# Apple Introduces iCloud



## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

Apple today introduced *iCloud*, a breakthrough set of free new cloud services that work seamlessly with applications on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC to automatically and wirelessly store your content in iCloud and automatically and wirelessly push it to all your devices. When anything changes on one of your devices, all of your devices are wirelessly updated almost instantly. 

“Today it is a real hassle and very frustrating to keep all your information and content up-to-date across all your devices,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iCloud keeps your important information and content up to date across all your devices. All of this happens automatically and wirelessly, and because it’s integrated into our apps you don’t even need to think about it—it all just works.”

*The free iCloud services include:*

The former MobileMe services—Contacts, Calendar and Mail—all completely re-architected and rewritten to work seamlessly with iCloud. Users can share calendars with friends and family, and the ad-free push Mail account is hosted at me.com. Your inbox and mailboxes are kept up-to-date across all your iOS devices and computers.

The App Store and iBookstore now download purchased iOS apps and books to all your devices, not just the device they were purchased on. In addition, the App Store and iBookstore now let you see your purchase history, and simply tapping the iCloud icon will download any apps and books to any iOS device (up to 10 devices) at no additional cost.

iCloud Backup automatically and securely backs up your iOS devices to iCloud daily over Wi-Fi when you charge your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Backed up content includes purchased music, apps and books, Camera Roll (photos and videos), device settings and app data. If you replace your iOS device, just enter your Apple ID and password during setup and iCloud restores your new device.

iCloud Storage seamlessly stores all documents created using iCloud Storage APIs, and automatically pushes them to all your devices. When you change a document on any device, iCloud automatically pushes the changes to all your devices. Apple’s Pages, Numbers and Keynote apps already take advantage of iCloud Storage. Users get up to 5GB of free storage for their mail, documents and backup—which is more amazing since the storage for music, apps and books purchased from Apple, and the storage required by Photo Stream doesn’t count towards this 5GB total. Users will be able to buy even more storage, with details announced when iCloud ships this fall.

iCloud’s innovative Photo Stream service automatically uploads the photos you take or import on any of your devices and wirelessly pushes them to all your devices and computers. So you can use your iPhone to take a dozen photos of your friends during the afternoon baseball game, and they will be ready to share with the entire group on your iPad (or even Apple TV) when you return home. Photo Stream is built into the photo apps on all iOS devices, iPhoto on Macs, and saved to the Pictures folder on a PC. To save space, the last 1,000 photos are stored on each device so they can be viewed or moved to an album to save forever. Macs and PCs will store all photos from the Photo Stream, since they have more storage. iCloud will store each photo in the cloud for 30 days, which is plenty of time to connect your devices to iCloud and automatically download the latest photos from Photo Stream via Wi-Fi.

iTunes in the Cloud lets you download your previously purchased iTunes music to all your iOS devices at no additional cost, and new music purchases can be downloaded automatically to all your devices. In addition, music not purchased from iTunes can gain the same benefits by using iTunes Match, a service that replaces your music with a 256 kbps AAC DRM-free version if we can match it to the over 18 million songs in the iTunes Store, it makes the matched music available in minutes (instead of weeks to upload your entire music library), and uploads only the small percentage of unmatched music. iTunes Match will be available this fall for a $24.99 annual fee. Apple today is releasing a free beta version of iTunes in the Cloud, without iTunes Match, for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users running iOS 4.3. iTunes in the Cloud will support all iPhones that iOS 5 supports this fall.


Apple is ready to ramp iCloud in its three data centers, including the third recently completed in Maiden, NC. Apple has invested over $500 million in its Maiden data center to support the expected customer demand for the free iCloud services.


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## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

Interestingly, the "What is iCloud?" page at Apple says that some music features are US-Only, and require iTunes 10.3 - which of course isn't out yet.


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

Anyone read any details about iCloud specific to Canada?


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

*No MobileMe refund for users who just upgraded fairly recently?*

Interesting...

I just upgraded my MobileMe Family Pack not that long ago. Was curious to see how Apple would handle that. 

It appears that I'm not getting any refund but I've been graciously given a "Free" extension until June of next year?










How is extending something that has just become free work? Maybe I will get more data options or something? Have to dig a little deeper.


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## Kazak (Jan 19, 2004)

I checked my account, which has also been extended to Jun 30, 2012. However, my start date is different from yours, so I suspect they're all running out next June, to be replaced by . . . ?


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

Can anyone else who has recently upgraded MobileMe check their account settings and see what they are getting?


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## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

The iTunes.com disclaimer now shows iTunes 10.3 - but the download still points to 10.2.2.

