# Do you have a .Mac account?



## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

How many of you have and use a .Mac account? Been using one for 1.5 years now, and love it. Love the e-mail, and love the home page aspect of it (and esp. the iDisk) portion). How about you?


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## WorldIRC (Mar 7, 2004)

Have it but don't use it. Got it free with my Apple training!


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

WorldIRC said:


> Have it but don't use it. *Got it free with my Apple training!*


Same, same.. gotta love the side benefits of said training.


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## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

I love my .Mac subscription. I use it for far more than just "family stuff". It is an integral part of my workflow -- as is iLife, itself. iLife has saved me many MANY thousands of dollars throughout my career.


EDIT: I don't use the iSync or .Mac email account hardly at all, as I am usually working from one place (at home). But, with the nature of my work, having the server space for in-project client presentation -- and the ability to put them together using iMovie and also to easily create a specific website and password-protected domain via iWeb is really REALLY valuable.

I am amazed at how good iWeb is... and it's only at version ONE!  I'm leaning towards ditching RapidWeaver and create my promotional website using iWeb instead.


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## marrmoo (Jul 24, 2003)

Yes

I have been using mine for 2 years now. The homepage is used to display photos to my family living in Northern Ontario. The iSync allows me to sync my office mac with the one in my home office.


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## Pylonman (Aug 16, 2004)

I love it!:clap: 
Signed up for .Mac when it was in the beta stage. What, maybe 4 years ago? A long time user.

I find the email very reliable, use the iDisk for transferring files from work to home, iBackup for my wife's business files and iWeb/homepage for my toddler web site.
Sure, their might be cheaper alternatives. But it just works.

Oh, speaking of cheaper. I have always renewed via .mac $169.00, but this time I purchased a .mac account from a chap on ebay $70.00 and just worked just fine.


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## Mississauga (Oct 27, 2001)

I couldn't and won't live without it - FAR too many useful features for personal and business purposes. For all it offers, NOTHING else comes close!


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## bryanc (Jan 16, 2004)

*It's worth the price for me, but just barely.*

I use it and appreciate it. I have two systems, and the bookmark and keychain synching features are very nice, and I use the iDisk a lot. We also keep a family webpage, and use the .mac email fairly heavily, so it's certainly worth the subscription to us.

That being said, there are a lot of cheaper or even free online services that will give you most of what you can get from a .Mac account, so that's a consideration. Fundamentally what we're paying for with .mac at the moment is convenience provided by good integration.

I'm hopeful that with the growing relationship between Google and Apple, we'll see significant improvements in the .Mac service announced in January. If that happens, I'll have no hesitation about renewing in the spring.

Cheers


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## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

bryanc said:


> That being said, there are a lot of cheaper or even free online services that will give you most of what you can get from a .Mac account, so that's a consideration. Fundamentally *what we're paying for with .mac at the moment is convenience provided by good integration*.


Which is worth its weight in productivity.

Continuing on about my experience with iWeb, it, Pages, and Keynote are WAY more dependent on the Inspector floating window than other iLife programs I am more experienced in, such as iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie and iDVD. Until I just recently dove in and used iWeb to create a comprehensive site (until now, I used it for a page here and a page there for client presentation), I actually wasn't very well versed in the Inspector -- but now I am. The beauty of using the iLife apps is that their consistency enables skills you acquire in one program to be applied in another. Therefore, thanks to my recent hard work in iWeb, I am eager to dive into Pages and in particular Keynote!


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## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

I've had it since it was free...
But this year I got suckered into paying way too much for it with the auto renewal.

Oh well...Guess I'm a sucker.

Dave


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## John Clay (Jun 25, 2006)

I've had it for a few months now, and I don't really use it. The Finder's .Mac integration sucks, to say the least (all WebDAV/FTP connections via Finder suck). I'm glad I didn't have to pay for it... Apple Training FTW.


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## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

Yes. iDisk itself is klu-U-nKY!! :yikes: When uploading media files etc. via iWeb, however, it seems to upload to it quite well. More responsive.


