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Take Control of MobileMe
MobileMe provides oodles of features, but are you making the most of your $99-per-year membership?
MobileMe has become a Swiss-army knife of online services, offering not only a whizzy "push" data syncing service for tracking calendar, contact, and bookmark info on a variety of devices, but also email services, online storage and file sharing, Web hosting, and more. Take Control of MobileMe helps you understand the features and get set up, and then it dives into the details of real-life projects.
Back to My Mac: This book devotes six pages to Back to My Mac. However, fully covering this feature would take another book, so we wrote Take Control of Back to My Mac. You can buy both ebooks at a discount via the "Buy Both" button to the left.
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Contents & Intro
What's New
FAQ
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The 112-page ebook covers syncing - what to expect, what kinds of data besides calendar and contact information sync, handling problems, and more. The ebook also examines various ways to use an iDisk for storing and sharing files; setting up a MobileMe email account; accessing and updating calendar and contact data on the MobileMe site; using the Gallery feature along with iLife '08 to put photos and movies online with an attractive layout and interface; publishing a Web site to MobileMe's servers; and how to use Back to My Mac to get at the files and screen of one of your Macs while using another. You'll also learn what Apple's Backup, free with MobileMe, can and can't do, and learn whether it's a good choice for you, especially when compared with Leopard's Time Machine.
"Kissell cuts through [the syncing] thicket cleanly, with clear step-by-step instructions, with key caveats included. The book also provides great detail - good for peace of mind..."
—The Cherry Creek News
Read this book to learn the answers to questions such as:
Now that Leopard and iLife '08 are released, and .Mac has changed to MobileMe, what are the primary features available in the MobileMe service?
How do I set up MobileMe syncing on my iPhone or iPod touch?
How quickly should I expect MobileMe to sync my data?
What types of data can sync only with Macs versus with Macs, Windows PCs, and the iPhone/iPod touch?
How do I configure my MobileMe email account in my email software?
How do I access my iDisk from Windows XP and Vista?
Can I still use existing Groups I set up under .Mac?
How do I add movies and photos to my Web Gallery?
Where in my MobileMe account does my iWeb-created site go? What if I want to host a non-iWeb site in my MobileMe account?
How can I configure my AirPort Extreme so it will work with Back to My Mac?
Book Info
112 pages
Version 1.0
Published 22-Oct-08
1.2 MB download
ISBN: 1933671483
Free sample with Table of Contents, Introduction, Quick Start, and section starts.
About the Author
Joe Kissell has written numerous books about the Macintosh, including many popular Take Control ebooks. He's also Senior Editor of TidBITS, contributes frequently to Macworld, and previously spent ten years in the Mac software industry.
Membership in MobileMe gives you access to a suite of online services that both complements and integrates tightly with Mac OS X and iLife. Although MobileMe was designed for ease of use, it also has tremendous power—and a few hidden pitfalls. Learn how to make the most of your MobileMe membership by reading this book, which goes far beyond Apple's online help to give you detailed instructions, tips, and strategies. This book was written by Joe Kissell, edited by Dan Frakes, and published by TidBITS Publishing Inc.
Introduction
July 2008 was a big month for Apple. Within the span of a few days, the company launched the iPhone 3G, the version 2.0 firmware update for the original iPhone (and iPod touch), the App Store for all the above devices...and MobileMe, the latest incarnation of the package of Internet services formerly known as .Mac (and, before that, iTools). As if that weren't enough excitement, Apple also became the target of tons of bad press, user complaints, and even lawsuits over how badly that series of new product launches turned out.
Let's be honest: The MobileMe launch was a fiasco—Steve Jobs publicly admitted as much—and as of the time this book was published, more than three months later, numerous problems still existed. Various parts of the MobileMe service have gone offline (partially or completely) for hours or days at a time, some unfortunate users have lost data, and the number of complaints about MobileMe misbehavior of one kind or another is still quite high. After initially offering all MobileMe members a free 30-day extension on their subscriptions by way of apology for all the problems, Apple tacked on a further 60-day extension, as if to say the remaining problems might not be solved as soon as we'd all like.
Despite the rough start, though, I've personally found MobileMe to be fantastically useful—and so have countless thousands of other people. Apple is clearly working extremely hard to overcome the initial problems and make the service something they can be proud of—and users can feel confident using. It's in their best interest to make MobileMe rock-solid, and I think it has a bright future ahead.
With that in mind, the goal of this book is to help you get the most out of MobileMe—and to understand how to use it when it's working the way it's supposed to. I want to be clear that this book is not a troubleshooting guide. Although I've included a few tips for addressing some common complaints, I can't offer help for problems that involve errors or outages on Apple's end, network issues between your computer and Apple, or other random problems. If something isn't working the way this book describes, the most likely reason is that Apple's servers or software are misbehaving. I can commiserate with you, because whatever the problem is, I'm probably experiencing it too—but I can't offer any magic fixes for problems that only Apple can solve.
