.Mac
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| .Mac | |
<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;"> | |
| Use: | Internet storage
<tr><th>License:</th><td>n/a</td></tr> |
|---|---|
| Website: | www.mac.com |
.Mac (pronounced "Dot Mac") refers to a group of online services offered by Apple Computer mainly for its Mac OS users, although a limited subset of features are available for other platforms. Originally a free service exclusively to Mac OS users, .Mac now works on an annual subscription service. Despite the name, .Mac is not a top level domain.
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[edit] History of .Mac
Originally known as iTools (not to be confused with Tenon's web application with the same name[1]), the service was launched at MacWorld San Francisco in 2000[2], and initially offered several tools, free for all Mac OS users:
- HomePage - a free web hosting service
- iDisk - an online disk storage service
- mac.com - a free email provider
- iCards - an online greeting card service
- iReview - a website review service
As iDisk made use of WebDAV technology and mac.com was an IMAP service, these services could be accessed from any other computer (although a Mac was needed to establish an account).
In September 2002, Apple renamed iTools to .Mac and began charging a subscription fee. This move generated a mixed reaction among the Macintosh community, with some believing that .Mac was overpriced.<ref>"Net surfers are getting the message: Pay up," Seattle Post-Intelligencer Reporter, Tuesday, August 13, 2002</ref> Advocates, however, cited improved services, and were generally rewarded with free software - up to June 15, 2005, the most notable was a Mac OS X version of McAfee's Virex virus scanner, which was exclusive to subscribers.
In October 2006, Apple launched an update to its .Mac Mail service that now resembles closely the experience of the Mac OS X Mail application. The new functionality is built on top of AJAX and provides rich user experience such as drag-and-drop, a live-updating three-way split view, and ability to resize panels.<ref>http://www.mac.com/1/webmail.html</ref>
[edit] Pricing
Originally free to Mac owners, as of July, 2006, .Mac is a subscription service, with an annual charge of $99 USD. Each account comes with one mac.com email address with 1GB space (originally 100MB in iDisk space, later increased to 250MB); users who want larger iDisks can pay for more space (up to 4GB). The space on an iDisk can be used in any manner (subject to the terms of the .Mac license agreement), and the amount of space dedicated to mac.com email is only limited by the size of the iDisk. The iDisk simply mounts as a normal volume on any Mac OS desktop.
The annual fee for .Mac can be reduced either through Apple's referral program, which offers a 20% discount for the following year for each referral, by purchasing a subscription with a new Mac, a 30% discount, or eliminated altogether if the user is an Apple employee or a member of the Apple Sales Online Training staff.
[edit] Mac OS integration
.Mac is tightly integrated with the Mac OS, and having .Mac can extend the functions of many programs, most notably within the iLife suite. Among the most notable:
- iDisks can be mounted as any other volume on the Mac OS desktop. Furthermore, it is possible to mount the public portion of another user's iDisk. This mechanism was one of the early ways to receive free software as part of .Mac. It is possible to queue files for upload to an iDisk that is offline, though actual uploading will be done only when the iDisk is mounted.
- Address Book entries, iCal dates, Safari bookmarks and, as of Mac OS X 10.4, keychains, mail accounts, mail rules, mail signatures, and smart mailboxes can be synched with the iDisk through iSync (prior to 10.4) or .Mac syncing (in 10.4), allowing easy synchronization between multiple computers.
- The newly introduced iWeb (Available only in iLife '06) allows users to easily create web pages that could be uploaded to iDisk and seen over the web.
- Similarly, the iMovie, iPhoto, GarageBand, and iTunes libraries can easily be uploaded to iDisk (subject to various licensing agreements).
- Backup can be used to make backups to iDisk or local media.
[edit] References
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[edit] External links
| Apple Computer software | |
|---|---|
| OS: | Mac OS X | Mac OS 9 |
| Consumer: | .Mac | iLife | iTunes | iWork | Mac OS X |
| Prosumer: | Final Cut Express | Logic Express |
| Pro: | Aperture | Final Cut Studio | Logic Pro | Shake |
| Bundled: | Front Row | iChat | Photo Booth | QuickTime | Safari | TextEdit |
| Server: | Apple Remote Desktop | Mac OS X Server | WebObjects | Xsan |
| Discontinued: | AppleWorks | HyperCard | MacDraw | Mac OS | MacPaint | MacProject | MacTerminal | MacWrite |
