.Mac Becomes MobileMe

Tech heads have been buzzing over the news coming out of San Francisco today. Apple CEO, Steve Jobs used his stage time this morning at the WWDC 2008 Keynote Address to discuss iPhone upgrades and new MobileMe technology.

Apple's current line of products includes .mac which offers 10GB of online storage. You can save something from one computer to the online storage associated with .mac; the program has other features, like website hosting, online photo storage, contact management and much more. According to Jobs' address today, .mac is getting an upgrade and will be morphing into the new, redesigned MobileMe.

First, you can "push" email, contacts and calendar entries. The push feature virtually eliminates the need to sync up to a central desktop; if you update a calendar entry at work on MobileMe, it translates to your phone without having to hook up to the computer.

The MobileMe Gallery allows users to upload photos directly from their iPhone. Friends and family can access MobileMe photo galleries quickly and easily; users can even upload their pictures to your photo galleries on MobileMe. The new upgrade allows for more user-friendly editing and storage options.

Perhaps, the biggest improvement Apple is making to the .mac concept is the upgrade to the iDisk function. Currently, there is 10GB of storage space per account. The MobileMe upgrade will give users 20 GB of online storage, which can be used for saving documents, sharing photographs, or even hosting a website.

The one drawback to .mac/MobileMe is the online access. Some people will be hesitant to store photos and important documents online. .mac and MobileMe must be accessed with a username and password, but that doesn't mean the system is foolproof. .mac is a subscription service, just as MobileMe will be when launched later on in the summer. The price of an individual account is $99 a year. The price of the yearly service subscription will discourage some users from giving MobileMe a spin.