[igglue]

Besides the '.mac' address, is it really worth it?

What do you guys think?

Iggy

[jpassan64]

Originally posted by igglue:
Besides the '.mac' address, is it really worth it?

What do you guys think?

Iggy

I've had one since they started charging. I'm not sure. The features are not great for the price, but the integration with OS X is convenient. Every year I'm ready to let it expire, but at the last minute I renew.

For e-mail, this is the most spam-free account I've ever had, so that's a benefit.

It's probably not worth it, but I like having it, so I guess I overpay.

[Krusty]

This question has been asked (and answered) multiple times since .mac became a pay service.

I'll give the same stock answer I always give. If you were to cobble together each of the features of .mac, you could get them all for less. The seamless integration is what makes the product worth it. If you want an email address, web hosting, a network disk that mounts on your desktop like other volumes, a place to to do backups of prefs and settings, an easy way post webpages of pictures and movies, and the ability to access your AddressBook from anywhere though .mac's webmail .... then .mac is a winner. I've continued to update my subscription yearly and feel like I get my money's worth for the use I get out of it. Its great for general purpose stuff.

Don't bother if all you want is email. Look elsewhere if you need hard-core web hosting. You can always do a 60-day free trial to help you decide

[edit]
thanks for reminding me ... I hadn't backed up my Bookmarks, Addresses, and Prefs in over two months. Just did it via Backup to my iDisk
[/edit]

[eddiecatflap]

nah

ive had it a year and hardly ever use it

wont bother with it again

[Randman]

Yep, love the convenience and ease of use for what I need.

[spiky_dog]

the only reason i keep my account is because my email address is well known, and because my parents both have and use email-only accounts which are riders on mine. there's not enough space or bandwidth to make iDisk (or backing up to it) very useful. i suppose the iSync synchronization via .mac is nice.

[mintcake]

It's expensive for what it is but it has paid for itself in the time I've saved posting family pics to the net. Where I used to spend an evening uploading a new gallery, now it's a five minute job. Mind you, other options are available. Integration with OSX and iLife is what makes it worth it for lazy people short of time who don't mind paying a bit extra and who have lots of family around the world to keep supplied with photos and video.

[typoon]

Originally posted by mintcake:
It's expensive for what it is but it has paid for itself in the time I've saved posting family pics to the net. Where I used to spend an evening uploading a new gallery, now it's a five minute job. Mind you, other options are available. Integration with OSX and iLife is what makes it worth it for lazy people short of time who don't mind paying a bit extra and who have lots of family around the world to keep supplied with photos and video.

I agree. I also like Backup as well. It's a bit expensive but being able to sync my bookmarks and addressbook across Macs is Great. Also being able to view my addressbook and bookmarks online when I'm away from my Mac is also great. To me I think it's worth it if you use it all the time. If not then no it isn't

[davidflas]

I've had my account since the days of iTools.. I agree that its expensive, but what keeps me coming back is the seamless integration with Mac OSX. I also use it all the time for picture hosting on MacNN.

[Cadaver]

I really like it. I think its worth the $99 per year.

-Picture hosting (for things posted here and other places)
-iPhoto-HomePage integration
-iDisk-Finder integration
-iDisk public drop box
-1GB of iDisk space for a few extra bucks
-Bookmark/Address Book/iCal syncing across multiple machines and to .Mac webmail.
-The periodic freebies on the .Mac page are nice (like Garageband loops, little games, Keynote themes, etc)
-Full access to Apple's Backup application (and version 3, coming soon, will be really nice )
-A mac.com mail address
-Disposable email aliases

Personally, I think if you use all the features, its great. If you'll only use one or two, then consider other options.

[turtle777]

Nah, the amount of webspace really stinks. For the same money, I get 2.4 GB space with full SSH access, own domain, IMAP, webDAV etc...

-t

[wreising]

I've had my .mac address since the day iTools came out (I was at that Macworld) and have never regretted it.

However, I can't argue with people that think that it is overpriced. It is expensive, especially if you upgrade your disk space like I have. But I'm lucky in that I can afford to overpay.

That being said, I only overpay because the service does all the things I want and does them really well. the OSX and iLife integration seals the deal for me. I'm willing to pay more so that I don't have to deal 5 different services.

If $100 makes you freak, look into other services like Spymac's wheel. If not, I think you will like it.