Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
.Mac is good bargain, November 27, 2004
I've used .Mac since it's inception, and have received a lot for my money. Here's what I actually use it for:
1. I use Backup to back up my entire Documents folder daily, which includes my most important financial documents.
2. Homepage - I use iPhoto & .Mac to easily post my digital pictures to the web for friends & family to see. It's hard to exagerate how easy it is to post these photos - select them, click a button, write a little blurb if I feel like it, press the 'publish' button and whalla - they're on the web.
3. I use iDisk to share large files with friends & family so I don't bomb their mail boxes.
4. I've used .Mac email through 2 or 3 ISPs, keeping the exact same email address - this is almost a priceless feature. Let me expound - friends & family that forget to update their address book effectively 'lose' their contact with you. Their spam filters might block your email because your new email address isn't in their address book. Because I get to keep the same email address no matter what ISP I use, I'm not concerned with this problem so many others face.
5. Free software - I just download WingNuts (a cute side-scrolling game) for free beacuse I'm a .Mac member. Everyone else has to pay $19.95 for it. .Mac keeps offering software freebies & discounts every couple months or so.
6. Creating .Mac slidshows - other Mac useres (whether they use .Mac or not) can subscribe to my .Mac slideshow as his screensaver. My Dad gets to see new photos pop up in his screensaver whenever I get around to updating my slideshow (which I do too infrequently).
That is what I actually use it for. It's a useful tool. .Mac space has consistently grown (no extra charge) and now provides a shared email/backup space of 1 GB. You can choose the ratio and modify it whenever you want - my current allocation is 512 MB for email and 512 MB for iDisk/Backup. A good investment.
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mac-Nificient, July 26, 2004
I have been a .Mac member since its inception. To fully appreciate the benefits, you really need a high-speed internet connection (DSL or Cable.)
Benefit: An email account with a 250 MB storage limit. (with a mac.com domain name.) You can access mail by using either a web browser (at any location with Internet access) or through any POP-3 mail application (such as Apple's own mail application, Eudora or Entourage.) You can purchase additional email accounts for other members of your family. NEW Feature: You can create email aliases. Attach a new email address to your .Mac account. For example, for placing web orders, where you might receive an abundance of spam. Just use a mail alias instead of your primary .Mac address and if you become overrun with spam, just delete the email alias and your .Mac account remains untouched and you are no longer bothered by spam (to the alias address, at least.)
Benefit: Your own private iDisk. iDisk is an online disk drive. You can divide your 250 MB storage, as you please, between email and iDisk. If 250 MB is not enough, you can purchase additional space. iDisk will allow you to backup your important data or share photos or other legally obtained data. You decide what data is public and what remains private. You can build web pages and publish them, because .Mac also acts as a web hosting service.
Benefit: Software downloads; some full applications, some demos - all conveniently accessed from your iDisk (or conventional download, if you prefer.)
Benefit: .Mac also offers a number of discounts.
Other bebefits include an online calendar, data synchronization among multiple computers, online technical support, online tutorials, in the Learning Center and Virex antivirus software and its frequently updated virus definitions.
.Mac is definitely worthwhile. The only thing you really need to decide for yourself; is it worth the price of admission? My answer is a hearty YES!
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Far more useful than you'd think, September 30, 2004
I took advantage of Apple's .Mac promotion when I bought my new Mac recently and I've been very pleased with it so far. For starters, 2 of my most basic needs were taken care of right away: Virex antivirus is included as well as Backup which allows you to backup files to removable media or your iDisk. This software alone can easily run you $100 alone. Secondly, apps and utilities like iDisk, iCal, and Address Book are far more useful than many give them credit for. The iDisk in particular (even more so now since Apple just upped the standard allotment to 250MB) is a great idea and works well for quick and easy archival of photos or just to keep the projects that I work on at the office available to me when I get home without having to email the file or carry around a removable media option. Several times the Address and iCal apps have saved me time when I've forgotten my PDA and needed to access some data quickly.
With a Mac, the .Mac service works extremely well and keeping info synchronized is simple. At the office, I use a Win2k PC and can still access my iDisk via Apple's iDisk utility. My suggestion to those on the fence about subscribing is to try the 60 day trial and READ all you can about the service and its supported apps get an understanding as to exactly what you can and can't do. If you like it, subscribe for a year and put it to use!
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