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Apple gives MobileMe users an extra 60 days on their subscriptions

Aug. 18, 2008 Paul Thurrott | Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows

I received the following highly impersonal email from Apple today:

MobileMe Update

We have already made many improvements to MobileMe, but we still have many more to make. To recognize our users' patience, we are giving every MobileMe subscriber as of today a free 60 day extension. This is in addition to the one month extension most subscribers have already received. We are working very hard to make MobileMe a great service we can all be proud of. We know that MobileMe's launch has not been our finest hour, and we truly appreciate your patience as we turn this around. Read this article for more details.

The MobileMe Team

The article linked above reads in part...

MobileMe: Supplemental 60-day extension eligibility and details

Why is Apple granting a 60-day subscription extension?
The transition from .Mac to MobileMe was rockier than we had hoped.  While we are making a lot of improvements, the MobileMe service is still not up to our standards. We are extending subscriptions 60-days free of charge to express appreciation for our members’ patience as we continue to improve the service.

So. I'm of two minds on this one.

Glass half full view: It's nice to see Apple doing the right thing, given what a horrible experience MobileMe has been.

Glass half empty view: This is like getting sick at a restaurant, complaining, and then getting a gift certificate for the very meal that made you sick.

You make the call.

Discuss this Article 33

Lindy
on Aug 18, 2008
I got Undertow the arcade game from Microsoft when Xbox Live was down for 15 days straight, and then on again off again for another 15 days past that, in Dec 2007 - Jan 2008. (Which is far, far longer than any .Mac outage I have ever seen.) That is like getting sick at a restaurant, complaining and then getting served up your own vomit. Oh and for a special after dinner treat I got a slice of tasty RROD pie, mmmm tasty.
yert
on Aug 18, 2008
I think that Apple bit off more then it could chew, but as long as all the fans remember this debacle the next time they get vocal about something, I might be content, as I didn't buy into this as an early adopter (or at all I suppose). I certainly remember back in the pre-security days at Microsoft. Boy has that changed them; we can only hope Apple takes this bad news and turns it into something good. Maybe this will change Apple for the better too?
tayme
on Aug 18, 2008
YAWN....Nice trolling there, Lindy. --tayme
johnpapola
on Aug 18, 2008
Even more than mobileme, which for me is working decent and delivering solid push and sync goodness... they need to really optimize the damn iPhone 2.0 platform. Contacts is still slow as hell... which is a real mess considering my ancient Treo had instant contact search with over 1800 contacts. Oh, and the call dropping is very real and very angering. Grrrr....
cesjr
on Aug 18, 2008
Does MS have anything like Mobileme currently running - web access to email, calendar and contacts, pushed to your mobile or media player, and at a consumer price point? Oh yeah - NO.
Lindy
on Aug 18, 2008
Apple knows customer service. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10019711-37.html?tag=nefd.top
Lindy
on Aug 18, 2008
@johnpapola, there was a iPhone/iTouch firmware update tonight, 2.0.2? Supposedly fixes the 3G problems some have.
Lindy
on Aug 18, 2008
@ceesjr, sure the do. http://join.msn.com/en-ca/premium/overview Lacks a few features but hey its $124.95 a year. I think Paul forgot this little MS gem in his cloud product review.
dougxd
on Aug 18, 2008
Hey cesjr... As a matter of fact, MS does. It's called Live services. Specifically, for Windows Mobile phones, it's called "Windows Live for Windows Mobile." It sync's mail, calendar, and contacts just like you mention. It's been available now for a little more than a year and I've been using it for a little more than 6 months. Thank you for flying.
dougxd
on Aug 18, 2008
Follow up to my prior comment........ And it's FREE. Mobile ME is not. Again, thank you for flying.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Aug 18, 2008
A little followup to dougxd's response to cesjr The base link for information on Windows Live for Windows Mobile is at http://www.gowindowslive.com/Mobile/Landing/Home/Default.aspx? It is not only available for Windows Mobile devices but also (with some limits) on selected Blackberry and Nokia devices. As long as we're mentioning Windows LIve services, I'd also HIGHLY recommend Live Search for Windows Mobile which includes mapping, business search, traffic, gas prices and voice input. (This is an amazing Windows Mobile app and information is available at http://livesearchmobile.com/windows_mobile.htm)
