MobileMe: Is it finally working?
 

Some years ago I tried MobileMe (and its precursor) and found them sadly lacking. For a while now, I've been using a preference pane called fruux, a European-based cloud service using the built-in sync engine (which in Leopard has problems), to synchronize my Address Book, iCal, and Safari bookmarks across two machines, and iTunes to do the same thing for my Touch. Of late, however, I've been having occasional trouble with fruux (which isn't free although it's cheaper than MobileMe) and have been wondering if Apple has finally got MobileMe up to speed.

What's the consensus?

Hi Mate it works for me.
I can sync all my contacts, bookmarks, iCal across all my devices with no real problems.
I do on occasion get an update in contacts that makes no sense, but they have never been harmful. I.e deleting info. It is usually changing labels!.
when I get those odd contact updates, the one thing I wish was for, is instead of a "Cancel sync for now" ( I forget the exact wording). That it would give you the option to use the Local version, instead of the incoming one. Saying that it has never been a real pain.


The only thing I find slow and not so reliable is 'Notes' sync'


But can you elaborate what was not working for you with MobileMe?. And what are the issues you are having with Fruux. It may help me or someone else to give some more user experience on more defined aspects to what your looking for in MobileMe

I wonder if you've heard of the "iCloud" rumours?

. Why??

perhaps an new cloud service separate from moble.me…..

From NovaScotian's question I would think he wants answers to the current iteration of MobileMe. And of actual peoples experience with it.

I don't see how bring up iCloud without any of the above or even qualifying the vague references to it help!

Thanks for the feedback, Mark.

Notes sync doesn't work at all in fruux. According to their developer, it's a bug in the sync engine that screws up the occasional note.

I tried a MobileMe 60-day trial shortly after the switch of names from the original. At that point, it was really flakey. I recently read an article about that: Steve Jobs Outraged Over MobileMe At Its Launch and I've excerpted the critical bit below:

fruux, which has really great support, btw, is currently at version 0.9.7.1 is a universal pref pane usually works well, but does have occasional glitches that can be a PITA to fix. It's waay cheaper: 19 €. At the moment, it's working, but the next time it glitches, I'll switch to Me.com.

I've never had any issues with MobileMe working other than two days when the Apple side of things was overloaded/underpowered/whatever when they revamped the service a few years ago. That's not to say all the reported issues many folks have described weren't legitimate, just that I never experienced them myself.

For whatever it's worth, my current plan is to stop purchasing the service after this year when my renewal comes up. For years, I bought MobileMe through Amazon third-party retailers for about US $60. Now that Apple has stopped producing and distributing the physical MobileMe licensing package, it seems like it can't be had for less than US $99. Now, I realize many folks look at MobileMe and say it's overpriced at any price. I always looked at the cost on a weekly basis. At US $60 it was about $1.15 a week and at $100 about $1.92.

If the syncing of MobileMe is of value to someone, I'd still say $1.92 per week is a good deal. Somehow, somewhere, in the 77-cent difference, the value threshold changes for me, but that probably reflects how often I use certain MobileMe features, how important they are to me, and how easily I could achieve similar results using alternatives. Sure, if Apple revamps the service and provides a different feature set and cost/value proposition, I'll reevaluate. But I try to confine my speculative investments to more appropriate markets.

LOL,


Lets not forget you get storage space, and a web interface in the price.

I am sure there is cheaper, but for me I trust apple with my data.

In transferring stuff to the iDisk, there has been some improvement, not so I would use it for a complete backup area, but better than it was.

And I normally use Transmit.app to do it anyway, which again improves speed and helps with navigation.

IMO All the web interfaces have improved. They work more like the actual apps than a webpage now.


You could always try the trial again. See the changes for yourself..

Couple of points on here I'll add from my experiences. For one, I regularly use the iDisk feature for sharing files. These are typically large Zip files. So I just tested. I took a 111.7 MB Zip file and uploaded it to iDisk. It took 7:15. I then repeated syncing that file to Dropbox. It took 10:30.

Nota Bene: Dropbox is much better than iDisk for getting a direct link to a file since it can be done with a right click. iDisk, in contrast, requires using the web interface or iOS apps for getting a sharing link. Certainly, an iDisk user could simply give the static URL for the iDisk Public folder, but that's not so good if you don't want a recipient to see other files stored there.

And while I'd agree that MobileMe isn't ideal for full backups, it does work well with the Apple Backup software. I use that for an off-site backup of critical files in my Documents folder and for things like iCal data, Address Book contacts, Bookmarks and other Safari-related data. If you utilize this, the first backup takes a bit longer than subsequent, incremental backups.

Of course, Dropbox is encrypting the files on the fly. That might account for the difference. I use Dropbox and couldn't live without it because there are versions for Leopard, Snow Leopard, and iOS, 1Password uses it, and I use the iOS app: Files to look at stuff. Great way to distribute family photos too -- some of my family use Windows machines. I don't back up to the cloud; I've got a home cloud of backup disks (2 for each of 2 machines). Wouldn't save me from a fire because they're all in my home but they're more secure.

Good point on the Dropbox encryption, one that I completely forgot to consider in my back-o'-the-napkin numbers.

I don't use 1Password—I seem to the lone person who tried it and thought it was a terrible fit for his/her life—but the other factors you mention here don't seem like features/functionality you'd be giving up with MobileMe (not that using MobileMe means abandoning Dropbox).

Much of what I back up is client files. I would be bordering on negligent (and stupid!) if I didn't prepare for contingencies like a fire.

All in all, it sounds like mark hunte had the best idea: Use the trial and see what you think. Apple kindly gives it a 60-day evaluation period, so I've got to think that's ample opportunity to decide for yourself if it's worth buying.

Good discussion, folks -- thanks.