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## mazirion (May 22, 2005)

I used to be on dial-up - iDisk was completely useless on that! So I never really bothered with it.

Now that I am on a high speed connection, I still don't have it. meh - why should I pay for stuff that is available for free elsewhere?


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## gordmcc (Mar 2, 2006)

I've had a .Mac account since it was called iTools (and it was free!). I use it mainly to post homework on a daily basis for my students - actually, parents like the idea more than my students do! At the end of the semester, they can use the email link to request their exam mark and final mark.

I don't use the email feature, but I like Backup, particularly for my marks files. iDisk is great for transferring files between school and home.

I'm hoping when I'm retired in a couple of years (oh joy, oh bliss) that I'll be able to take advantage of some of the other features.

Great service, but I still think the price is a bit steep.


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## deafmac (Oct 12, 2004)

For me, this is the second year of having it. I was almost not going to renew it but okay give it another year! I am glad I did as my address book became corrupted and I was able to get the back up copy off the .mac account and use it. Saves me typing in some 800 addresses again! Whew! 

The price of back-up is worth every cent!


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## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

I love my .Mac account because:

-Strangers will say "Oh, you're a Mac user (too)?"
-Mail's new webmail interface, now I can use a Mac during lunchtime!
-iDisk, I have files I need access too and especially since I got rid of my iPod Shuffle, my iDisk has proven indispensible to me.
-iWeb, just pretty, just works.
-File sharing, for those files too large for e-mail.

What I don't like...
-Backup, for some reason my Address Book which was deleted by The Missing Sync didn't restore quite as well as deafmac put it.

BTW it's on sale for today only for $98.


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## Mississauga (Oct 27, 2001)

John Clay said:


> The Finder's .Mac integration sucks, to say the least (all WebDAV/FTP connections via Finder suck).


... which is why I switched to using Goliath from the first moment I tried the pitiful Finder integration.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

I use mine all the time, but it is too expensive. $69 would be in the right range, not $145.


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## hhk (May 31, 2006)

Sorry guys but I'm hijacking this thread to let you know I have an unused .mac package available in the classifieds. I bought it for $99 with my MBP but never activated it. Come on, make me an offer.


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## MACinist (Nov 17, 2003)

I don't think the value is there. Had it during the first year of release but then never renewed. Even though there are nearly no viruses for OSX, Viruscan that used to come with .Mac, gave it the illusion of being better value at least.

The .Mac address is cool but I prefer GMAIL for free. Homepage is cool but you can get many other online photo sharing accounts for free. The storage is pretty neat but I don't think that's worth the retail price of .Mac.


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## Brian Scully (Jan 23, 2001)

*.mac*

I have had for several years but feel hi jacked every year at the $139.00 CDN level which does not even remotely reflect the Canadian Dollar rate but I see that the Apple Store has it on sale at $99.00 CDN during Black Friday .......Does this kind of prepurchase for next September's renewal actually work ?


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## adagio (Aug 23, 2002)

I have purchased .Mac several months before renewal for the past 2 years and it's always worked. I snap it up when I can get it cheaper than the auto renew price.


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

What 'adagio' said - you don't need to go through the Apple auto-renewal process or price to continue your .Mac experience.


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## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

That's the second-best news I've heard all day, acquiring .Mac subscription #s at any time when the deals allow.

We lucked out when we had to renew just a few weeks ago. The Sherway store was selling them for $99.00. Shoulda bought TWO


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## jetcurieux (Jan 31, 2005)

I have never jumped into .mac, tried the trial but the price was to much for my blood.


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## macsackbut (Dec 15, 2004)

Macaholic said:


> We lucked out when we had to renew just a few weeks ago. The Sherway store was selling them for $99.00. Shoulda bought TWO


I know you're probably joking, but I'm pretty sure you have to activate a .mac serial # within a certain number of months after purchase (9?). 

I got my renewal this year from Future Shop when they had the .mac boxes on sale for half price. At $70, it's a decent value.