mikegalos@msn.com
on Aug 18, 2008
Oh, and both Windows Live for Windows Mobile and Live Search Mobile are free.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Aug 18, 2008
Oh, and Live Search Mobile also supports GPS, point-to-point routing and knows what movies are playing at local theaters. Versions are also available for Blackberry and a web based subset is available for other phones that have browsers.
subzerohitman721
on Aug 18, 2008
If this creates a culture change over in Apple and in the Mac community, I'm all for that. Instead of bashing Windows users and the platform in general, learn from the mistakes made. Make your own platform better and learn to treat the otherside with respect. For the most part, Windows users have got a lot of respect for Apple. I do applaud Apple for this extension. This does show they are humble enough to put their money where their mouths are. This is the kind of customer service response to a bad situation that encourages users to be involved. I also believe if Apple would engage in beta testing more thoroughly, they would have avoided this situation. It is good to see Apple being fair to those who have embarked on the service. I do hope that they do get the service to high quality and full interoperability with the Windows platform.
gorath
on Aug 18, 2008
I think it's pretty good of apple to do this. There's nothing they can't exactly turn back time and fix the errors before it happened, so this, I believe, is a satisfactory outcome. As for people comparing MS to Appple here, why? this is just (yet another) commentary on apple, isn't it?
wdowell
on Aug 18, 2008
I absolutely LOVE the way that throughout this debacle they have kept the Apple brand as far away as possble. A perfect example is the latest email: it, not once, has the Apple logo, or the even the word Apple (except for the required small-type at the bottom).. It's all "Mobileme". Genius damage limitation. I signed up for the trial on the last day of .mac, so never paid (though had all the inconvenience of lost email, etc, and useless browser joke (I'm on a PC), but I'm still in two minds about paying. If it was 50$ i'd jump and pay. But 100$..
cesjr
on Aug 19, 2008
dougxd said: "As a matter of fact, MS does. It's called Live services. Specifically, for Windows Mobile phones, it's called "Windows Live for Windows Mobile." It sync's mail, calendar, and contacts just like you mention. It's been available now for a little more than a year and I've been using it for a little more than 6 months. Thank you for flying." From Paul's "review" - "Email: Outlook Mobile provides email sync with Outlook, OTA push support for Exchange, and native support for Windows Live Hotmail email. Contacts: The Windows Mobile Contacts application syncs with Outlook on the PC, and with Exchange Server. Using Windows Live for Windows Mobile, Contacts also syncs with Windows Live Contacts. All contacts are presented in an aggregated view on the device. Calendar: The Windows Mobile Calendar application syncs with Outlook on the PC, and with Exchange Server. Notably, Windows Mobile Calendar also supports Outlook Tasks." Notice the last section - no mention of sync to the device for the calendar. Also, for contacts, everything is put in terms of sync - not push. I also found no reference to calendar syncing or pushing at www.gowindowslive.com/.../Default.aspx
shark47
on Aug 19, 2008
"Does MS have anything like Mobileme currently running - web access to email, calendar and contacts, pushed to your mobile or media player, and at a consumer price point? Oh yeah - NO." What exactly is your point there? First of all, Microsoft does (so does Google, for that matter), as some people here have pointed out. Secondly, so what if it didn't? Does that make a buggy service all that more acceptable? Stop trolling here, cesjr.
DRWAM
on Aug 19, 2008