I have several computers and 3 iOS devices and i have sync nirvana with MobileMe....it does work well. However i do still take backups of my data regularly as i am unconvinced by Apple's ability to restore/fix individual accounts with a support request.

I have also setup MobileMe for small offices(<5 users) with great effect.

I've been a MobileMe user since it was first started as Dot Mac. Over the years I have had numerous problems with it ranging from sync failures, especially with Safari Bookmarks, Back to My Mac failures (until the day she died I was never able to get it to work from my Mom's iMac), and much, much more. I always dread clicking the MobileMe sync icon in the menu bar in fear of seeing the dreaded "Never synced" message. Uh, oh, here we go again.

I bought an iPad last September. It took several months of working with MobileMe support to get Safari Bookmark syncing to work with the iPad.

I bought a MacMini about two years ago. It took nearly a year with MobileMe support to be able to mount my iDisk in the Finder. It only started working after a Snow Leopard update.

Today I went to the MobileMe preference panel to check the date I first joined. I was not able to get my account status "because you are not connected to the Internet." But, when I run Network Diagnostics I get "Your Internet connection appears to be working correctly." And, it is.

Just another MobileMe surprise.

Re-reading this thread (following mnewman's experiences which have been the unfortunate opposite of mine), I'll make an add-on point about Notes syncing. I've never used Notes in Mail, so I have no experience with them in MobileMe. Personally, it just doesn't make sense to have a notes feature in Mail. I mean, to me, notes are random snippets of information I want to keep and access, so I don't associate that with e-mail.

Yet I use electronic notes extensively. Probably more than most folks. And though note syncing is part of what I pay to have MobileMe, I use completely different applications. On the Mac, it's the free Notational Velocity (or one of the many available forked variants ) along with SimpleNote (there's a free web interface and a free Universal iOS app [iTunes Link], though I bought the US $5 ad-free version).

Notational Velocity is lightning fast—launches in under a second on my four-year old MacBook Pro—is so simple in its design that it's actually one of the more clever applications I use, provides a number of discreet, impressive features (e.g., drop a PDF into Notational Velocity and you get all the text of the PDF in a note), offers encryption, uses ye olde 'n' trusty RTF format, and it comes with built-in support for syncing with SimpleNote.

For most any type of Mac application I use, I'm always trying alternatives to see if maybe there's something I like more. I don't even consider looking at note application.

I went back and read my post and wondered to myself, and now out loud, if it's so bad, why do you keep paying for it? And, I'm not really sure. Aside from the email address, I hardly use any of the MobileMe services. My web pages are hosted some place else. I use DropBox for file syncing. I use several note and document syncing services such as EverNote, GoodReader and Simple Note. I use several VNC apps instead of the barely functional Back to My Mac. I am happy that I'm able to sync calendars and contacts. Although I just opened Address Book and wonder why there are so many duplicates? At least I've finally rid myself of Calendar dupes...

Calendar syncing with Google is free and works well with iCal and iOS devices. I haven't heard the same for syncing contacts with Google, though.

Given MN's review (which mimics my own early experience with Dot Mac and the early days of MobileMe) I think I'll hang in there with fruux. It's problems are relatively few and the developer's support (after the time delay caused by his location in Europe) is excellent. Like NaOH, I don't use notes any more (fruux has trouble with them) and I do use ShareTool as a very convenient way of of screen sharing my home machine from my laptop if I need something not in Dropbox, streaming iTunes to my laptop from home (although I'm more likely to listen to my iPod Touch), and shifting files back and forth over an encrypted link.

I've been a MobileMe subscriber from day one. (Literally. I heard Steve announce it at a Macworld Keynote, went downstairs to the open iMac Cafe, and was signed up within minutes of the end of the Keynote.)

I've had a few problems, mostly with calendar synching, but they were all easily and readily fixed.

When I first got my iPad, I ran into the duplicate calendar problem, but realized almost at once that it was because I was had told the iPad to sync calendars to both MobileMe and to my iMac. When I started synching them only to MobileMe, and letting MobileMe worry about synching to the iMac, the problem went away.

I've never had problems synching Safari bookmarks. That always Just Worked™.

MobileMe is worth $99/yr to me, just for the synching. (DropBox doesn't even come close. It only syncs files. I sync much more than that.) The disk/web space and the extra email account are just icing on the cake.

One thing that frustrates me about Mobile Me support is that they are geared to a one-time fix of syncing problems rather than trying to figure out why they recur. Yes, they help with getting syncing going again, but are never interested in figuring out why it keeps stopping. I'm convinced it has something to do with my Mobile Me account because I have the same sync-stopping problems no matter what machine I'm on. But, that's something that no one at Apple seems to want to consider.

I have read elsewhere (can't think where) that the problem is not with MM per se; it's with the Apple SyncServer, particularly the Leopard version. Apparently OS X 10.6.7 is much better but iOS is not great.

I'm in no position to refute that, but it all seems so odd when folks like ganbustein and myself have been using the various iTools/.Mac/MobileMe services for over 11 years, largely without issue. For me, that's six major versions of the Mac OS (OS 9 and 10.2–10.6) and all four major iOS releases (two of which I'm running now, 3.1.3 on an original iPhone and 4.2.x on an original iPad). Yet someone like mnewman seems to have been plagued by issues.

I agree -- if there's one thing that's consistent about dot Mac and Mobile Me it's the inconsistency of users' experience with it. If you're on the down side, you look for reasons and don't find them -- I became convinced at one point that it was because I was in Eastern Canada.

I should note that I have lived in Asia/Oceania for the entire duration of my Dot Mac/Mobile Me experience. On the tiny island of Saipan in the Western Pacific for the first 5 years and in rural Thailand since then. Maybe limited bandwidth or high latency have something to do with the problems I've had.

That's what I thought too.