour royalty plus 1 million dollars per year (for every 50,000 users)
Could be that an internet TV system will require subscription. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
What if Jaguar' upgrade path cost $100 but with that you get a one-year .Mac account?
This may not be accurate but there are plenty of ways to make a $100 year charge more palatable.
Maybe we don't know enought yet. or we are overlooking something that would make this look like more of a deal.
MSKR
<strong>While it MPEG 4 is ready to go on QT6, the MPEG-LA group is still holding out on the 2 cents per hour royalty plus 1 million dollars per year (for every 50,000 users) </strong><hr></blockquote>
Ah...not quite. First 50 000 users are free then you have an option to pay by hour streamed, pay by user or a flat $1 million fee. The first two are also capped at $1 million. You will never pay above the $1 million amount.
It still isn't perfect but it's better.
It's one thing to go out and pick up a white PC box then get hosed for any apps you need. At least you got a great deal on the box. It's a different thing to get hosed on the box and get hosed in monthly instalments thereafter!
<strong>greetings,
the $100/yr for iTools/.Mac is unfortunately quite true... you should be seeing a CNET/News.com piece on this quite soon. however, i don't know what kind of new services Apple plans on offering to start charging such a hefty fee.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Well since Cnet has gotten in the habit lately of just quoting rumors posted on ThinkSecret, I would expect nothing less. Somehow one rumor site quoting another rumor site makes the original rumor now more legitimate. Don't know how that logic works, but that's what's been happening all this week.