Mac OS X 10.5.6 Update to Focus Heavily on MobileMe Syncing Fixes
13 November 2008 08:00 EST
Chris Barylick
There's a certain geeky joy in seeing a massive system update, as if you know that a shotgun approach to a problem should help resolve a specific issue you may be having.
Per AppleInsider, one of the primary focuses of Apple's upcoming Mac OS X 10.5.6 update will be to improve the reliability of syncing between MobileMe and users on notebook computers and/or slower networks.
In the recent Mac OS X 10.5.6 build 9G35 notes, Apple has apparently requested for developers to "Please help test MobileMe automatic syncing,". The note then goes on to state that "We are particularly interested in testing automatic sync on portable computers and on networks with medium to high latency and or constrained bandwidth."
Apple has apparently also requesting feedback on MobileMe syncing from users working behind firewalls, asking them to watch for excessive syncing and file radars for any abnormal syncs.
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Category: MobileMe
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Apple Quietly Posts Additional MobileMe Fixes
30 October 2008 12:14 EST
Chris Barylick
In recent days, Apple has updated its MobileMe web service software, but hasn't offered notifications of the changes outside of a support article according to AppleInsider.
The "late-September 2008 MobileMe update" support article is listed as being last modified October 29, but it's not clear when it was originally published.
Per the support article, "Apple is always working to improve MobileMe. Since MobileMe is primarily a server-side, or 'cloud'-based, service, the MobileMe team can make improvements and push updates to MobileMe without any action being required of MobileMe customers. 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.'"
Improvements cited in the report include improved localization within MobileMe's web applications as well as better "membername suggestions when attempting to sign up for a membername that is already taken."
Other fixes include the following:
In the accounts section, the MobileMe update addresses accuracy of data transfer details, fixes an inaccuracy in reporting used storage on Group iDisks, improves the storage allocation menu on family pack sub accounts, and corrects account logout so that it properly logs the user out of the entire MobileMe session.
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Complete Reset Guide for MobileMe Posted
21 August 2008 11:15 EST
Chris Barylick
Although Apple's iSync and MobileMe have worked well for some users, others have experienced problems ranging from data not syncing to an inability to access the calendar feature on the MobileMe web site. While Apple is working on fixes for the problems at hand, the guys at MacFixIt have posted the following guide to help fix problems as they arise:
-First, back up data to a safe location.In iCal, users can export their calendars to a safe location either by exporting individual calendars or backing up all of iCal in the File menu, and in Address Book users can export their contacts as a vCard or as an Address Book Archive.
-Once the data has been backed up, users should pick a central computer to be the initial source for the synchronization (all other computers and devices will have synced data wiped).
On all computers: Open the iSync application and reset sync history in the program's preferences.Remove the following folders from the computer:
.../username/Library/Calendars/
.../username/Library/Application Support/Address Book/
.../username/Library/Application Support/iCal/
.../username/Library/Application Support/iSync/
.../username/Library/Application Support/SyncServices/Open iCal and there should be the default calendars listed. Likewise, Address Book should be empty.
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Category: MobileMe
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Apple Offers 60 Day Extension for MobileMe Subscribers
19 August 2008 08:20 EST
Chris Barylick
Late Monday, Apple sent the following e-mail to its MobileMe subscriber base detailing a free 60 day extension to its service. According to Apple Core, the extension is in addition to 30 free days that were provided to subscribers back in July.
The extension reads as follows:
We have already made many improvements to MobileMe, but we still have many more to make. To recognize our users’ patience, we are giving every MobileMe subscriber as of today a free 60 day extension. This is in addition to the one month extension most subscribers have already received. We are working very hard to make MobileMe a great service we can all be proud of. We know that MobileMe’s launch has not been our finest hour, and we truly appreciate your patience as we turn this around. Read this article for more details.The MobileMe Team
Since its launch, the MobileMe service has experienced failures, outages to some of its services and assorted difficulties to be sorted out.
Stay tuned for more details as they become available and please let us know how your MobileMe experience has been over in the comments or forums.
