Update: It’s official: .Mac will be MobileMe soon.
Comments
Kyle · 30 May 08
I highly doubt it because that may be the “feature” name of the over the air syncing. Mobile me sound stupid over .mac does
Mister Snitch · 30 May 08
Nice detective work.
Jason · 30 May 08
I’ve been waiting for them to change the name of .Mac for a couple of years now. Why? Because OTA sync/share is obvious for portable devices such as the iPhone… but .Mac is tied too tightly to Macs. Not just technologically, but also psychologically. Windows users will just dismiss it as “not for them”.
Apple has already ported much of the infrastructure bits over to Windows in iTunes, Safari, etc… offering a Mobile Me client for Windows is a no-brainer to enhance the iPhone experience and sell a bazillion of the wee units.
I’m not thrilled with “Mobile Me”, however - brings to mind WindowsME, and we know what a stunning achievement of technology and user satisfaction that was.
Wolf Ledermann · 30 May 08
Any improvements to mac.com services would be very welcome (along with a price reduction), but such an awful name. It sounds like something that Microsoft would have coined.
ZinkDifferent · 30 May 08
Jason said: “offering a Mobile Me client for Windows is a no-brainer to enhance the iPhone experience and sell a bazillion of the wee units.”
Apple is interested in selling Appple branded products — by extending their services to the Windows platform, they would not do so. They already offer ActiveSync support for the Windows Enterprise side - I suspect they will provide some means to tie into the Windows side to provide semi-functional synching.
Apple generally provides a gentle push towards the Mac/iPod/iPhone ecosystem with their products — i.e. iPhone make buyers want to purchase a Mac — so I doubt they will extend dot-Mac to Windows users, or a MobileMe service to the Windows side.
Mister Snitch · 30 May 08
I agree with Wolf about the name. But it is what it is. If it works I can get past it, though of course I (and everyone else) should not have to.
beemo · 30 May 08
I’m really surprised it isn’t something as simple as “i.”
The ME or MY thing has become so common and also doesn’t fit with the existing nomenclature of the Apple product line.
But (i) is pretty dramatic, in an Apple sorta way, AND fits into their product line. Shit, someone needs to give me a job at Apple, heh.
Mister Snitch · 30 May 08
I disagree with ZInk re whether Apple will extend the service to Windows. But I agree with his basic premise:
“Apple generally provides a gentle push towards the Mac/iPod/iPhone ecosystem with their products — i.e. iPhone make buyers want to purchase a Mac —”
Absolutely. And that’s why they WILL extend the service to the Windows side. Apple knows you may not be willing/able to replace your Windows machine with a Mac right now. But they can and will do anything they have to in order to sell you an iPhone right now. Including offering ‘mobile me’ service on your existing machine.
They now know through experience that by getting one of their other products in your hand today, they may be able to sell you a Mac later. They can afford to be patient. (And it’s not like trying to force their products on you would help, anyway. Just ask VISTA salesmen.)
Apple already has Safari and iTunes running on millions of WIndows boxes. I doubt they plan on stopping there.
Mister Snitch · 30 May 08
Yeah, beemo. Pick a word, slap an “i” in front, it’s an Apple product. What were they thinking, that they had to muck that up?
Or, you know, the alternative nomenclature is “Apple” something. They didn’t call the Apple TV the “iTV”.
But they didn’t do THAT either. Mobile Me sounds like Mini Me, or as you say like a halfbaked MS product.
They really should hire beemo, who obviously knows something about memorable names.
hammerpocket · 31 May 08
It’s not like Apple hasn’t had dumb names before (or at least names that no one believed were real because of whatever reason). As far as Mobile Me sounding like an MS product — you don’t think .Mac reminded anyone of .Net?
Tim F. · 31 May 08
beemo, Mister Snitch, you do know it used to be iTools, right? But they had to change it because of a trademark settlement. At the time, it was clever marketing because the mis-informed would claim: it’s Apple’s alternative to .Net. It was smart to jump on that meme even if it was just rebranding some weak web offerings.
I think there’s a chance Kyle is still right: it just may refer to syncing your Home directory over the net, not the totality of .Mac services.
Tim F. · 31 May 08
Also, a rebranding of any kind at this point would help. And actual improvements to the service would moot the signifiance of any name for me.
Mike Cane · 31 May 08
http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/05/30/apple-owns-the-mobile-me-trademark/
Apple also owns other trademarks that have yet to be used.
Hmmm… can someone tell if Apple owns the ipodair.com domain yet?
Steven Wake · 31 May 08
Apple should absolutely port more software to Windows for the ultimate ‘halo’ effect. I think they should start with the basics (Apple Mail, Address Book, iCal), these basics integrate with iPhone and .Mac (Mobile Me sounds dreadful, really Microsoft type rubbish name, except MS would name it ‘Micrsoft Windows Mobile Me Live’, or something equally snappy).
After the basics maybe iLife? More integration from these capable programs which offer a good Mac feeling. Finally iWork maybe?
Venezuela · 31 May 08
That would make your windows machine nearly equal to any mac. They wont offer all those programs as native windows apps. That would make me buy a Sony Vaio instead of the MacBook in 2 months…
Pinky · 1 Jun 08
ipodair.com is owned by domainsbyproxy.com. ipodair.net was registered through a German registrar.
gslusher · 2 Jun 08
Mister Snitch wrote that Apple didn’t call the Apple TV “iTV.” Well, they tried. “iTV” was the name Jobs used when he first introduced what became Apple TV. However, ITV is a TV network in the UK, so that name couldn’t be used internationally.
Mister Snitch · 4 Jun 08
Heh. I never heard that, gslusher. Fascinating.