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Apple reports that 85 million people have signed up for iCloud
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Internet
During its Q1 2012 earnings call where Apple announced a record-breaking holiday quarter, CEO Tim Cook also announced that there are now 85 million iCloud accounts. What's impressive there is that iCloud is just three months old, coming in as a replacement for the aging MobileMe, so that's a tremendously positive number as it pertains to user adoption. In fact, that 85 million number is 50 million more than iPhone 4S units sold.
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How to access your iDisk after upgrading to iCloud
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Internet, Storage
Today my brother asked me how he could access his MobileMe iDisk now that he had upgraded to iCloud. I told him that he should just look in this Finder, without realizing that iDisk is gone for many MobileMe users who've migrated over to iCloud. However, there's still a way to get to your iDisk (at least, until Apple pulls the plug on MobileMe for good next year!):
- Open Finder and press ⌘K (Command + K)
- Enter 'https://idisk.me.com/yourMobileMeName' as the Server Address (without the quotes)
- Click the Connect button
Your iDisk should mount in the Finder, although it may ask you for your MobileMe password first, if it isn't saved to your Keychain.
Apple developers now able to migrate from MobileMe to iCloud
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Internet, Storage
Developers can now move their MobileMe accounts over to iCloud. Apple has opened a new portal at me.com/move that allows devs to transition their entire account to the new platform.
When users log in through the portal, and Apple will port their Mail, Contacts, and iCal information to iCloud. It also says that iWeb, iDisk, and Photo Gallery will be accessible until June 30, 2012. However, Dashboard widget sync, dock item sync, keychains, signatures, mail account rules, mail smart boxes, and mail preferences are among the features that are no longer available.
But if you're not a developer, you're going to have to wait a little longer to move your account. Users trying to to log in with a standard MobileMe account and was met with a page telling me "this account is not yet eligible."
Click to continue reading Apple developers now able to migrate from MobileMe to iCloud
Apple iCloud storage upgrade pricing revealed
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Internet, Storage
Apple offers 5 GB of storage for free with any iCloud account, which they say should be fine for most users. However, if you've got more storage needs than that paltry 5 GB can handle, Apple has a few extra options on the table:
- 10 GB for $20 per year
- 20 GB for $40 per year
- 100 GB for $100 per year
Do note that these are in addition to your free 5GB of storage. In other words, if you opt to pay for 10 GB a year, you will actually have 15 GB total--the 10 GB that you are paying for, plus the original 5 GB that's included. If you're a developer with an iCloud account, you can purchase your additional space starting now.
SaneBox has saved me from email overload
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Internet
If you're overwhelmed by the amount of email that you have to deal with on a regular basis, we feel you. I've tried all sorts of Inbox Zero tips and tricks, but at the end of the day, manually processing the amount of email that hits my inbox is a chore in and of itself. However, I finally found something that has made everything better and wanted to quickly share it. It's called SaneBox. It works with Exchange, Gmail, AOL, Yahoo! mail, MobileMe, and just about anything else you can think of. What does it do? Well, it automatically prioritizes your email (way better than Google Priority Inbox does it) into a few different folders that you have full power over managing and defining. You can also set up your own folders for, say, receipts or Groupon purchases or whatever else. All you need to do to train SaneBox is drag an email into the folder that you want those kinds of messages to appear. It just learns based on your actions, and takes it from there. Click the link below for a 30-day free trial of the service. The $5 a month that it costs is totally worth it in our book.
Read More 
| SaneBox
Here’s what happens when you use up your iCloud storage
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Internet, Storage
When Apple introduced iCloud at WWDC 2011, the big news was that the service would be free. Of course, Steve Jobs did make sure to mention that the 5 GB of storage included with iCloud would be more than enough "for most users," and we believe him. However, there are others out there (like us) who fall outside of that category. For example, I am only currently able to have iCloud back up just my iPhone 4. When I try to also add my iPad 2 to the backup, it errors out, telling me that I don't have enough space available, and that I need to buy ore storage space. Of course, since iCloud is still in beta, I'm unable to do that. Another iCloud user has come very close to hitting his 5 GB quota, and received the email above from Apple. Surprisingly to us, it says that once he reaches 5 GB stored, he won't even be able to receive any new email messages. Sounds like people are gonna have to really keep an eye on how much storage they are using, especially if they have more than one iOS device backing up to the cloud.