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## MACinist (Nov 17, 2003)

It's $98 still for the next couple hours in the apple store..... $41 off (yet still overpriced). 

This article, although a bit old, pretty much sums it up for me:

http://www.applematters.com/index.php/section/comments/whats_wrong_with_mac_and_how_to_fix_it/


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## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

macsackbut said:


> I know you're probably joking, but I'm pretty sure you have to activate a .mac serial # within a certain number of months after purchase (9?).


Well, I was wondering if there's a "shelf life" to a .Mac purchase. Thanks for the heads-up!


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## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

Odd because there's no mention of any expiration date. Isn't it illegal for prepaid items to expire anyway?


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## kgeorge78 (Sep 8, 2003)

I love mine,

Use the email to its fullest (2 aliases)

My Idisk is full of pics. Im building a home theater and using iweb to keep progress.


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

I never got .mac, probably never will, because, well, I don't get it. 
I don't understand what it does, or what it's for.

I've read passing comments and seen confusing acronyms for its features, but none of it means anything to me - certainly not enough to spend a hundred and fifty bucks on it.


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## iMan (Feb 22, 2005)

kgeorge78 said:


> I love mine,
> 
> Use the email to its fullest (2 aliases)
> 
> My Idisk is full of pics. Im building a home theater and using iweb to keep progress.


I am a .Mac subscriber and think it is a great package that just works. I especially like the new webmail interface! I don't understand the email alias thing, could someone explain it to me? 

Thank You


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## kgeorge78 (Sep 8, 2003)

SoyMac said:


> I never got .mac, probably never will, because, well, I don't get it.
> I don't understand what it does, or what it's for.
> 
> I've read passing comments and seen confusing acronyms for its features, but none of it means anything to me - certainly not enough to spend a hundred and fifty bucks on it.



I kinda bought it because im in love with apple not knowing what it does. im happy i purchased it. I disk gives u tons of online file storage. The mail accounts downloads ur messgaes faster then hotmail, yahoo, ..... You can access ur email anywhere and if u check it from a different pc, it automattically sincs.

IWeb is so easy to make simple web pages. I can go on forever. idisk is so easy to use, the icon is just like a hard drive - drag and drop - download pics from anywhere.


Believe me, im not all for that apple is great because its easy (Im actually a PC power user, build $4500 gaming rigs for a living), but it's true, Apple is great because its easy!


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## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

Besides my main e-mail account that my friends know, I have an alias that I give to business sites... any mail that comes in there gets marked orange. Then I also have revolving aliases that I use for places where I suspect I will have a high chance of receiving spam so I can delete the alias anytime and change to a new one. That's basically it.


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## Vexel (Jan 30, 2005)

I've tried the features.. and I like them. I just can't justify spending $100 + for it right now.


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## Aero (Mar 2, 2006)

I have .mac, got it when it went on sale last june/july. I'm still thinking if its useful or not. The webmail is ok, fast and good, spam is low to none (got one this morning from a .mac [email protected] or [email protected] lol). The idisk is kinda slow. Backup( not the program but the backup for the mail settings, calendar,etc...) is ok if your like me who reformat my system ever 2-4 weeks lol. I dont have a use for the website since I have a different site hosted somewhere else. The email and backup are the only thing that I like, there's gmail and my hosting email and I always backup key files in my external drive so i dont think I will renew my .mac next year. IMHO .mac is great a few years ago but I dont think so today, with gmail and cheap backup solution like flash drive, its portable and you can bring it anywhere even somewhere without net access.


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## macsackbut (Dec 15, 2004)

dona83 said:


> Odd because there's no mention of any expiration date. Isn't it illegal for prepaid items to expire anyway?


I don't know whether it's illegal or not, but here's what it says on the .Mac Quick Start guide of the box I bought a few weeks ago:

_In order to take full advantage of all the software and services available with .Mac, you must activate your membership within nine months of purchase. [...]_


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## ioXt_2 (Nov 24, 2006)

I got it for 3 years now... after I purchased my iBook.

