What Is MobileMe and How Does It Work

MobileMe was a cloud-based service offered by Apple that allowed users to store and access their files, contacts, and other data from anywhere with an internet connection. Launched in 2008, it was designed to make it easy to keep your digital life organized and synced across all your devices.

One of the key features of MobileMe was its ability to sync your contacts, calendars, and email across multiple devices. This meant you could access your important information from your iPhone, iPad, or computer, and it would always be up to date. MobileMe also included a storage space of 20GB, which was a generous amount for its time.

MobileMe was available in three different plans: individual, family, and student. The individual plan cost $99 per year, while the family plan cost $149 per year and allowed up to five users. The student plan was a more affordable option, costing $79 per year.

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MobileMe used Ajax and Dynamic HTML to simulate the look and feel of desktop applications within the user's web browser. This allowed users to access a range of applications, including Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Gallery, Find My iPhone, and iDisk access, plus an Account section.

Most of the me.com web applications were built on top of the open source SproutCore Javascript framework. This made them more efficient and easier to use.

Supported browsers for me.com included Safari 3.1 or later, and Firefox 3.5 or later, while Internet Explorer 8 and Internet Explorer 7 were Windows-only.

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iTools and .Mac provided Internet services for Mac owners, offering a @mac.com email address to all members.

All members received a @mac.com email address, showing the services tied to the Mac hardware.

The service was later renamed to MobileMe in 2008, offering Internet services for OS X, iOS, and Windows.

MobileMe members got a @me.com email address, which was interchangeable with the @mac.com email address.

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Members could access personal data from any computer connected to the Internet using the web interface at me.com.

Supported applications included Microsoft Outlook, as long as the user used version 2003 or later.

Apple support for MobileMe was available via chat and telephone, with the latter restricted to US/Canada users only.

Backup was a backup utility made by Apple for Mac OS X, available through MobileMe and later iCloud. It allowed users to make safe, archival copies of critical files and folders using their online iDisk or CD-RW or DVD-R drive.

The initial versions of Backup were considered feature-sparse and unstable. However, Backup 2.0, released on November 5, 2003, added new features and improved reliability.

Backup 2 allowed for the creation of archive copies of important data, but its feature set was basic for backup software. With Backup 3, released in 2005, Apple introduced more backup settings, including the ability to back up mail databases.

Time Machine, announced in 2006, was a complete backup solution that could replace Backup as a general backup solution for most Mac users. It was included in Mac OS X v10.5 "Leopard" and offered more comprehensive backup capabilities than Backup.

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MobileMe offered two storage plans: Individual and Family Pack. The Individual plan included 20 GB of email and file storage.

The Family Pack plan was designed for families and included 40 GB of storage split among the primary account and four sub-accounts. Each sub-account had its own 5 GB of storage.

The primary account and sub-accounts had read/write access to a Shared folder in the iDisk. This folder allowed family members to share data among themselves.

Additional storage could be purchased in 20 GB or 40 GB allocations, but sub-account storage couldn't be upgraded.

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MobileMe's web applications were built on top of the open source SproutCore Javascript framework, allowing users to access features like Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Gallery directly in their web browser.

Users could configure features such as email aliases or domain names for the iWeb Publish feature. Most me.com web applications were built on top of the SproutCore framework.

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Supported browsers for me.com on both Mac and Windows were Safari 3.1 or later, and Firefox 3.5 or later, while Internet Explorer 8 and Internet Explorer 7 were Windows-only.

Safari 3.0, and Firefox 3.0 would run the web applications, but were not fully supported. MobileMe was accessible from Linux using Firefox 3, despite a warning that would be presented to the user upon entry.

The me.com web applications used Ajax and Dynamic HTML to simulate the look and feel of desktop applications within the user's web browser.

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iChat/AIM allowed MobileMe users to connect with their @mac.com or @me.com accounts, securing their chats with SSL encryption.

This feature made it easy to stay in touch with friends and family, and it was a great way to communicate with others who also used MobileMe.

Users could also access the MobileMe Chat account on iOS devices using the AIM app provided by AOL, or any other iOS app that supported the AIM protocol.

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To sync their MobileMe data with a PC, users had to download and install Apple's MobileMe Control Panel, which required downloading and installing the latest version of iTunes first.

After installation, users signed into the control panel using their username and password, and could control sync settings for contacts, calendars, bookmarks, and iDisk settings such as public folder access.

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MobileMe had its fair share of integration issues, especially when it came to syncing with Outlook. A mid-2008 update to the Windows MobileMe Control Panel removed the ability to sync Outlook calendars and contacts with MobileMe, and Apple confirmed this was by design.

For those using Mac OS X, MobileMe integration was a different story. Having a MobileMe account extended the functions of many programs, including the iLife suite. Most notably, any iDisk could be mounted as any other volume on the Mac OS X desktop.

It was also possible to mount the public portion of another user's iDisk, making it easy to receive free software as part of the service.

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Integration with Windows and Mac was a key aspect of MobileMe. The Windows MobileMe Control Panel allowed synchronization of corporate Outlook accounts with MobileMe.

However, a mid-2008 update removed the ability to synchronize Outlook to MobileMe when using Microsoft Exchange Server Calendars and Contacts. This was a deliberate design choice, not a bug.