The Motorola Q does not seem to be listed in Live. The BB on two of my partner's phone just won't sync with Exchange, but mail works. But the iPhone does not support Hotmail. A workaround is available and seems to work well. Still, it's cheaper to buy a thumb drive to carry files and just sync to your computer. For those with an iPhone or Touch, it's cheaper to buy a WiFi Access poiont and leave it at work, or buy a portable one, than MoMe, and use a file transfer app such as MobileFinder for 2 bucks John P uses Datacase. MobileFinder seemed to have problems with larger files, but this may have been fixed due to the iPhone 2.0.2 update. Now storing and displaying Office docs, pics,music, video, etc... can be quickly sent to the iPohne and back via WiFi. MobileFinder works with Windows well. I use FTP clients. Cyberduck for the Mac and Filezilla for my PC. Transfers take 1 to 3 seconds depending on size. 104 word docs took less than 3 seconds to transfer to the iPhone and i was on another floor, across the house too, from the WiFi access point.
DRWAM
on Aug 19, 2008
Paul made a good point about using free services, so it would make sense that gMail be used for iPhone stuff [even if you use Exchange] and Live for WinMo. Exchange is just terrific.
shark47
on Aug 19, 2008
OK. I don't usually post links to articles bashing Apple, but this one is a little relevant. http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/19/apple-is-flailing-badly-at-the-edge... I cannot comment on the article itself. Unlike lotsa, I don't have any "anecdotes". I can, however, comment on the comments themselves. What I found most interesting was the first comment. The article is about Apple and never mentions Microsoft, yet some iCabalist had to bring Vista into the discussion. It's very similar to Lindy's first comment here.
DRWAM
on Aug 19, 2008
Personally, after reading his article and 'about' section, I see that I have owned more Apple products than Mr. Arrington. I have not had a problem with any, including the iPhone 3G. I will also note, that 'from my experience' includes his too. However, he is a lawyer, which is analogous to liar. My iPhone works flawlessly, and has NEVER dropped a single call. I am quite skeptical when someone claims that ALL of their Apple products were faulty, which statically is remote given the larger amount that he quotes. I think he's a liar, possibly flame baiting to get web site hits. Anyone that continues to purchase products and claims so many failures of a company's product, is a complete idiot. He's a liar and/or an idiot. Perhaps he's just too stupid to get the technology to work.
DRWAM
on Aug 19, 2008
Here's something from Computerworld mag published today that is not anecdotal: "Apple clobbers competition in customer satisfaction survey 'Teflon' company posts personal computer record of 85, 10 points ahead of No. 2 Dell" http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&...
shark47
on Aug 19, 2008
"Apple clobbers competition in customer satisfaction survey" I think that is more or less expected. It might be the quality. But it might be the consumers too. I'm not saying all its users belong to that category, but a substatnial number of Apple's consumers refuse to believe that the company can ever go wrong. This is how they justify it to themselves: "Mobile Me is a disaster." "Yes, that may be true, but Microsoft sucks. So, Mobile Me does not suck."
joe-dokes
on Aug 19, 2008
Shark47, Many said that Apple's high customer satisfaction was due entirely to its fanatical customers. Yet, Apple is growing at a rate twice the industry, and half of all its customers are new to the platform, yet its customer satisfaction has risen, albeit a small amount. Thus, the expectation among MS fans was that Apple's customer satisfaction would decrease, that hasn't happened. The conclusion I would draw is that Apple makes a pretty damn good product, and backs the product up with good customer service. Remember the rule of being a customer, "Quality, service, and Price. Pick any two." Regards Joe Dokes
mikegalos@msn.com
on Aug 19, 2008
shark What I've seen even more from the non-fanboi Apple user is a tendency to blame themselves when something goes wrong. I had an Apple using friend (non-techie) who on sending her Apple laptop back for repair for the third time in a year (bad drive, bad main board, bad power supply) said, essentially, "I must be doing something wrong to have this break that often" If that had been a Dell user the response would have been either "I'll never buy a Dell again" or "Stupid Windows" even for hardware issues. Bad Apple products are assumed to be user error since If Apple stuff "just works" then when it doesn't it must be the user.
tayme
on Aug 19, 2008
@shark - "But it might be the consumers too." That is a very good point, and was mentioned in the article. It is widely known that a good many of Apple users actually have an unhelathy "love" for the company and its products. "But Apple has other things going for it besides a troubled OS competitor. "Apple is not without its quality problems," said Fornell. "People know there have been some service and product quality problems, but Apple has an almost Teflon-like quality. It's problems don't really seem to matter to consumers." " --tayme