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Category: MobileMe
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Users Report Outgoing Mail Authentication Problems with MobileMe Accounts
06 August 2008 02:23 EST
Chris Barylick
Apple's MobileMe service problems seem to be continuing as a number of users have reported having authentication problems in which they're prompted to enter their user name and password each time a message is sent. According to MacFixIt, the credentials sent to the server are then rejected.
One user on the relevant Apple Discussions board who went by the handle GaryJ73167 offered the following description:
"I enter my password, I can then receive my email; but, only moments later, it keeps asking me for my password. I keep clicking on "remember this password in my keychain", but, it makes no difference."The problem doesn't seem to be ISP-specific and users from assorted providers as well as several foreign companies have reported the issue. Still, Comcast users seem to be the most affected and users with multiple e-mail accounts have noted that one service will fail in its task while others won't, a sign which indicates that Apple's Mail.app program is running correctly and that the server is leading to the error.
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Category: MobileMe
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Jobs Takes Issue With MobileMe Launch in Leaked Memo
06 August 2008 07:51 EST
Chris Barylick
Recently, in the wake of Apple's MobileMe "mea culpa" in which the company reported that it had lost a portion of user e-mail (which was eventually restored) among other issues, Apple CEO Steve Jobs purportedly authored an e-mail memo sent to all Apple employees about the MobileMe launch.
According to Italian web site setteB.it and the Apple Core, the memo reads as follows:
Team,The launch of MobileMe was not our finest hour. There are several things we could have done better:
– MobileMe was simply not up to Apple’s standards – it clearly needed more time and testing.
– Rather than launch MobileMe as a monolithic service, we could have launched over-the-air syncing with iPhone to begin with, followed by the web applications one by one – Mail first, followed 30 days later (if things went well with Mail) by Calendar, then 30 days later by Contacts.
– It was a mistake to launch MobileMe at the same time as iPhone 3G, iPhone 2.0 software and the App Store. We all had more than enough to do, and MobileMe could have been delayed without consequence.
The memo then moves on to reassign certain staff members and the full text can be seen here.
Stay tuned for more news as it becomes available and if you have your own feedback on MobileMe, let us know in the comments or forums.
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Category: MobileMe
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Subscription Calendar Syncing Feature Dropped for MobileMe Accounts
04 August 2008 08:18 EST
Chris Barylick
In another piece of less-than-encouraging news, Jon Gruber of Daring Fireball has pointed out that users, has confirmed via this Apple knowledgebase article, are unable to sync their read-only iCal subscription calendars to the Internet via MobileMe, despite the annual US$99 subscription fee.
The feature still remains available when an iPhone is synced directly to a Mac or PC with a cable.
In the meantime, read-only calendars can be synced to an iPhone or iPod touch via iTunes syncing, though MobileMe accounts are out of luck.
If you've seen this on your end or have any feedback on the issue, let us know over in the comments or forums.
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Category: MobileMe
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Users Report Troubles with MobileMe Incoming E-Mail
01 August 2008 01:44 EST
Chris Barylick
I want to report that Apple's fixed all of MobileMe's issues and that everything will be perfect forever.
Unfortunately, this isn't the case and according to the guys at MacFixIt, a number of users have reported problems with the incoming mail server for the MobileMe service.
Apple's current advice is to change the mail.me.com setting for the incoming mail server to the old .Mac address of mail.mac.com.
Outgoing mail via the smtp.me.com server setting seems to work properly.
If you've seen this on your end, let us know over in the comments or forums.
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Category: MobileMe
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Apple Completes MobileMe E-Mail Recovery Process
30 July 2008 09:51 EST
Chris Barylick
In the latest chapter of Apple's new MobileMe service, Apple has announced on its status blog that the company has completed the process of restoring e-mail service to subscribers who found themselves without e-mail for the past week or so.
Per Apple's estimate, approximately 1% of the subscriber base was affected by e-mail concerns.
The company has stated that the restoration of its e-mail service also includes historical messages and that temporary chat support has been set up to assist users still having problems with their MobileMe e-mail.
According to Macworld, Apple has acknowledged an additional problem with MobileMe that began on Monday in which users were unable to locate their contact and calendar data from their iPhone and iPod touch handsets, but not from their computer or MobileMe accounts.