If you were formerly a .Mac member, you'll surely be aware by now that MobileMe added some things, changed some, and removed some. This is nothing new; over the years iTools and .Mac have undergone continuous evolution, with underused features disappearing from time to time. (Do you remember KidSafe? iReview? I didn't think so.) These choices aren't always popular, I realize, but the remaining core features are, on the whole, much better and more useful than before.
Of course, it is possible to find most of the features in MobileMe in other services and software. However, you'd have to purchase and configure several products to even approximate the combination of features in MobileMe—and even then, you wouldn't have the extensive integration with Mac OS X and iLife that makes MobileMe unique. For these reasons, I believe MobileMe is still well worth the price.
That said, one crucial component missing from MobileMe is a detailed instruction manual! Although online help is available for MobileMe, it's not terribly thorough or helpful. I've written this book to fill that gap: to help you take control of every aspect of your MobileMe membership and to get as much value out of it as you possibly can. As Apple continues to modify the MobileMe services, I'll update this book, as well, so that you'll have the latest information.
According to Apple, MobileMe works with Macs, Windows PCs, iPhones, and iPod touch devices. In practice, though, Macs are far better supported than the other platforms, and only Macs running Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard have access to MobileMe's full capabilities. Although I do discuss Windows, the iPhone and the iPod touch, and (to a limited extent) Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger here, most of the book, like MobileMe itself, focuses on Leopard.
Likewise, because MobileMe is so tightly tied to iLife, which itself gets regular overhauls, I've chosen in this edition of Take Control of MobileMe to cover only iLife '08, the current version as I write this. If you're using an older version of iLife, some of the instructions in this book won't quite match up with your software. Because iLife '08 makes such significant improvements to the suite, especially where MobileMe is concerned, I suggest upgrading if you can.
Quick Start to MobileMe
Get started:
Learn about the features of MobileMe. See Get to Know MobileMe.
Set up your Mac, PC, or mobile device to work with MobileMe, and learn how to use the MobileMe Web site. Read Set Up and Explore MobileMe.
Make sure your computer(s) and mobile device(s) can share information with MobileMe. Read Keep Your Data in Sync.
Use the six core MobileMe features:
Send and receive email with Mail.
Manage your address book using Contacts.
Keep track of your schedule and to-do items with Calendar.
Share photos and movies online using Gallery.
Store and share files on your iDisk.
Manage your MobileMe Account.
Go beyond the basics:
Use MobileMe and iLife together to create Web sites.
Access stuff on a faraway Mac using Back to My Mac. See Access Your Mac Remotely.
Back Up Your Files—to an iDisk or another destination.
Convert your MobileMe account from one type to another, if the need arises. See Appendix A: Account Conversion Methods.
The former second edition of Take Control of .Mac added coverage of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and iLife '08 (and a smidge of info about Windows Vista), including a look at the new Web Galleries, directions for getting started with Back to My Mac, and a comparison of .Mac's Backup application with Leopard's Time Machine. Now, Take Control of MobileMe builds on that foundation to cover the latest details so you can make the most of your $99 MobileMe membership. Here's a look at what's new in this ebook:
Details on how your email address and any Web URLs associated with your .Mac/MobileMe account have changed
Notes on .Mac/MobileMe features that have gone away, or that appear to be on their last legs
Detailed instructions for using all the new MobileMe Web applications, including Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Gallery, and iDisk
An explanation of what "push" really means with respect to MobileMe syncing data automatically among your computers and mobile devices
Steps for setting up calendar, contact, and bookmark syncing under MobileMe, whether you want to sync such data between two computers or you want to bring an iPhone or iPod touch into the mix
A look at syncing Mac-only data types: Dashboard widget settings, keychains, some aspects of Apple Mail, and more
Procedures for handling problems that may arise when syncing with MobileMe
Help with configuring Mail on your Mac and iPhone or iPod touch to work with MobileMe
What types of hardware and software does this ebook cover?
The ebook assumes that most readers are running Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard on a Macintosh computer, and it has plenty of details about using an iPhone or iPod touch with MobileMe. To a lesser extent, it also has content aimed specifically at Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, and Windows XP and Vista, so if you're using Tiger or Windows, you'll find the ebook useful, but you won't be the main case that the ebook is assuming.
I can't make Back to My Mac work. Will this ebook help?
Maybe. If you are using an AirPort Extreme or Express and just need to turn on NAT-PMP, this ebook will tell you how. But, if you need to really understand how Back to My Mac works behind the scenes, or if you need help with a tricky router configuration, this isn't the ebook that you want. What you want is Take Control of Back to My Mac, by Glenn Fleishman.
What versions of iLife does this ebook cover?
At present, the ebook covers iLife '08. We've looked at how it reads for people using iLife '09 and while there are a few differences, we think most people won't trip over them, since they mostly relate to menu commands having slightly different wording or having to click through an extra welcome or project screen when you switch to an iLife application. We are planning (but not promising) and free update to this ebook in late June or July.
