.Mac is now Mobileme. I will try not to make this sound like a commercial for Apple’s service here. What do we need to be aware of as examiners?
The big change, Windows! Its now synching with Windows applications too. Here is a summary of services first:
- Contacts
- Calendar
- Gallery
- iDisk
Synchronization takes place thru a MobileMe account and gets “pushed” (okay, not pushed) out to subscribed computers, iPhones and iPod Touch devices.
On the Mac, applications that support the sync include:
- Contacts
- Calendar
On the PC, applications that support the sync include:
- Microsoft Outlook
- Outlook Express
- Windows Mail
- Windows Contacts
Something to watch for: iDisk! File Sharing with iDisk is soon to become extremely easy. The service already allows for online storage of files. Soon, the service is supposed to allow for a simple emailing of a link to a friend and then the download of a shared file.
.Mac (the old service)
.Mac was a service offered by Apple via one year subscriptions. It offers 1 GB of storage for files, IMAP email service, and syncing. The syncing service is where things can being to begin to get interesting. Online storage of files and email is something that we are used to looking at. The sync service is something new and has been available since Tiger.
Back To My Mac operates thru the .Mac service offering users a zero-configuration way to access all of their Leopard Macintosh computers from any other Leopard Macintosh.
Items synchronized thru .Mac include:
- Safari bookmarks
- iCal Calendars and To Do items
- Address Book Contacts
- Mail Account Settings
- Mail Rules, Smart Mailbox Settings and Signatures
- Keychains
- Third Party Syncs
Specific to Leopard:
- Dashboard Widgets settings
- Dock Items
- Preferences
- Mail Notes
(Read Apple Technical Note 301228)
A person using this feature can access their synchronized items via the internet either from another Macintosh that has been registered, or from a web browser that has signed in thru the .Mac web page.