Read More | MacRumors
Tip: Use Dropbox to replace discontinued iDisk
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Internet, PC / Laptop, Software
We've been hearing from quite a few disgruntled MobileMe subscribers who are wondering what the heck they're supposed to do now that Apple will seemingly be discontinuing the iDisk service with the launch of iCloud. As awesome as iCloud is, we do agree that iDisk is definitely a nice feature, and it's a shame to see it go away. However, Dropbox is a great alternative, and we've actually found that it often works better than iDisk does. You can sign up for free and you'll get 2 GB of space right off the bat. If you want more, you can upgrade...but it certainly doesn't hurt to try it out. Dropbox integrates right into your Finder, similar to iDisk, and gives you updates on syncing across all your devices, plus you can access your files from through the Dropbox mobile apps as well.
Read More | Dropbox
Apple iCloud officially debuting at WWDC
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, PC / Laptop, Software
This morning, Apple put out a press release letting the world know that they'll be showing off iOS 5, OS X Lion, and iCloud, their long-awaited cloud service/MobileMe revamp, next week at WWDC. Oddly enough, Apple only went as far as naming iCloud, and called it an "upcoming cloud services offering." Now, we aren't expecting them to go into full detail in a press release, but why even name it at all? We're guessing it's because Apple really wants to set the expectation that WWDC will be focusing on software, softening the blow that will inevitably come when the masses are complaining about the lack of an iPhone 5 hardware reveal. The press release lets us know Apple's WWDC intentions and plans, and sets the expectations accordingly.
WWDC kicks off in six days, and of course, we'll have details of all the announcements as they're made. By the way, the press release also confirms that the incomparable Steve Jobs will be taking the stage at WWDC.
Fortune’s “Inside Apple” article is a must-read
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Corporate News
Fortune magazine recently published an in-depth piece on the highly secretive culture and inner workings of Apple. It's in the latest Fortune 500 issue, and isn't yet available freely online, however, you can download it from the Kindle Store for 99 cents to read it on a Kindle, PC, Mac, or any of the smartphone platforms they support (iOS, Android, etc.) For a buck, we'd consider this one a must-read. You get a lot of juicy tidbits about the company, including just how disappointed Steve Jobs was about the horribly botched launch of MobileMe:
According to a participant in the meeting, Jobs walked in, clad in his trademark black mock turtleneck and blue jeans, clasped his hands together and asked a simple question: "Can anyone tell me what MobileMe is supposed to do?" Having received a satisfactory answer, he continued, "So why the **** doesn't it do that?"
For the next half-hour Jobs berated the group. "You've tarnished Apple's reputation," he told them. "You should hate each other for having let each other down."
Harsh, but those are the actions of a man who seemingly doesn't tolerate failure, and aims to exceed expectations. In fact, he doesn't want to ever hear excuses from any of the Apple VP-level employees:
The janitor gets to explain why something went wrong. Senior people do not. "When you're the janitor," Jobs has repeatedly told incoming VPs, "reasons matter." He continues: "Somewhere between the janitor and the CEO, reasons stop mattering." That "Rubicon," he has said, "is crossed when you become a VP."
This is some good stuff, and Fortune has a lot more in the full-length article. If you're at all interested in Apple, either from a consumer standpoint, or just interest in the management style that makes them so unique, give this one a look.
Read More | Inside Apple
Apple ending rebates on MobileMe and iWork, updates to follow?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Rumors, Software
Apple has inexplicably ended two long-offered rebates for MobileMe and iWorks, fueling speculation that it will launch revamped versions of both software suites any day now.
"The 'Buy a Mac and Save $30 on iWork' and 'Buy a Mac or iPad and Save $30 on MobileMe' promotions will both end on April 18, 2011. Resellers must remove any reference to these promotions by close of business on that date," Apple wrote in an alleged letter to resellers obtained by 9to5Mac.
You can still download a free 60-day trial of MobileMe or pay $99 for the annual subscription; iWork is free for 30 days and $79 to purchase thereafter.
Apple MobileMe remotely stores your files and photos, and pushes email and calendar updates to your iOS device or Mac desktop. It launched in 2000 and was last updated in 2008 during Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), held every June.
In December 2010, an Apple fan emailed Steve Jobs to complain about MobileMe, and Jobs reportedly replied, "Yes, it will get a lot better in 2011."
Click to continue reading Apple ending rebates on MobileMe and iWork, updates to follow?
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