Ask a Question
Feel free to ask us if you have a question about this book!
Send Us Your Comments!
How could we not publish such kind words? If you'd like to send us your comments (good or bad, though we hope they're all good), just click the Feedback link on the cover of your copy of the ebook. Be sure to let us know if we can publish your comment. Thanks!
Update Plans
We are currently working on an update to this ebook to cover changes relating to iLife '09, push syncing, iDisk file sharing, accessing a Time Capsule or AirPort Disk via Back to My Mac, and the FindMyiPhone feature in iPhone OS 3. The update should be available in June or July, and it will be free to everyone who owns the 1.0 version.
iPhones and iPod touches running the new iPhone 3 operating system can be set up to work with MobileMe so that if they are lost they can be tracked and located, and if they are stolen or otherwise in the hands of people who shouldn't have them, their contents can be erased remotely. In the TidBITS article iPhone 3.0 Finds Your Lost iPhone and iPod touch, Glenn Fleishman gives steps for turning on the feature, discusses what to do if your iPhone or iPod touch is lost, and discusses some interesting limitations and concerns.
On April 9, 2009, Apple sent MobileMe members a message stating that HomePage, the Web-based interface used by .Mac for creating Web pages and online photo albums, will be discontinued on July 7, 2009. Existing pages will remain available, at their previous addresses, indefinitely, but after that date HomePage will no longer be available for creating new pages or modifying existing ones. (You can, however, still access the files directly on your iDisk and edit them using another program, if you like.) Apple recommends that all MobileMe users move to iWeb or iPhoto for creating MobileMe-hosted Web pages. In addition, as previously announced, .Mac Groups will cease to function on July 7, 2009.
MobileMe's Back to My Mac feature used to be just for accessing files stored on a drive attached to a Mac. Now, Apple has added an option for using Back to My Mac to access a drive attached to or inside a Time Capsule, or attached to an 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station. So, for example, if you're in Australia, you should be able to access files on a Time Capsule in Brazil, assuming you've properly set up your account, password, and the Brazil-based Time Capsule's incoming Internet access. The new Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme models released earlier this week come with the feature, and the older Time Capsule model and older 802.11n AirPort Extremes will get this feature via a firmware update from Apple.
On February 27, 2009, Apple sent an email message to MobileMe subscribers informing them that changes you make on your Mac or PC to calendars and contacts are now pushed up to Apple's servers immediately, rather than every 15 minutes (or less frequently) as I describe on page 19, as long as you have Mac OS X 10.5.6 or higher, or the latest MobileMe Control Panel for Windows, installed. So MobileMe can now be said to offer true push capabilities.
On February 13, 2009, Apple announced the availability of an iDisk sharing feature. (Read about it in my TidBITS article Apple Adds iDisk Sharing Feature to MobileMe.) On page 80 of Take Control of MobileMe, I complain about the absence of this feature, and I'm delighted that it's finally appeared. So you can now disregard the sidebar "The Missing Sharing Feature."
MobileMe has become a virtual Swiss Army knife of online services, offering not only a whizzy new "push" data syncing service for tracking calendar, contact, and bookmark info on a variety of devices, but also email services, online storage and file sharing, Web hosting, and much more. To help you make the most of your $99-per-year MobileMe subscription, we've just released the 112-page Take Control of MobileMe, by Joe Kissell.
Joe starts out by helping you understand MobileMe's features and get set up, and then he dives into the details of real-life projects. In particular, he focuses on syncing - what to expect, what kinds of data besides calendar and contact information can sync, handling problems, and more. The ebook also examines:
Various ways to use an iDisk for storing and sharing files
Accessing and updating calendar and contact data on the MobileMe site
Using the Gallery feature (alone or via iLife '08) to publish photos and movies
Publishing a Web site to MobileMe's servers
Enabling Back to My Mac in order to access one of your Macs from another
Using MobileMe email, via its Web interface, Apple Mail, and an iPhone or iPod touch
You'll also learn what Backup, Apple's free backup software that comes with MobileMe, can and can't do, and get advice on whether it's a good choice for you, especially when compared with Leopard's Time Machine.
This ebook is effectively the third edition of Take Control of .Mac, and if you own that ebook you should already have received an email message with a free download link or a discount, depending on when you purchased it. If our mail didn't arrive, open the PDF of the latest version of that ebook and click the Check for Updates link on the cover to learn more.
Also, we've just updated Glenn Fleishman's Take Control of Back to My Mac to version 1.1. It's a free update for anyone who already owns it; click your Check for Updates link in that book. If you don't own it, you can buy it together with Take Control of MobileMe at a discount.
Joe Kissell has written numerous books about the Macintosh, including many popular Take Control ebooks. He's also Senior Editor of TidBITS, contributes frequently to Macworld, and previously spent ten years in the Mac software industry.