Interestingly the Music stuff appears to be US and Canada now - or is it? The wording is vague:

"*Automatic downloads and downloading of purchase history available in beta now and require iOS 4.3.1 on iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 (GSM model), iPod touch (3rd and 4th generation), iPad, or iPad 2, or a Mac or PC with iTunes 10.3. Previous purchases may be unavailable if they are no longer in the iTunes Store, App Store, or iBookstore. Music features are available only in the U.S. Download iTunes 10.3 free.
Available on iTunes in the U.S. and Canada only. Title availability is subject to change."


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## Ottawaman (Jan 16, 2005)

great pic..


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## okcomputer (Jul 18, 2005)

Mine's the same. Hmm.

Wonder what this means for Gallery? I use it for my photography business - great interface, and it gives my clients password-protected galleries and the ability to download all in one fell swoop.

Though I can do these things with some other sites and DropBox and such, the MobileMe solution is baked into Aperture and everything just works so nicely.

Here's hoping all of that moves over to iCloud along with everything else.


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## broad (Jun 2, 2009)

i just re-did mine in april and its showing good til june 30 too


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## jwootton (Dec 4, 2009)

The first thing I thought of is will I get a rebate on my mobile me. (I'm not cheap, just don't like being ripped off). I missed when this was supposed to launch. I'm perfectly happy paying for my MobileMe until it switches over.


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

*They have a tech article now*:

*Summary*

*What's happening to MobileMe?*
Effective June 6, 2011, if you had an active MobileMe account, your service has been automatically extended through June 30, 2012, at no additional charge. After this, the MobileMe service will no longer be available.

*What will happen to the content I have on MobileMe?*

Apple has announced a new service called iCloud which will be available this fall and free for iOS 5 and OS X Lion users. When you sign up for iCloud, you'll be able to keep your me.com or mac.com email address and move your MobileMe mail, contacts, calendars, and bookmarks to the new service.

When iCloud becomes available this fall, more details and instructions will be provided on how to make the move.

*Can I create a new MobileMe account? *

You can no longer create a new 60-day trial account or start a new subscription using a code contained in a MobileMe box. However, if you have a Family Pack subscription, you can still create new family member accounts. 

*Can I upgrade to a Family Pack or purchase additional storage? *

Effective June 6, 2011, you can no longer upgrade your Individual account to a Family Pack or purchase additional storage for your MobileMe account.

*I purchased a MobileMe box and have not used the activation code inside. Can I get refund for it?*

Yes. If you have an unused activation code from a MobileMe box, you can submit a refund request.

-------------------------------

So basically, _When iCloud becomes available this fall, more details and instructions will be provided on how to make the move_ is the only info available right now.


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

*iTunes 10.3 is available now direct from Apple*. Can start playing with some new things. 

Content purchased can now be re-downloaded on any device.


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## jwootton (Dec 4, 2009)

Hmm. Interesting, does this mean that MobileMe and iCloud will still be separate until it ends on June 30 2012. Can I move over to icloud as soon as it comes out, I'm sure these questions will be answered when ios5, lion and cloud go live


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

Where's my iOS based Time Capsule by the way?


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## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

okcomputer said:


> Mine's the same. Hmm.
> 
> Wonder what this means for Gallery? I use it for my photography business - great interface, and it gives my clients password-protected galleries and the ability to download all in one fell swoop.
> 
> ...


I've never used the MobileMe gallery, but it seems to me that Photo Stream (part of iCloud) will replicate pretty much all of the MobileMe Gallery features and then some (and make it easier to use).



jwootton said:


> Hmm. Interesting, does this mean that MobileMe and iCloud will still be separate until it ends on June 30 2012. Can I move over to icloud as soon as it comes out, I'm sure these questions will be answered when ios5, lion and cloud go live


MobileMe and iCloud will be seperate till June 20, 2012, at which time MobileMe will cease to exist.

So you have from the time iCloud launches (Fall 2011) until June 2012 to get your stuff together and move over to iCloud.



ehMax said:


> Where's my iOS based Time Capsule by the way?


Oh yeah! Hmmm... maybe that's still to come this week? Or maybe that's coming later this month?


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## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

ehMax said:


> *iTunes 10.3 is available now direct from Apple*. Can start playing with some new things.
> 
> Content purchased can now be re-downloaded on any device.


Hmm, it's still linking to iTunes 10.2.2 after you click on "Download" tho.

The iOS App Store is updated now with the ability to download Apps that you've purchased but are currently not on the device. (It's currently under the "updates" tab).


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## sheamus (May 20, 2010)

Will iCloud have a web interface like MobileMe? On my windows work machine I would like access to my idisk, contacts, etc. I currently have this with MobileMe, even if it barely runs ons on XP/IE.