I like it because it is well integrated with any Mac (as long as you have OS X) and I can create 5 email aliases for various purposes. Only wish they give some options for users who wants the mac.com address only. I don't find myself using much of iDisk & other services.

The pricing starts to bother me lately... How comes it is still the same price as 3 years ago??? Our Canadian dollar got so strong compared to the US dollar in the past year or 2... It doesn't need to have to be the exact exchange rate but $120 or so instead of $139+taxes is nothing much to ask for?


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## Twenty7Delta (Sep 18, 2005)

I have used it since I switched 3 years ago - I love the integration. I think it is over priced but you can't beat being able to turn on a brand new Mac and put your .mac info in and have all your contacts and addresses and bookmarks magically appear! That's worth a lot.


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## bishopandarlo (Mar 22, 2006)

ioXt_2 said:


> The pricing starts to bother me lately... How comes it is still the same price as 3 years ago??? Our Canadian dollar got so strong compared to the US dollar in the past year or 2... It doesn't need to have to be the exact exchange rate but $120 or so instead of $139+taxes is nothing much to ask for?




The Canadian pricing does not make sense at all. Example: $139 CAD (plus tax) compared to $139.95 AUS (includes tax). Yet $139.95 AUS is $123.57 CAD.


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

bishopandarlo said:


> The Canadian pricing does not make sense at all. Example: $139 CAD (plus tax) compared to $139.95 AUS (includes tax). Yet $139.95 AUS is $123.57 CAD.


Apple does not strictly price their products in each country based on the exchange rate. It's been stated dozens of times in the past, yet few people catch on to this fact. Let's move on...


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## Atroz (Aug 7, 2005)

dona83 said:


> Odd because there's no mention of any expiration date. Isn't it illegal for prepaid items to expire anyway?


Better explain that to the gift card retailers and bread bakers.


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## webwiz23 (Dec 10, 2005)

I don't know if anyone has posted this yet but I use a diffrent service very similart ot .mac for less money, it's called Spymac Club. Give it a try, there is a free trial avalible. They also offer Spymac regular, which is free and comes with an email address with 1GB of space, blog space, 1GB of web space to use a a web disk and or webspace. Spymac Club is a better upgraded version of that with software to aid in backups, and or such things. http://www.spymac.com or for club http://www.spymac.com/club/
BTW Club is $25 USD a year.


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

webwiz23 said:


> I don't know if anyone has posted this yet but I use a diffrent service very similart ot .mac for less money, it's called Spymac Club. Give it a try, there is a free trial avalible. They also offer Spymac regular, which is free and comes with an email address with 1GB of space, blog space, 1GB of web space to use a a web disk and or webspace. Spymac Club is a better upgraded version of that with software to aid in backups, and or such things. http://www.spymac.com or for club http://www.spymac.com/club/
> BTW Club is $25 USD a year.


Ah, but Spymac Club doesn't integrate quite as smoothly with Apple software like .Mac does.


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## DBF (May 4, 2005)

*Cancelling.mac?*

I signed up for .mac last week, now wondering if I did the right thing. I should have done the free trial. Can I cancel?


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## Darien Red Sox (Oct 24, 2006)

webwiz23 said:


> I don't know if anyone has posted this yet but I use a diffrent service very similart ot .mac for less money, it's called Spymac Club. Give it a try, there is a free trial avalible. They also offer Spymac regular, which is free and comes with an email address with 1GB of space, blog space, 1GB of web space to use a a web disk and or webspace. Spymac Club is a better upgraded version of that with software to aid in backups, and or such things. http://www.spymac.com or for club http://www.spymac.com/club/
> BTW Club is $25 USD a year.


After reading this I set up a Spy Mac acount and it works great. It has one key advantage over .mac, you can get to it from school, I had the .mac acount for the 60 day free period, and infact still use it for IM (Apple lets you use this for free). I use Spy Mac now because I can acess that disk from school whare as the whole www.mac.com site is blocked. Athough it would be nice to have a @mac.com E-Mail so people would know that I was a Mac user just by looking at my E-Mail.


