The Heartbreak of MobileMe: Problems Not Solutions
Every now and then an application comes along that sounds too good to be true. You read the negative reviews that say "don't go there." But, it sounds so cool you have to try it anyway...
MobileMe, in theory, allows you to sync your iPhone with your Outlook calendar on multiple windows or mac machines. In addition, using the MobileMe web interface, you can also access your calendar and contacts from a good looking Web interface to the MobileMe "cloud" out there on the Web. Sounds good, right? Who wouldn't want this?
I was initially scared off by a Google search of MobileMe problems. But, what do the experts know, anyway?
So, a few days ago, I installed MobileMe. I probably only lost 3-4 hours of my life trying to get it to work, and thankfully I didn't lose any data so it could be worse. But, here's how MobileMe worked for me:
1. MobileMe generally was able to sync my iPhone, notebook, and MobileMe cloud. However, MobileMe stubbornly refused to sync a 2nd windows computer, and completely balked when I tried adding a 3rd. The extra computers would sit there forever during a sync. Afterwards, nothing was synced.
2. On four occasions, when I tried to sync, MobileMe informed me that I've never synced before. Somehow, it completely lost track of the fact that I'd used MobileMe to sync and I had to start all over again.
3. On multiple occasions, when I tried to sync, MobileMe told me that I had "inconsistent data" in my Calendars and I needed to reset MobileMe. That basically meant wiping out the calendar on the MobileMe cloud and uploading it again from my desktop. My calendar goes back 10 years so this took a fair amount of time.
4. On a couple of occasions, I could swear that an appointment I'd entered on my notebook disappeared on its own after syncing. No way to prove this, but I have my suspicions.
5. On a half dozen occasions, the MobileMe Web interface was not able to load the calendar and told me to try again.
6. I noticed at one point all the calendar entries in my iPhone disappeared. A few minutes later they were back.
My experiment with MobileMe is over for the moment. I have a free 2 month trial. I may decide to try again in a month and see if it is any more reliable. After the free trial I have the option of paying $99/year to torture myself like I did the past couple of days.
MobileMe. A great idea. Just not yet.
MobileMe, in theory, allows you to sync your iPhone with your Outlook calendar on multiple windows or mac machines. In addition, using the MobileMe web interface, you can also access your calendar and contacts from a good looking Web interface to the MobileMe "cloud" out there on the Web. Sounds good, right? Who wouldn't want this?
I was initially scared off by a Google search of MobileMe problems. But, what do the experts know, anyway?
So, a few days ago, I installed MobileMe. I probably only lost 3-4 hours of my life trying to get it to work, and thankfully I didn't lose any data so it could be worse. But, here's how MobileMe worked for me:
1. MobileMe generally was able to sync my iPhone, notebook, and MobileMe cloud. However, MobileMe stubbornly refused to sync a 2nd windows computer, and completely balked when I tried adding a 3rd. The extra computers would sit there forever during a sync. Afterwards, nothing was synced.
2. On four occasions, when I tried to sync, MobileMe informed me that I've never synced before. Somehow, it completely lost track of the fact that I'd used MobileMe to sync and I had to start all over again.
3. On multiple occasions, when I tried to sync, MobileMe told me that I had "inconsistent data" in my Calendars and I needed to reset MobileMe. That basically meant wiping out the calendar on the MobileMe cloud and uploading it again from my desktop. My calendar goes back 10 years so this took a fair amount of time.
4. On a couple of occasions, I could swear that an appointment I'd entered on my notebook disappeared on its own after syncing. No way to prove this, but I have my suspicions.
5. On a half dozen occasions, the MobileMe Web interface was not able to load the calendar and told me to try again.
6. I noticed at one point all the calendar entries in my iPhone disappeared. A few minutes later they were back.
My experiment with MobileMe is over for the moment. I have a free 2 month trial. I may decide to try again in a month and see if it is any more reliable. After the free trial I have the option of paying $99/year to torture myself like I did the past couple of days.
MobileMe. A great idea. Just not yet.
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Comment
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Comment by Nick Johnson on December 1, 2011 at 10:18pm -
MobileMe is okay...but you have to be careful about how some of the applications are interacting with one another. You might be fine on one end and using your phone as the primary source of data entry, and then go home and sync and realize that none of your settings were saved. Who are you going to blame? The 'free' app company? No. I am just saying...be careful and make sure you don't need an outlook pst recovery pro out of the blue!
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Comment by Tom Novak on May 24, 2009 at 6:55pm -
#1 Google Page One on 11.07.08 at 5:47 pm PST
I was seriously going to try mobileme. It seens like a great idea. Maybe that’s all it is. I’ll wait for the next installment and maybe save myself some stress
#2 Chris Bourton - IPS on 11.15.08 at 9:35 am PST
I think curiousity, against advice not to try it was to blame here.
I have fallen for trying things regardless of that before, but I’ve had similar situations before too many times to think things will change quickly on any software which starts meddling with my data.
Never easy to still try something even with that nagging feeling you shouldn’t. I did recently with Vista, luckily no problems and I was up and able to be writting games and adding stuff to my site again in no time.
http://www.infinitepixelstudios.com
So hopefully sometime down the Line, MobileMe might be worth trying again. But it was a simular thing for many with Vista when it first came out. Many still won’t touch it with a 20ft barge poll and I don’t blame them. Luckily they have fixed a good portion of their problems with SP1, but I’m still cautious since I took the pludge.
#3 LH Chua on 11.28.08 at 9:34 pm PST
My problems with MobileMe had been pretty subtle, like my iMac OS X 10.3.9 wasn’t able to access it and the kind. However, that was solved with new version of Firefox downloaded. The last 2 days brought the problem to a new level : hundreds of my business emails on Inbox went went missing. Emails backdating to 2006/7. I chatted with the MobileMe support online but was told he can’t help me with an iMac that “OLD”. Nice guy but limited with knowledge. Besides the fact that since it’s introduction, MobileMe has been nothing but trouble for me, it’s support staff don’t even have enough knowledge to help me along.
I didn’t sign up for MobileMe, I had a .Mac account and it just got transferred automatically. What is one to do?
So now, I made an appt. with the Genius Bar for Monday. Hopefully, that will shed some light on where my hundreds of emails are and how I could retrieve them. Hopefully, the Genius Bar will have some experiened and knowledgeable staff for this awful product called MobileMe.
We’ll see.
© 2013 Created by Tom Novak.
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