~S


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## speckledmind (Jan 12, 2005)

ehMax said:


> *iTunes 10.3 is available now direct from Apple*.


It links to iTunes 10.2.2

Clicked on download, and it's iTunes 10.2.2 coming down the pipe ?


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## ertman (Jan 15, 2008)

So is the only way to access icloud services is through the upgrade to Lion, or is there a subscription service?


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## [email protected] (Dec 26, 2010)

What about personal domain support for email? All of this is nice, but, redundant without.


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## corey111 (Jul 9, 2007)

Anyone know what will happen to web hosting I’ve been running two websites using my mobileme for years. Not exactly the most web savvy user so the iWeb method works best for me. I hope they keep the hosting alive.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

Now this aspect of iCloud is way friggin cool:



> *iTunes Match*
> 
> If you want all the benefits of iTunes in the Cloud for music you haven’t purchased from iTunes, iTunes Match is the perfect solution. It lets you store your entire collection, including music you’ve ripped from CDs or purchased somewhere other than iTunes. For just $24.99 a year.2
> 
> Here’s how it works: iTunes determines which songs in your collection are available in the iTunes Store. Any music with a match is automatically added to your iCloud library for you to listen to anytime, on any device. Since there are more than 18 million songs in the iTunes Store, most of your music is probably already in iCloud. All you have to upload is what iTunes can’t match. Which is much faster than starting from scratch. And all the music iTunes matches plays back at 256-Kbps iTunes Plus quality — even if your original copy was of lower quality.


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## sheamus (May 20, 2010)

corey111 said:


> Anyone know what will happen to web hosting I’ve been running two websites using my mobileme for years. Not exactly the most web savvy user so the iWeb method works best for me. I hope they keep the hosting alive.


Hopefully they make it compete with Google Apps For Your Domain, and allow you to host your mail there too!

~S


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

Had a real moment this morning where I caught myself really wishing for iCloud and "*iTunes in the Cloud*" this morning. 

Let me paint the whole picture for you. 

So a couple days ago, based on a thread on *ehMac about the new Coldplay single*, I bought the single, *Every Teardrop is a Waterfall*. Bought it on my iMac when surfing ehMac. Love the single. 

This morning, I have an appointment to get my car tuned up, which is about 5 blocks from ehMac HQ, or about a 25 minute walk. I go to drop it off, and take my iPhone 3GS and Boss headphones to have a nice walk and listen to music on the way back. 

Talking back, I can't wait to listen to single again, and realized I haven't synced my iPhone since I bought the single. 

Would of been really great to just sync my music from the cloud. 

Anyways, one real world example. I've had a couple since yesterday where I caught myself thinking, this will be great when it comes out. Really looking forward to playing with iCloud and iOS 5... iMessage etc..


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## Joker Eh (Jan 22, 2008)

Sorry about that ehMax but it will be US only I think, I think we will get shafted here again.


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## Paddy (Jul 13, 2004)

iTunes 10.3 is now available for download. So while iTunes Match isn't available until the fall, you can at least sync your purchased music now! And yes, it works in both the US and Canada at this point. 

iTunes (in the Cloud) 10.3 beta available for download, we go hands-on -- Engadget


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## Guest (Jun 7, 2011)

Paddy said:


> iTunes 10.3 is now available for download. So while iTunes Match isn't available until the fall, you can at least sync your purchased music now! And yes, it works in both the US and Canada at this point.
> 
> iTunes (in the Cloud) 10.3 beta available for download, we go hands-on -- Engadget


At least we made the cut for this feature .. it seems like it's only US and Canada for the beta so other people internationally are out of luck.


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## Guest (Jun 7, 2011)

Paddy said:


> iTunes 10.3 is now available for download. So while iTunes Match isn't available until the fall, you can at least sync your purchased music now! And yes, it works in both the US and Canada at this point.
> 
> iTunes (in the Cloud) 10.3 beta available for download, we go hands-on -- Engadget


I just downloaded and installed. It doesn't actually let me sync my previously purchased music ... I think they may be having some issues in serverland. It let's me re-download any iOS apps and Books but not music. As I say maybe they are getting hammered hard and shut it down or are adjusting things, but no option to re-download any of my previous music purchases


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## Joker Eh (Jan 22, 2008)

mguertin said:


> I just downloaded and installed. It doesn't actually let me sync my previously purchased music ... I think they may be having some issues in serverland. It let's me re-download any iOS apps and Books but not music. As I say maybe they are getting hammered hard and shut it down or are adjusting things, but no option to re-download any of my previous music purchases


That's what I mentioned in another post I think it may be only US at this point and maybe forever.


