Filed under: MobileMe
Better late than never: Apple details late-Sept. MobileMe updates
Yesterday, Apple released a support document detailing changes that were made to the MobileMe web services to improve stability and browser compatibility.
The article noted that since "server-side updates are a bit more innocuous than a standard software update to Mac OS X or Microsoft Windows, it's easy not to notice that updates are occurring. Usually the only hint of these updates is that things just 'work better.'"
Several improvements to Mail, Account services, Calendar, Contacts and Gallery are mentioned in the document, including better support for Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 3.
What's interesting is the timing of the document: The support article was posted nearly a month after the improvements apparently took place. Apple's culture of "reluctant transparency" could be coming into play here, with information about MobileMe updates arriving several weeks after implementation.
Alternatively, Apple could be getting itself in the routine of releasing information about MobileMe updates on the 29th of the month. The question then becomes: Why isn't the information timely? The only other example we have is information about an update during the middle of September was posted on the 29th of that month. I suppose we'll find out in November: two is a coincidence, three is a trend.
[Via MacRumors.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jeremy said 11:11AM on 10-30-2008
These are hardly "service updates" in any realistic sense of the term, more like back-end tweaking and bug-fixing. Apple was 100% right in *not* blowing their own horn, or at least being too loud it in regards these (so-called) "updates."
Tech blogs around the net have been trumpeting this story mostly just because it's *something* to talk about on an otherwise slow news cycle. One site even went so far as to headline it as "MobileMe updates all it's web apps" (a blatant lie), so as to make more hay out of this decidedly "backroom" announcement.
Kudos for TUAW for turning it into more of a story by focussing on the timing issue, but still a bit of a yawner IMO.
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Mike said 12:44PM on 10-30-2008
Where are the "September" push updates for iPhone apps? Why is nobody talking about this - they promised it in September, and it's about to be November without any update, any explanation, or other news?
If Apple wants to alienate iPhone developers, this is the way to go about it.
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Amani77 said 1:34PM on 10-30-2008
I agree, the push notification service was supposed to debut in September. If Microsoft pulled something like this without even an acknowledgement, there would be an outrage. But Apple gets a pass....
Jaryd said 10:28PM on 10-30-2008
Apple will announce and/or release it when it is ready. Sure, some information on the release of push updates would be nice, but at least it is better than releasing something that isn't up to par just to meet an artificial, self-imposed deadline.
Jobs said it would be ready in September, it wasn't. Apple isn't at all obligated to follow that deadline. I wish they had, but oh well.
Harvey said 12:19PM on 10-30-2008
Maybe Apple wanted to make sure that the updates worked properly before they announced them.
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victor said 12:41PM on 10-30-2008
Does this mean we'll only get a February MobileMe update once every 4 years?
PK said 1:18PM on 10-30-2008
It's a shame my Contacts still won't sync between iPhone and my Mac!
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Jash Sayani said 2:35PM on 10-30-2008
Apple has to do a lot to MobileMe.. They have not even made an iPhone webapp for those still on 1.1.4 or those who don't want to sync or use the Mail app and just want to access it via Safari...
They should also develop an iDisk app like the Box.net app for offline file access.
Only then they can attract new users.....
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Nick said 7:10PM on 10-30-2008
Too little, way too late. I just found out that you can sync your Google contacts and calendar to the iPhone 3G for free, so I'm dropping MobileMe like a hot, buggy potato.
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Mike said 8:45PM on 10-30-2008
Are you sure Gmail syncs calenders too? I was under the impression that it didn't sync. If that is the case I really wouldn't need mobileme either.
Nick said 12:23AM on 10-31-2008
Yep, instructions are here:
http://www.ianfernando.com/2008/sync-google-calendar-with-iphone-3g/
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