Mac Lists

10 Reasons to Purchase MobileMe

MobileMe is Apple's package of online services that includes syncing features, hosting services, online storage space, email server, and more. Although MobileMe had a rocky start when it was first launched, I'm a big fan of the service. I've been using the service, formerly known as .Mac, since its inception and it has improved over the years, with Apple often adding new features. In this list, I give 10 reasons why I think MobileMe is a good investment, even in today's difficult economic times.

1.  Easy-to-use Syncing Feature

If you use Mail, Safari, Address Book, or iCal, MobileMe makes it easy to sync your data over multiple computers. You can set MobileMe to sync automatically or you can manually activate syncing whenever it is convenient for you. Even if you have only one computer, the syncing feature is beneficial because it provides an offline backup for some of your most important data.

2.  Good Spam-controlled Email Service

I have several different email accounts, including a Gmail account, and my MobileMe email account is the only one that is practically spam free. Apple's server, apparently, does a very good job of catching and deleting spam before it gets to your mailbox. If you hate spam, you'll love MobileMe's email service.

3.  Cheap Web Hosting Service

MobileMe provides you with several options for hosting websites. You can use iWeb or a similar web design application and upload a website to the Web folder on your iDisk. Another option that many people don't know about is the Sites folder on your iDisk. This folder can contain as many separate sites as you want and you can work with the folder even when you are not connected to the Internet if your iDisk is mounted on your Desktop (more about that later in the list). A third option for hosting websites is the next item on this list - Web Galleries.

4.  Easy-to-create Photo Websites

If you use iPhoto, you can easily and quickly create photo albums and upload them to your MobileMe account directly from iPhoto. In addition, you can password-protect your albums and allow uploading and downloading of photos by people who view the album. MobileMe will sync your online albums with iPhoto whenever you launch the application and you are connected to the Internet. Even if you don't use iPhoto, you can create Web Galleries using the online MobileMe interface.

5.  Easy-to-use Online Application

The online MobileMe application is easy to use and requires no instructions to quickly get started with it. You can view and use your contacts, calendars and email just as you would use Address Book, iCal or Mail. You can also create Web Galleries and upload photos to them or upload files to your iDisk for safe offsite storage.

6.  Safe, Off-site Storage

It is always important to store critical data in locations separate from your hard drive and MobileMe provides you with online storage space for this purpose. There are three ways you can place data on your iDisk: (1) upload it using the MobileMe online interface (reason #5 above), (2) mount your iDisk on your Desktop and transfer the files to the disk (see the next item on the list), or (3) use the free Backup application included in the MobileMe package (see item 8 on this list).

7.  Easy-to-use Extra Hard Disk

Your iDisk is a virtual disk that can be mounted on your Desktop and used the same way that you use a hard drive. You can even mount the iDisk permanently so that most of the folders are available even when you are offline. Once your iDisk is on your Desktop, you can copy and delete files from it just like you do with a hard drive. If it is permanently mounted, you can sync it with its virtual counterpart whenever you need to by connecting to the Internet and clicking one small button.

8.  Free Backup Application

MobileMe comes with a free backup application that provides you with features usually only found in commercial applications. For example, you can create custom backup sets and schedule the application to do the backups automatically to your iDisk, to a hard disk or to CDs or DVDs.

Learn how to use Backup with a short tutorial.

9.  Huge Storage Space and Bandwidth

MobileMe provides you with 20 GB of space for your email, websites and data backups. In addition, you get a whopping 200 GB of transfer bandwidth each month. If you use your iDisk for hosting websites, this bandwidth should be ample for even well-visited sites.

10.  Great Price for Combined Services

If you are only going to use the syncing feature of MobileMe, it is probably not such a wise investment, but if you want or need the additional features of a good spam-free email service, web hosting, data storage, and a backup application, MobileMe is a terrific package. A hosting service alone could easily cost more than the yearly price for MobileMe and a comparable backup application usually costs $30 or more.

As you can see, there are many good reasons to purchase MobileMe. So, head over to the Apple Store and order your copy now.