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## Joker Eh (Jan 22, 2008)

For those who are using Windows XP the iCloud service will not be supported.

Windows XP users will be lost in the iCloud | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog


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## Paddy (Jul 13, 2004)

I just updated iTunes on my Mac Pro and my MBP, and am re-downloading the purchased music on the MBP as I type this. Works fine. Will test further when my son and his iPod Touch come home from school!



Joker Eh said:


> For those who are using Windows XP the iCloud service will not be supported.
> 
> Windows XP users will be lost in the iCloud | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog


As one of the commenters at TUAW said, if Microsoft is no longer supporting XP, why the heck should Apple? Sooner or later, one has to stop the madness of coding for long-in-the-tooth operating systems. Remember too that even if 50% of the PC world is still using XP (depending on which stats you look at), a huge percentage of that is BUSINESS use. And iTunes is hardly a business application. And if home users choose to remain on XP, things will continue more or less as they are now; it's not like they're _losing_ anything. They're simply not going to have access to the _new_ features of iTunes.


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## Andrew Pratt (Feb 16, 2007)

We're stuck with XP at work so that isn't good news for us.


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

*Canada gets shafted for iCloud Music Syncing Beta (Video Evidence)*

As kind of expected, Canadians will have to wait to play with the new beta of iCloud Music syncing found in iTunes 10.3.








While the *US iTunes page* on Apple's site is touting:

_"*Your music. Everywhere.*
iTunes in the Cloud beta lets you automatically download new music, app, and book purchases to all your devices. Or you can download only the stuff you want to just the devices you want.* It’s all part of iTunes 10.3 "_

The Canadian site still features the Beatles. 

Downloading iTunes 10.3, and trying this out with both my US and Canadian iTunes Store, I was able to confirm that purchases made with the iTunes Canada store can not be synced from the iCloud. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMWSurCNqOc


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## wonderings (Jun 10, 2003)

With mobile me to disappear, what will happen with some of the features, especially screen share? I use this daily connecting to home, and connecting from home or anywhere else to work for files as well as screen sharing.


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## Moscool (Jun 8, 2003)

I suspect features will be migrated to iCloud. My only use for MM is a shared iDisk between 5 computers. The quote Marc: "we shall see..."


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## jwootton (Dec 4, 2009)

I think they will keep all of the functionality of MobileMe. Back to my mac has been pretty popular so I expect this to continue. I'm not expecting there to be that much difference between icloud and MobileMe to be honest. They seem pretty similar save for music and pictures


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## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

jwootton said:


> I think they will keep all of the functionality of MobileMe. Back to my mac has been pretty popular so I expect this to continue. I'm not expecting there to be that much difference between icloud and MobileMe to be honest. They seem pretty similar save for music and pictures


iCloud is going to blow everyone away, No one will be able to compete,
I just wished we had unlimited data on our iPhones in Canada.


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## Paddy (Jul 13, 2004)

ehMax said:


> As kind of expected, Canadians will have to wait to play with the new beta of iCloud Music syncing found in iTunes 10.3.
> 
> While the *US iTunes page* on Apple's site is touting:
> 
> ...


You're right, Mr. Mayor - I tried it out in my US account first. On my Canadian account, only books and apps appear, when you click the "purchased NEW!" link - no music. 

Someone needs to correct that Engadget article...(or find out from Apple Canada what the story is on this!)


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## Guest (Jun 8, 2011)

Paddy said:


> You're right, Mr. Mayor - I tried it out in my US account first. On my Canadian account, only books and apps appear, when you click the "purchased NEW!" link - no music.
> 
> Someone needs to correct that Engadget article...(or find out from Apple Canada what the story is on this!)


Apple Canada probably has no idea, and if they did they wouldn't be able to tell us anything aside from the fact that it's "not currently available in Canada" ... they have very strict policies about that sort of thing, they aren't allowed to tell you much of anything that's not already public knowledge.


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## CubaMark (Feb 16, 2001)

I have several websites hosted under MobileMe.... anyone see anything regarding the migration of me.com hosted websites to the iCloud?


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## Guest (Jun 8, 2011)

Given that they updated everyone's accounts until summer of next year I'd say that there will be lots of time before you have to worry about this sort of thing and at some point they will probably just give you a 1-click option to move all your stuff over to whatever they put in place for the new setup (if you even have to do it, they might just do it all behind the scenes) ... that's my prediction anyway. iCloud is not just a new and completely different product, it's also the forward migration of MM so I'm sure it will be part of their master plan to make life simple for everyone.


