Summary
This article helps current .Mac members better understand what to expect from the upcoming MobileMe upgrade. When MobileMe becomes available, this article will be updated with more details to help upgraded members get started with the new service. You may want to bookmark this article and refer back to it when MobileMe goes live.
Products Affected
.Mac, MobileMe
What is MobileMe?
MobileMe is Apple’s new Internet service for Mac, iPhone, iPod touch, and PC that takes the best of .Mac and adds many new features. With MobileMe you will continue to get services that take advantage of Mac integration such as iDisk and photo sharing from iPhoto ’08. You also get a suite of new web applications at me.com; push email, push contacts, and push calendar; and 20GB of online storage.
For more information about MobileMe features, please visit this Mac Transition Overview and watch the MobileMe Guided Tour.
When will I be upgraded to MobileMe?
The transition will occur in early July when MobileMe becomes available. A change of service email will be sent to your mac.com address when the upgrade occurs.
What is going to happen to my .Mac subscription?
Your .Mac subscription will be automatically upgraded to MobileMe at no additional cost.
Will MobileMe work with my Mac the way .Mac does?
Yes. With MobileMe, you’ll continue to enjoy features that take advantage of seamless integration with Mac OS X and iLife, such as:
- Back to My Mac
- Access to your iDisk in the Finder
- iWeb site publishing
- Mac-to-Mac syncing of contacts, calendars, bookmarks, and more
- Photo and movie sharing directly from iPhoto ’08 and iMovie ’08
How much will my online storage increase with the upgrade?
With MobileMe, you will get twice as much storage as you did with .Mac:
- Individual subscription storage doubles from 10GB to 20GB.
- Family Packs now get 40GB of storage: 20GB for the main account and 5GB for each of the four sub-accounts.
If you purchased a storage upgrade, it will also be upgraded at no additional charge:
- A 10GB storage upgrade is now 20GB. Your new total storage will be 40GB.
- A 20GB storage upgrade is now 40GB. Your new total storage will be 60GB.
Note: The storage increase is effective after MobileMe launches, and may take up to 10 days to appear on all accounts.
Will I still be able to use my mac.com email address?
Yes. You may continue to use your current mac.com email address to send and receive email just as you do today. If you have any email aliases at mac.com, they will also continue to work.
Will I be able to use a me.com email address if I want to?
Yes. In addition to your mac.com email address, you will also get an address at me.com with the same username when MobileMe is available. For example, if your current email is emily_parker@mac.com, you will get emily_parker@me.com. You can send from whichever address you choose. The choice is yours. You will still receive email sent to your mac.com address so you won’t miss any emails.
Which web browsers can I use with MobileMe?
MobileMe’s web applications take advantage of the latest web technologies, so you should make sure you have an up-to-date browser:
- On your Mac, you will need Safari 3 or Firefox 2.
- For your PC, you will need Safari 3, Firefox 2 or Internet Explorer 7.
Which versions of Mac OS X does MobileMe work with?
On a Mac, MobileMe requires the latest versions of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard or Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger (use Software Update to update to the latest versions).
What will I need for my iPhone or iPod touch to use MobileMe?
You will need to update to software version 2.0 or later to enable push mail, push contacts, push calendar, and push bookmarks. This software update will be available when MobileMe launches.
What will happen to my email stored on .Mac?
You will be able to access all of your existing email messages with MobileMe Mail. You don’t have to do anything. Your contacts in .Mac Address Book will be available on MobileMe Contacts too.
What will happen to my files stored on iDisk?
All of your existing files will be available on MobileMe iDisk.
Can I still use Backup with my MobileMe iDisk?
Yes. Backup 3.1.2 will continue to work with MobileMe.
What will happen to my iWeb sites? Will the URLs change?
Your iWeb web site will still be available at the same URLs and will also be given a new URL at me.com. For example, web.mac.com/emily_parker/ will work as will web.me.com/emily_parker (both will go to the same website). If you have a personal domain setup for your iWeb site, it will continue to work without changing any settings at your registrar.
What about my Web Gallery?
Your Web Gallery will still be available at the same URL and will also be given a new URL at me.com. For example, gallery.mac.com/emily_parker/ will work as will gallery.me.com/emily_parker (both will go to the same website).
Are any other .Mac features affected?
As part of this transition to MobileMe, some features are being discontinued: Web access to bookmarks (bookmark sync between your Macs and/or PCs is still supported), iCards, .Mac slides, and support for Mac OS X 10.3 Panther sync.
How do I get my bookmarks that I’ve stored on .Mac?
MobileMe will continue to sync bookmarks across computers as well as push them to your iPhone and iPod touch. However, after MobileMe goes live you will no longer be able to access the Bookmarks application on the web. If you have any bookmarks stored on .Mac, please be sure to sync your bookmarks with your Mac before this date to avoid losing them. For more information, please see this article.
Will my .Mac slides continue to work?
Pictures in the iDisk pictures folder will still appear in Screen Saver in System Preferences, but the .Mac slides publisher will be no longer be available.
What is happening to Learning Center?
Learning Center was originally designed to help you learn how to use .Mac and get the most out of your Mac. As part of this transition from .Mac, MobileMe will include a full set of tutorials at Apple.com and in-depth help content at me.com. You can also visit (www.apple.com/findouthow) for free tutorials that will teach you Mac basics and give you pointers on how to work with photos, movies, music, and more.
What is going to happen to www.mac.com?
MobileMe will have a new home at www.me.com where you will find a suite of web applications that have the familiar look and feel of the applications on your Mac. If you go to mac.com, you will be redirected to the login page at me.com. We recommend that you update your bookmarks to me.com when MobileMe becomes available.
Will I still be able to use my mac.com ID as an Apple ID?
Yes. Your @mac.com ID will still work as an Apple ID for purchases on the iTunes Store, Apple Online Store, and Apple print products created with iPhoto or Aperture. Once MobileMe becomes available, you may continue to use your @mac.com ID or your new me.com ID as an Apple ID. Both names will access the same ID.
Can I continue to use my mac.com ID for iChat?
Your @mac.com ID will still work for iChat. You will also be able to use your @me.com ID for iChat. However, it will be separate from your mac.com iChat ID and will work only as long as your MobileMe subscription is active.
I have a .Mac retail box; can I still use it to activate?
Yes. Just go to www.mac.com/activate and enter your code to get started. Your account will be automatically upgraded to MobileMe when it becomes available.
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