MobileMe was closely integrated with Mac OS X, extending the functions of many programs. The iLife suite benefited greatly from having a MobileMe account.

iDisk could be mounted as any other volume on the Mac OS X desktop, making file sharing and collaboration easy. This feature was also used to receive free software as part of .Mac.

Users could sync various data types with their iDisk, including Address Book entries, iCal events, and Safari bookmarks. This allowed for seamless synchronization between multiple computers.

The Backup software could be used to make backups to iDisk or local media, providing an added layer of security.

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iOS devices were integrated with MobileMe in various ways, including syncing iCal with Calendar and Address Book with Contacts.

MobileMe allowed seamless syncing of Mail across devices, making it easy to stay connected on the go. This feature was particularly useful for those who relied on their email for work or personal communication.

Safari Bookmarks were also synced across devices, ensuring that users had access to their favorite websites from any iOS device. I've personally found this feature to be super convenient when switching between devices.

The MobileMe iDisk app was introduced in July 2009, giving users mobile access to their files and documents. This was a game-changer for those who needed to access important documents on the go.

The MobileMe Gallery app followed in January 2010, allowing users to share their photos and albums with others. This feature was a great way to share special moments with loved ones.

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The Find My iPhone app was introduced in June 2010, initially only available to MobileMe users but later made free to all iOS device users. This feature has been a lifesaver for those who've misplaced their device.

Apple also introduced a feature in August 2010 that allowed users to stream music from their iDisk in the background. This meant users could listen to their music collection without having to constantly switch between apps.

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MobileMe provided users with various access points to their individual account functions, both publicly and privately. These access points were located in subdirectories and subdomains on the me.com website.

Private access points included links to user login, photo/video Gallery albums, Mail access, Contacts access, Calendar access, iDisk folders access, and Find My iPhone access. Public access points included links to user's photo/video Gallery albums, Public folder, Website, and file sites.

MobileMe allowed users to track the location of their iOS devices via the web portal at me.com. A user could see the device's approximate location on a map, display a message and/or play a sound on the device, change the password on the device, and remotely erase its contents.

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Find My iPhone was a feature that allowed MobileMe users to track the location of their iOS devices via the web portal at me.com. This feature was first announced on June 10, 2009, and was included in iOS 3.0.

You could see the device's approximate location on a map, along with a circle showing the radius of inaccuracy. This was a useful feature, especially if you had misplaced your iPhone or it had been stolen.

To use Find My iPhone, you would log in to your MobileMe account on the web and navigate to the Find My iPhone page. From there, you could see the location of your device on a map.

Find My iPhone also allowed you to remotely erase the contents of your device, change the password, and display a message or play a sound on the device, even if it was set to silent. This was a great way to protect your personal data and secure your device.

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Here's a list of the features available with Find My iPhone:

Find My iPhone became free of charge with the release of iOS 4.2.1 software update on November 22, 2010, for devices introduced in 2010.

You can sync your iPhone with various data sources, including your Exchange server and PC-based laptop. Apple's MobileMe service will sync with Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Windows Mail, and Windows Contacts.

It's worth noting that MobileMe syncs data every 15 minutes, but in my experience, it can sync in under 5 minutes. MobileMe also syncs with Exchange accounts, providing true "push" functionality.

If you have an Exchange account, MobileMe will sync your data in real-time, as stated on Apple's website.

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MobileMe was launched in 2008, but its release was marked by numerous bugs and an email blackout for thousands of subscribers.

The service was initially called "MobileMess" due to its poor performance. Former CEO Steve Jobs reportedly gathered the MobileMe team after the launch and asked, "Can anyone tell me what MobileMe is supposed to do?" He then said, “So why the fuck doesn’t it do that?”

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MobileMe was Apple's subscription-based online storage suite, but it was discontinued on June 30, 2012, with users given a year's notice to transition their data to iCloud.

The iOS apps for Gallery and iDisk ceased operating from June 30, 2012, and MobileMe was later removed from the System Preferences in OS X on release of OS X Mountain Lion on July 25, 2012.

Users who wanted to download their Gallery and iDisk files from MobileMe could do so for a limited time, but the complete shut-down of MobileMe occurred on July 31, 2012.

Apple had previously announced that it would eventually be shuttering MobileMe and rolling some of its services into iCloud, which contains many of the same features as MobileMe, but eliminates some of the less popular features like iDisk and MobileMe Gallery.

MobileMe was the fourth incarnation of web-based storage clients for Apple, following iTools, .Mac, and iCloud.

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MobileMe is an excellent solution for syncing your information between multiple devices. It's priced affordably at $99.95 per year, which is about the same cost as a 5GB web hosting.

The service offers virtually instant syncing of calendar, mail, and contacts, making it a convenient option. However, it's worth noting that it's not quite push functionality.

One of the standout features of MobileMe is its photo sharing feature. It's awesome and allows you to easily share your photos with others.

If you're looking for a solution that's compatible with both Macs and PCs, MobileMe is a great option. It's also worth considering if you're looking for expanded storage, with 20GB available.

Here's a comparison of MobileMe's features and pricing:

Overall, MobileMe is a solid choice for those looking for an easy-to-use syncing solution.