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## Aero (Mar 2, 2006)

DBF said:


> I signed up for .mac last week, now wondering if I did the right thing. I should have done the free trial. Can I cancel?


I dont think you can cancel, thats why there's a free trial.


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## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

Yeah. You can sell unentered .Mac serial #s, but once they're entered they're cooked (like unsealing software -- you can't return it)


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## guytoronto (Jun 25, 2005)

I have a .Mac account (expires in 71 days).

Once it expires, I will not be renewing. For $99 / year, I can have my own customizable webspace with unlimited e-mail addresses, and full PHP / MySQL access.

Nothing on .Mac appeals to me. The only reason I have it now is I got a free activation code.


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## PosterBoy (Jan 22, 2002)

I have a .Mac account still, but I really only keep it around for the email address which I've had since iTools debuted way back in the day.

I use the iDisk space every once in a while, but that's about all I use from the other features.


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## MACinist (Nov 17, 2003)

Let the challenge begin!

http://apcmag.com/4823/the_10_000_not_mac_dotmac_challenge


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## kastytis (Oct 24, 2006)

.mac kinda sounds to me like bloatware nobody wants, reading these posts in this string. I've come to love my macbook, but .mac strikes me too much like door-to-door Direct Energy salespeople: trying to make me pay for what I already have, but for more money.


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## MacWbee (Mar 12, 2006)

*i'm one of the few i guess*

I guess I'm only one of the few who benefit from .Mac a lot. I'm dependent on iSync to sychronize my word processing and graphic files on my mounted iDisk and my bookmarks, calendars, contacts and keychains on my two macs. 

I have an imac for home use and a macbook for my office desk. With my mounted iDisk, I can easily access my files whether I'm at the office or at home and it automatically synchronizes the changes I make at either location. 

I want Apple to have more improvements with the .Mac but I hope they won't get rid of it.


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## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

I have to pipe in a bit more about .Mac.

If you're a fan of iLife like I am, .Mac brings a whole new level to it -- and I'm not just talking about "personal" iLife. I use iLife extensively in my work. I just recently got into iWeb, and I use it and .Mac for lightening-fast client presentations. Within minutes, I can create a unique web domain, even password protect it, and put up all materials and demos related to my clients' projects. Not counting the few personal domains and sites I have set up, I am currently running *SEVEN* domains! I am at about 550MB of my 1GB server space.

I am also working on a startup business that is heavily reliant upon iLife, and I anticipate using not only iDisk but iCal group scheduling and publishing to coordinate projects among freelancers I may engage.

There's A TONNE of functionality within a .Mac account that, with iLife and other Apple apps, can greatly enhance the productivity of more people than they may realize. This will vary from person (or operation) to person of course, but I suggest thinking about work-flows and imagining how .Mac might fit in.

It's like I tell PC users curious about the Mac: don't just think about transferring your usage behavior from one platform (Windows) to another (Mac); there is a whole lot more there that you ca expand or enhance what you have traditionally done. Just... er, think differently!


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## (( p g )) (Aug 17, 2002)

I ditched .Mac years ago and never missed it. All the key features I need--email, storage, syncing, calendar publishing, webdav, photos, web hosting--I've been able to find elsewhere for far less money. And with far better reliability.


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## avra (Aug 3, 2005)

It's great for consumers who aren't web savvy and want to put their iLife media on the internet.

For anyone who is more web savvy and knows basic website creation, there are preferable ways to go in that respect, but I do like the syncing, Backup and iDisk features.


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## Fisto (Nov 27, 2003)

Have it. Use it. Currently I don't use it enough. I like how easy it is to publish a site from iWeb, photocast stuff to my sister, and ichat with her as well. I wasn't too happy when I tried to iSinc the addresses from my Macbook Pro to my old iMac and it bumped the old addresses out. I must've done something wrong there.