After fixing the problem, Apple said the data for most users restored itself to the devices. The company posted instructions to reset your data If you have been affected by the bug and your data has not automatically synced to your iPhone.
With the mail service restored and the syncing bug fixed, Apple has stated that it is moving on to improving other aspects of the MobileMe service.
If the service has been better or worse on your end, let us know in the comments or forums.
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Category: MobileMe
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Apple Launches MobileMe Status Blog Page
28 July 2008 12:15 EST
Chris Barylick
Apple's MobileMe hasn't had the easiest birth to date and the company seems to be working towards a greater level of transparency. According to the Apple Core, a status blog web site for the service was launched on Friday. The page opens with an entry discussing the following e-mail outage that some subscribers have been experiencing:
"Steve Jobs has asked me to write a posting every other day or so to let everyone know what's happening with MobileMe, and I'm working directly with the MobileMe group to ensure that we keep you really up to date," the blog states. "In the 14 days since we launched, it's been a rocky road and we know the pain some people have been suffering."The blog also cites Webmail access problems for one percent of users that have been without e-mail service for over a week. The entry cites that messages sent between July 18th and July 22nd may have been lost.
Since the order to start the MobileMe Status blog appears to have come from Steve Jobs himself, odds are it will stick around for some time to come.
If you've had either a positive or negative experience with MobileMe to date, please let us know over in the comments or forums.
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Category: MobileMe
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MobileMe Problems Discovered, Solutions Offered
24 July 2008 11:37 EST
Chris Barylick
Apple's MobileMe appears to be having a rough birth, even with the recent 1.1 update and according to MacFixIt, a number of users are reporting synchronization and calendar operation failures with the program. In many cases, these problems seem to stem from errors with Apple's servers, although converted .Mac accounts appear to be performing strangely as well.
For server-related problems, the user is up a creek until Apple irons out the bugs. Still, some viable workarounds have been offered for users wishing to more consistently sync their information and ensure that synchronization is set up properly for automatic send and receive of updated information:
Fixes:Reset the synchronization data: On your Mac open the MobileMe iSync preferences (from the iSync menu or in the system preferences) and under the "Sync" tab select "Advanced". Then click the "Reset Sync Data" button and you will be presented with the option to replace all sync info or just one type of information (calendars, bookmarks, etc). Select the desired data type and click one of the arrows to ensure you reset in the proper direction. If the data on your Mac is current and up to date, then click the right arrow to replace the data on MobileMe. iSync will then re-sync itself, but it is also recommended to manually invoke sync again by clicking the "Sync Now" button.
Enable automatic synchronization: This is required for the MobileMe "push" synchronization to work properly for some services. Many .Mac users have had their synchronization preferences set to either Manual or to sync at a specific interval, and changing it to automatic will allow the sync to occur when changes are made, resulting in the desired "push" behavior. Go to the iSync system preferences and in the "sync" tab ensure "Synchronize with MobileMe" is checked and set to "Automatically" in the drop-down menu.
Remove relevant preferences files: After resetting the synchronization data and ensuring all contact and calendar data are available on the servers (albeit not syncing automatically), go to the ~/Library/Preferences folder and remove the synchronization preferences files. These are:
~/Library/Preferences/iCalExternalSync.plist
~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.AddressBook.plist
~/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.DotMacSync.****.plist (**** is unique identifier information)
The article also suggests that users can manually synchronize their data after resetting all their data on either their Mac or their MobileMe disk space. Users can configure manual synchronization in the MobileMe system preference pane, then use iSync to send the data as needed.
As always, we need your feedback. If MobileMe's working for you, let us know. If it's been a nightmare from day one, let us know. The comments and forums are there for a reason.
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Category: MobileMe
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Users Discover Problems Sending Replies Through MobileMe Alias Accounts
21 July 2008 03:01 EST
Chris Barylick
Apple's new MobileMe service may have hit another bump in the road as assorted users have complained about issues within MobileMe e-mail accounts wherein all messages are being sent through the primary e-mail address. According to MacFixIt, accounts set up with e-mail alias names are not being send through Mail.app via the "reply to" address, but instead as the main account name, as described here:
"If you use Alias email names and receive emails as you normally would - and reply to an email from your Alias - it still sends it out from the proper account instead."The following fix is being recommended for the issue:
Open Mail.app and go to the preferences
Select "Accounts" and click the "MobileMe" account.