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## Moscool (Jun 8, 2003)

Yes I watched the video feed in detail tonight and it comes across as a half-way solution with loads of question marks. Phase 1 is really retail end-user focused with very little to say about users who are heavily Mac centric. It also outlines the joke that is the memory size (and price) on both iPhones and iPads. We shall see...


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## 9780 (Sep 14, 2006)

I don't know why everyone keeps mentioning that the keynote was low on details and left a lot of question marks.

1 - it's a keynote
2 - it's just a preview of a few features of what's coming, not the full announcement, full feature lists, and full finished products.

we're still months away from the final releases. They did their job at the keynote which was telling people "this is where we're going, check this cool stuff we show you today, more info coming soon"

I never expect all questions answered from keynotes, just expect the "wow" stuff.


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## sands989 (May 3, 2007)

I just upgraded on May.9th
Subscription Start Date	May 9, 2011
Subscription End Date	Jun 30, 2012


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

Apple has posted 2 new Knowledge Base articles relating to the transition from MobileMe to iCloud and Refunds:

*Information about the MobileMe transition*

*What's happening to MobileMe?*
Effective June 6, 2011, if you had an active MobileMe account, your service has been automatically extended through June 30, 2012, at no additional charge. After this, the MobileMe service will no longer be available.

*What will happen to the content I have on MobileMe?*
Apple has announced a new service called iCloud which will be available this fall and free for iOS 5 and OS X Lion users. When you sign up for iCloud, you'll be able to keep your me.com or mac.com email address and move your MobileMe mail, contacts, calendars, and bookmarks to the new service.

When iCloud becomes available this fall, more details and instructions will be provided on how to make the move.

*Can I create a new MobileMe account? *
You can no longer create a new 60-day trial account or start a new subscription using a code contained in a MobileMe box. However, if you have a Family Pack subscription, you can still create new family member accounts.

*Can I upgrade to a Family Pack or purchase additional storage?* 
Effective June 6, 2011, you can no longer upgrade your Individual account to a Family Pack or purchase additional storage for your MobileMe account.

*I purchased a MobileMe box and have not used the activation code inside. Can I get refund for it?*
Yes. If you have an unused activation code from a MobileMe box, you can submit a refund request.

============================

*MobileMe: All about MobileMe box refunds and subscription cancelations*

*Summary*
This article explains the process for MobileMe box refunds and subscription cancelations, including how you know if you are eligible, what documentation is required, and refund processing time.

Lots of details, *click here.*


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

ehMax said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMWSurCNqOc


You know, the above really bums me out. I heard reports that Canadians won't be seeing iTunes Music Syncing through iCloud until well into 2012. 

Who's responsible for this... the Canadian Labels? The CRTC?


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## spiffychristian (Mar 17, 2008)

.


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## Chimpur (May 1, 2009)

spiffychristian said:


> I like the name mobile me way better than the name iCloud. Whatever.


MobileMe, iCloud... I miss .Mac! Those post card things were kinda cool lol! 


But my question on how this will work is, I have a family pack, but one of the members on that account is my ex.... Will there be a way to cut her loose of my account? The less I have to do with her the better lol!


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## Garry (Jan 27, 2002)

ehMax said:


> You know, the above really bums me out. I heard reports that Canadians won't be seeing iTunes Music Syncing through iCloud until well into 2012.
> 
> Who's responsible for this... the Canadian Labels? The CRTC?


The labels/publishers would be responsible for this.


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## Stan Jensen (Jun 8, 2011)

I acquired a US Post Box, as I live on the border, I was able to transfer my account to the US one, I wonder what I would have to do to let other use that and do the same?

ANyone know?


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## Guest (Jun 12, 2011)

ehMax said:


> You know, the above really bums me out. I heard reports that Canadians won't be seeing iTunes Music Syncing through iCloud until well into 2012.
> 
> Who's responsible for this... the Canadian Labels? The CRTC?


Not just the "canadian" labels, it will be all the labels. They can fight for different/better deals in Canada as the rules are different. To be honest this feature isn't really that big of a deal for me. It seems like something pretty awesome initially but the more I think about it the less I care about it. For people with a lot of really crappy rips maybe it will be a bigger deal, but the majority of stuff I have in my library that's not iTunes purchases are really good quality already and I don't have to pay anything to access them on my iOS devices ... I can do that already for free right now.

It's the same crap on the iBookstore in Canada ... it's got some HUGE holes in the lineup of available content. Example, I searched for "star wars" and it came back telling me that it was not found and asked if I wanted to search for "tsar wars" ... DOH. It's about the same for most popular sci-fi and/or fantasy. Search for some of the best selling titles in either of those genre's and you'll be lucky to find anything at all.


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