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## MACinist (Nov 17, 2003)

http://arstechnica.com/staff/fatbits.ars/2006/12/22/6389


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## Mississauga (Oct 27, 2001)

MACinist said:


> http://arstechnica.com/staff/fatbits.ars/2006/12/22/6389


Now THAT article is written by a whiner! I refute almost every point to the fullest. As usual, one only hears the negative. The majority of satisfied .Mac users don't go out of their way to publicly laud their positive experiences.

In my 4+ years with .Mac, I can only state it just keeps getting better.


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## MACinist (Nov 17, 2003)

Mississauga said:


> In my 4+ years with .Mac, I can only state it just keeps getting better.


LMAO!!! That has to be sarcasm.


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## i<3myiBookg4 (Mar 17, 2006)

I don't have one.


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## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

MACinist said:


> http://arstechnica.com/staff/fatbits.ars/2006/12/22/6389


That article is crap. .Mac is far from perfect, but I can attest PERSONALLY that it is extremely handy and many aspects of it work well. iDisk can be slow, however. In my personal experience, that's the main problem I have encountered.


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## Mississauga (Oct 27, 2001)

I'll admit data transfer and/or syncing may seem slow at times, but no worse than some FTP transfers on any non-local shared server. I would attribute the perceived slowness to Apple's server loads and traffic. Also, I find Goliath a better tool for iDisk access.


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## Zapodidae (Jun 8, 2005)

I'm actually surprised by the number of .mac supporters. I've been using it since August and have been disappointed with almost every feature:

-.mac mail - the new interface is superb but it's no good for those of us who don't want to use their .mac address as their primary e-mail. I want to receive and send e-mail from my primary address with .mac. Can't be done. Is is too much to ask for a "reply-to" field or "on behalf of" a la gmail?
-iWeb integration - also great, but again only if you want to host from a mac.com address - I have to manually upload to my own server space to get my own address and can't use the advanced features
-podcasting - if you can get your grandparents's windows box to work with this at all (as advertised), they don't get any metadata with the photos: "Jimmy's 2nd birthday party" is replaced with "01536254.crw". You can export photos with titles but you can't postcast them. Thanks...
-iCal - so you can publish a static calendar. Pretty basic. No direct link from your .mac home page (where's the integration there?), no web editing, no publishing to-do lists
-Backup - why can't you clone your entire drive? Will have less value with the release of Time Machine in Leopard
-iDisk - I've never successfully mounted to a Windows desktop - no explanation, no troubleshooting
-Learning Centre - why is Apple charging for access to help files for their own apps?
-iCards - I've used them but they are pretty basic and refreshed almost never
-Groups - great if everyone in your club is a Mac user. Not likely in a 95% windows world
-isync - works as advertised and valuable if you have >1 Mac, limited otherwise. Oddly, it will sync your e-mail accounts and settings but not your inbox. Not sure why you want to do that.

BTW, love to hear any workarounds to these issues - might get me to renew.


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## Atroz (Aug 7, 2005)

Zapodidae said:


> I'm actually surprised by the number of .mac supporters. I've been using it since August and have been disappointed with almost every feature:
> 
> -Backup - why can't you clone your entire drive? Will have less value with the release of Time Machine in Leopard
> -iDisk - I've never successfully mounted to a Windows desktop - no explanation, no troubleshooting
> ...


Not a lot of workarounds from me, but a few comments. 

Backup and .mac Sync are my 2 main reasons for subscribing. 

Backup - I use it in two ways. 1) backup small files/config stuff to the iDisk. Gets it out of my house in case something catastrophic happens (e.g. Fire). 2) Lets me backup files from my laptop to my desktop where they are then backed up with Superduper to an external drive. Saves me having to move that drive back and forth. 

.Mac Sync - As mentioned, I have 2 machines so syncing them is very useful. I don't need to do inbox syncing, I use IMAP. Way better than a POP3 account. 

I've had iDisk work from Windows in the past. I gave up on Windows though. 

iCards - I like them, but ya, they really need more content. 

groups - I don't think this is Mac only. It does require that a user gets a .Mac userID though. Free for that. 

Your other concerns are all valid and annoying for me too.


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