Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Internet, Apple, MobileMe
The real .mac opens up with new regulations
ICANN, the ruling body for Internet domain naming, has voted to relax a few rules that will supposedly open up a whole slew of top-level domain names, multiple news sources are reporting. They haven't exactly said why they're doing this, only that it will "preserve the security, stability, and global interoperability of the Internet." Which seems like a good reason, we guess. But whatever the reason, it's good news for people who don't want to use the old standbys of .com or .org -- now, bidding can start for .sex, .xxx, .post, or any other combination of letters.Like, for example, .mac. Yes, for the first time in the history of the Internet, Apple would have been able to make good on its .Mac brand -- except that, as you know, they decided just a few weeks ago to change that brand to Mobile Me. Though we supposed mobile.me is probably out there somewhere.
Of course, as we've speculated before, the change to Mobile Me wasn't so much about domain names as it was about just getting away from the Apple brand, and creating a service that both Mac and PC users would be interested in. So odds are that Apple wasn't waiting for .mac anyway. But it is interesting that even though they can finally have it, they don't actually need it any more.
Thanks, Darcy L!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mten said 7:28AM on 6-27-2008
Is this going to create a two tiered naming system.
Right now my small business can have a .com address that makes my company appear 'equal' online to any giant corporation.
With this new system it sounds like customers and site visitors are going to be choosing between companies with their own 'domain'
e.g. 'ournnewproduct.oracle' v 'ournewproduct.com'
suddenly the web is demarcated into companies with the money to have their own TLD and companies 'too small' to have a TLD.
I guess what I'm saying is are business with a standard .com or .ca or whatever now going to appear amateurish?
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steve ballmer said 7:52AM on 6-27-2008
This stuff is a bad idea. it will only confuse mac users that much more!
http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com
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Nuno Sousa said 8:14AM on 6-27-2008
FAKE. Steve Ballmer would never visit tuaw.com
Matthew R said 8:11AM on 6-27-2008
I think you may have accidentally pasted your own blog's URL along with your comment. Watch out, those things can happen sometimes.
LuminousNerd said 3:24PM on 6-27-2008
Nuno Sousa: No, really? His address is FAKEsteveballmer and he's a FAKE? NO WAY!!!!
steve ballmer said 12:04PM on 6-28-2008
Thanks
Nate said 8:06AM on 6-27-2008
I don't think Apple changed from .Mac to MobileMe to get away from the Apple brand. It was to look a little more neutral to all iPhone users whether they are on Windows or a Mac. So they were just getting away from the "Mac" brand since the services now are available to Windows and Mac users - and anyone I guess although Linux people can't take advantage of the sync capabilities. So not the Apple brand just the Mac name.
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Camillo Miller said 8:12AM on 6-27-2008
.me is for montenegro and apple already owns it ;-)
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HZC said 8:32AM on 6-27-2008
Getting away from the Apple brand? Since when has Apple EVER wanted to do this? That's like saying that they should rename the iPhone to PhoneMe and iTunes to TuneMeIn, so that PC users would be more likely to use them!
Not that I wouldn't use it (I'm not stopping my subscription), but really, MobileMe sounds like something some OTHER company would come up with; something that took all of 5 minutes in a meeting to decide upon.
Sounds like Apple is saying "Sorry, we made a complete mess of .Mac and we're ashamed of the Mac brand, so we're changing it and hoping nobody will realize that it's the same .Mac service we're building upon."
Or maybe Microsoft and Apple are in a legal battle over DOT NET vs. DOT MAC, who knows?!
Ok, I got that off my chest. Thanks!
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Dave said 9:35AM on 6-27-2008
Don't be silly, you can bet Apple will be first in line to own .mac top-level-domain.
What they do with it, if anything, is pure speculation, but there's no way they're going to let some competitor grab the name that's been associated with them for 25 years.
They may want the iPhone to be "platform neutral", but the same feelings don't apply to their computer business.
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bob said 9:45AM on 6-27-2008
For one thing, no one company would be able to own an entire top-level domain. Apple could register apple.mac, mac.mac, dot.mac, and several other names, but they couldn't just "own" all of it.
Also, I think maybe you meant that, with MobileMe, Apple was trying to get away from"the Mac brand" rather than from "the Apple brand"?
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Ian Scott said 10:34AM on 6-27-2008
bob: From everything I've read, it looks like a company will definitely be able to buy a whole TLD. Otherwise, what's the point?
Aethelwolf said 10:26AM on 6-27-2008
This seems like a really bad idea. I bet spammers are beaming right now. Expect a rush on names close to high profile banks, vendors, and retailers.
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George said 10:54AM on 6-27-2008
Are you kidding? I bet Apple knew about this. How alliterative is: Mobile.Me.Mac
Watch.
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Rick said 1:13PM on 6-27-2008
Everything I've read about these new TLDs says that trademarked names won't be allowed. Hell, the article linked in this post says it in the bulleted "story highlights" at the top of the page.
So, no. No .mac.
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LuminousNerd said 3:26PM on 6-27-2008
Umm, I'm pretty sure a lot of us here are interested in where this information comes from...I mean, who says it's true? When does it take effect? How will we be able to register domains like this? Or will it be available only for a hefty fee, or large corporations and such?
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Brad said 3:32PM on 6-27-2008
"the change to Mobile Me wasn't so much about domain names as it was about just getting away from the Apple brand, and creating a service that both Mac and PC users would be interested in. "
If Apple really wants PC users to be more interested, they need to make the PC versions of the desktops apps NOT look like they are Mac applications. I hate the fact that iTunes on Windows looks like a Mac app. I don't want that any more than I want apps on Macs to look like they are running on Windows....
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