DRWAM
on Aug 19, 2008
Shark, again, with all due respect, at this site, good news from Apple is flawed and bad is news is from 'industry trusted companies', and just the opposite for MS. They [Apple] are due their credits and more people are happy because of quality. MobileMe problems and iPhone problems are posted all over the web. Apple is not getting a pass, and MoMe quality seems bad, from what I have read on the PC side. Mac OS looks like it has problems with it too.. And MS does not suck, IMO, but lawyers do:) Anyway, I disagree with your statement. But, I am very anxious to see what Live for Mac OS will do, especially if it's free. Even if it requires a version of Office, if it's good, MobileMe could fade away, or the price could get wacked to a more acceptable amount. Another annual fee to the consumer is just causing more of their dept problems. I use Exchange on the Mac, XP and iPhone, but my company is now looking into personal folders that sync with the home server. I now Google wares exist, but I trust my Microsoft apps more, as well as my own secure company server. Or at least I hope it's secure. Please correct me, or scare the crap out of me if I am wrong.
shark47
on Aug 19, 2008
"Shark, again, with all due respect, at this site, good news from Apple is flawed and bad is news is from 'industry trusted companies', and just the opposite for MS." How can you use my views to make a general statement about the entire site? And, no, I don't think all bad news about Apple is from "industry trusted companies". Apple wouldn't be where it is today just on the basis of fanatical users. Similarly, not all bad news about Microsoft is from flawed sources. Moreover, you're the one who called Arrington a liar. I never said he was an industry trusted source. My comment was not about his post but the comments on it. If Mobile Me is buggy, it's buggy. It doesn't depend on how good/bad XBox Live or Windows Live are. If these were the people who were interviewed for the survey, I am not surprised Apple did so well.
DRWAM
on Aug 19, 2008
You guys have just discredited an independent valid survey. I am quite certain that given all those that complain about Apple, that results would not be skewed by those that all of you have rationalized, would not say anything bad about Apple, even though the survey 'measures a consumer's overall satisfaction with a company, which includes product quality, value, customer service, and essentially anything else that impresses or annoys a customer of a particular company.' Only a true fanboy would think otherwise, IMO. I still love you all anyway.
shark47
on Aug 19, 2008
"You guys have just discredited an independent valid survey." Not really. The results of the survey are not in question here. Read Tayme's comment. The article itself mentions the teflon nature of Apple.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Aug 19, 2008
DRWAM Actually, all they did was point out that the valid survey didn't measure that the products in any way but measured the perceptions of the users. It's a valid survey. But it's about the equivalent of asking what percenage of OT3 Scientologists are happy with their religion. It tells you about the people's happiness with their belief but nothing about the validity of the belief. And while there's nothing wrong with citing a survey of belief, people tend to draw conclusions that aren't measured. Or, to put it into your field, it's the equivalent of skipping diagnostics, signs and symptoms and measuring population health by going to a health food store and asking 100 people, "how're you feeling?"
DRWAM
on Aug 20, 2008
Mike, I agree 100%. It in no way actually measures performance, only customer satisfaction of those willing to respond. I was shocked to see Dell at the top too. I know [anecdotal] so many people that tell me of failed parts and bad service, but yet they continue buying from Dell. After having two Jeep Grand Cherokees with problems, I stopped leasing them. I build my own PC's as I want the select parts [and fancy geek case],so i have only purchased Dell laptops, all of which performed great, so I would also rate them high, at least for laptops. However, the high end HP laptops just blow Dell's prices away [and left the MBP in outer space of course], so my next laptop may be from HP, unless Wae delivers to NJ.

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