This morning, Apple reportedly notified resellers that the company has discontinued the retail box version of MobileMe. This potentially reveals a shift to only digital sales of MobileMe service.
The current boxed versions of MobileMe only contain an activation code and Apple logo stickers, so offering a full box to hold two pieces of paper seems like a waste. The box was mostly used in-store to showcase the presence of the service.
This retail change also suggests that Apple may be working on overhauling the MobileMe service, as discussed over the last several months. Rumours point to the service becoming free that would offer users a “digital locker” to storage their digital content.
What do you think? Is MobileMe going 100% free or will Apple simply make sales online-only?
Update: Apple has also removed the MobileMe product from the online store. The 60-day trial however is still available.
Want to see more of our stories on Google?
P.S. Want to keep this site truly independent? Support us by buying us a beer, treating us to a coffee, or shopping through Amazon here. Links in this post are affiliate links, so we earn a tiny commission at no charge to you. Thanks for supporting independent Canadian media!
I don’t think it will be 100% free, but I do think basic functionality of all/most services will become free. With things like additional storage coming at an additional cost.
KnowIng Apple it wont be free. They LOVE money too much to be free!
That would be amazing if MobileMe were free. It sounds like an awesome service but it’s hard to budget for $120/year for an online service, even though it’s really awesome. I would be very impressed if they offered it free. It’s hard to believe. What I find most useful in MobileMe is iCal and contacts syncing. I don’t need a .me email address because I love Gmail, but if it were free I’d be more inclined to. They’d definitely be more likely to dominate the world if they offered MobileMe for free.
Am I the only one thinking of the people who paid for this (within the last 12 months), I paid about $150.00 for a family package, when I asked for a refund all I got was a “no”, and was told to read their agreements. If they make this free, that’d be awesome but I’d want a refund on what’s remaining (about 8 months) or else I’d sue their ass so fast.
You would sue over $100? That makes sense.
Getting rid of old stock? Most likely means a new overhaul version of MobileMe with new features.
Find iPhone will still be free but I don’t think anything else will be free. Just more features for the same price….. That’s my guess
If it becomes free it will be nice, if not I’ll still continue to buy it. I only use the calendar/contact function. If something happens to my iPhone and I need to restore, I know everything is safe on Apple’s servers.
But Google does what you want free…
Haha sue apple? You’re a joke lololololol
people sue for far less, it’s kinda retarded when someone charges you for something and then ends up selling it for free, I’m sure you’d be pissed as well. If I paid for something, and they end up making it free of charge, I want the remainder of my money back. and FUK YEH I’d SUE even for $150.00. We have rights, and I don’t give up just cause it’s a small amount or its a big company like Apple. I’m guessing most of you don’t know how to stand up for yourselves.
Pick your fights dude. Your posts breathe ignorance and you would not stand a chance in court (after going through thousands of dollars in expenses to claim your $90 refund).
When you purchased the family package for $150 you made the conscious decision that you were willing to pay $150 for a year of service, and if a year of service is what you get there is no breach of a covenant or an agreement by Apple whatsover.
Wow. I guess you have a lot of money to waste. I do believe you are right about buying it and expecting it for a year. But if everybody else is getting it for free, why should I have to pay for the balance that is suppose to be free. Now, if they compensate me for the difference in the same dollar value (Itunes credit, or on-line store credit).
I guess you can also look at it this way, when your a loyal customer (paying customer), you get nothing (ie: Bell, Rogers, etc…). But if you are a new customer, you get a lot of freebies (ie: 6 months free HD, 3 months free Call Display, etc…) like a free subscription to Mobile Me.
Sorry about this, but these big companies make these rules, and us, we just let them do whatever they want to do to is, and we don’t say a thing about it (except for these little meaningless rants) .