Under "Account Information" add all the desired alias email accounts (including "@me.com") to the "Email Address" field, separated by commas.
Save the preferences and upon sending mail, select the desired alias account name in the "From" drop-down menu above the message content.
If you've run into this issue or found a workaround of your own, let us know over in the comments or forums.
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Category: MobileMe
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Clear to Partly Cloudy over Appledom
11 July 2008 12:53 EST
Kenn Marks
With the introduction of the iPhone 3G, firmware 2.0, the App Store, and MobileMe everyone is a twitter with pent up excitement. But, the weather over Appledom is clear, in the fact that all stores had a good stock of iPhones and some are already sold out by 10am EDT.
The App Store is up and serving up great apps, while iTunes updates are a little sluggish people are patiently updating. The Cloud in the otherwise clear skies or lack thereof is the much touted MobileMe, "Exchange for the rest of us". It appears that the MobileMe Cloud is coming through as partly cloudy at best.
Its taken this writer over five hours to get my first working PUSH event. The first four hours were spent just trying to keep or even connect to Me.com. The last hour was spent making sure all preferences were correct and all the syncing went without loosing any data. Once I achieved a stable connection I tried making changes on my desktop, iPhone, and lastly at MobileMe and PUSH worked albeit rather slowly, not the quick response of Steve's demo at WWDC.
This could be indicative of the immense network load with activations, firmware upgrades, and App Store downloads. We all have to understand that the Internet in not an infinite pipe, it's a packet network with lots of nodes, just like the freeways of California no matter how many lanes or limited access it still becomes a parking lot at rush hour. So when the dust settles and hopefully rises to make a stable Cloud all the new features of the iPhone 3G, Firmware 2.0, and MobileMe can be realized to it's fullest.
Post Script - Observations from below the Cloud
Some of the oops items that have been encountered are my number one pet peeve, holding the the delete key for an extended period causes key to go into repeat mode, even if you remove your finger, quickly erasing all you just typed, until you can type another key to stop it. I searched the preferences for a delay to repeat entry, but could not find one. My next upset deals with the content of a previous article where AT&T 3G is not where they say it is. Here it is 5 hours into iPhone 3G and still no 3G within 5 miles of my center of operation. The final straw was when I went to Starbucks for a Grande Cappuccino only to find that I could not log into the AT&T Wi-Fi page and connect with my iPhone, so my leisure day as a road warrior was cut short.
Let us know what you think over in the comments and forums.
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Category: Environment/MobileMe/Opinion/User Interface/iPhone
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Apple to Launch MobileMe On July 9th
08 July 2008 09:19 EST
Chris Barylick
Forgetting the iPhone 3G for just a second, Apple has announced the launch date and time for its upcoming MobileMe (the next generation of .Mac) service. Similar to .Mac, MobileMe will offer web-based email, calendar, addressbook, photo gallery and storage capabilities as well as "Push" sync services and was announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference back in early June.
Per MacRumors, a service status update appears when users log into .Mac providing the following alert:
MobileMe Launch
7/9/2008, 6pm-12am PTAs part of the MobileMe launch, www.mac.com will be taken offline at 6pm PT on Wednesday, July 9th.
Members will be unable to access www.mac.com or any .Mac services during this time with the exception of .Mac Mail accessed via a desktop application, iPhone, or iPod touch.
MobileMe will be available as soon as possible during this maintenance window.
The timing is a bit strange since Apple will have to deploy MobileMe before 5 AM PST on July 10th in order to accommodate the first iPhone 3G customers in New Zealand. To this end, users should be able to expect iTunes 7.7 to be released prior to the launch of the first iPhone 3G handsets.
Existing .Mac subscribers should already be able to send and receive emails at their new @me.com addresses. MobileMe retails for US$99/year, but iPhone 3G (or Mac) buyers will be able to pick up a year's subscription for US$69 on July 11th.
Stay tuned for more news as it becomes available and let us know what you think over in the comments or forums.
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Category: MobileMe
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