I had such high hopes for Apple’s “cloud.” I believed (I really did) that it would be the answer to my mobile dreams. For years I’ve searched for a way to get what I need quickly and easily from anywhere. I’ve tried sync programs, I’ve tried web apps. I’ve used a laptop, a Treo (or two or three), a Tablet PC, and now an iPhone.
I’m so in love with my iPhone, I just assumed MobileMe would be another fantastic product from the mind of Apple. I’m glad Newton wasn’t under the tree when this Apple product fell. History may have been quite different.
I don’t want to use Outlook and although I’ve been seriously considering buying an iMac, I’ve not done so yet (despite the rather suspicious “second chance” offer on that one eBay iMac that I nearly won). Mobile Me won’t let me upload my information from Google. Nope, I can’t upload my calendar, not even in iCal format. I have to Sync it. That means I’d have to either load up Outlook on my computer again (ain’t happenin’) or hand enter all the calendar items (that’s probably not going to happen either.)
I love Gmail as a “cloud” app — the search ability is obviously without competition, the spam filters and the ability to avoid viruses and not have to maintain alot of extra CPU-devouring programs on my system is made possible by Gmail. I adore using Gmail with only a few caveats (notably the “sent of behalf of” addressee information) and I think using Google Apps may address those. I’ll know soon.
I want to keep Gmail. Does the Apple email program have the same quality of spam filtering, virus protection and search? Doubt it.
But I can’t upload my email to MobileMe from Gmail either. If there’s a way, it’s some convoluted backward, third-party app sort of methodology. I’m no longer interested in finding a difficult way to get things done. Nor am I willing to change the way I do business to facilitate the use of certain technology. I’ve done that for years. It’s over.
So, the simplicity that is the beauty of the iPhone is completely lost on MobileMe. Suddenly I don’t really want to be “mobile-me” I think I want to be “mobile-somebody-else” — somebody who has an easier way to make the cloud, the iPhone, and the computer play nicely.
Aside from the lack of functionality it’s SLOOOOOWWWW. I mean creeping. Like molasses in January… outside… during a particularly cold snap… in Vermont. It’s THAT slow. And, it throws errors after making you wait.
I’m going to give it a full 30 days out of my 60 day trial period before making a final decision. I hope I’ll be eating crow… Maybe there will be enough of an uproar from people like me that they will add some real-world functionality to the product… but somehow I doubt it.
I had hoped MobileMe would be my “IT” app. It isn’t.
Let me just whole-heartedly agree with you, that I am HATING MobileMe. It is, indeed, slow. It is not responsive even with the simplest tasks – like auto-filling addresses from contacts on email. It can’t even to manage to actually “keep me logged in for 2 weeks” which it offers every time I log on, and yet EVERY TIME I have to log in again! If this is the new … bring back the old!
(And it is SO difficult to actually find a customer service email address on Apple’s sites, that you can’t even complain to them about it. You can join a chat group about it, but, heaven forbid you get to complain directly to the people collecting your money.) Disappointing. The first Apple product that I’ve been so diappointed with!
Well, I guess the reports that it was getting better over there weren’t exactly accurate. That’s a shame. With proper implementation, it should have been a wonderful thing. I don’t plan to try it again for a very long time… if ever.
I hate mobile me, I hate moibile me, I hate mobile me. I know feel like one of those frustrate windows users. Makes me want to chuck my computer, my phone and anything else electronic and dive into a great big wave. I hate mobile me.
I’m late to the conversation, but I just felt like saying: I hate MobileMe. Never, ever has publishing a website, editing web pages, adding simple HTML, and deleting published web pages been so difficult. Back to Notepad and hosting someplace else.
Oh let me add my two cents – I love EVERY Apple product and I loathe mobileme. I have tried EVERY browser available on the market and it doesn’t work right with any of them. At least half the time I send an e-mail only to be greeted with the “can’t connect” message and lose the e-mail altogether. My connection is super fast and reliable with everything else so I know it’s this app. I hate it, I really do. I get so frustrated. When I am on my home Mac e-mail is great, not much trouble with the iPhone either but running it on my HP laptop remotely is a DISASTER. If you are serious about business, do NOT count on mobileme for your e-mail as remote access is a nightmare.
I’ve been a mac user for over 15years…I’ve paid for my .mac account for so long that I can’t remember when I started using it…it may be over 10 years or so. That over $1,000+ invested into my personal account. And I too detest the new mobileme. I think this will be my last year of service. Mac…you used to think differently.
Mobileme is by far the worst website host I have ever had to deal with and when my time is up with them I will not be renewing no matter what they have done to change their service. You would think leaving mac. would have given them the opportunity to correct the previous issues. Now there much worse and once again refuse to use their services
Sad that your post is over a year old and most of what you have described has not changed since.
MobileMe is the only true “gripe” I have w/ Apple in as long as I can remember. It’s a shame because the concept is great, but the execution is poor and support is abysmal.
My subscription runs out in January and I will not be renewing. I switched to Gmail a few months ago (as a backup) in case my problems w/ MM were prolonged….they were/are, so I switched everything over and haven’t looked back.
It’s sad that a freebie program/solution is not only more reliable, but far/away better too. What a waste of $$$.
I love Google. I have the Google Apps service and it’s the one bill I pay every year with a smile on my face (maybe because it’s such a good service, maybe because it’s a tiny bill).