Remember that phishing scam that targeted MobileMe users a while back? The one that may have nabbed hundreds of account holders’ information? Well Apple must, because the latest in their series of MobileMe Updates addresses the issue head on:
You will never receive a message from MobileMe asking you to send personal information over email. If we are ever unable to charge your credit card, for instance, we will send you a reminder email, but will not directly link to any web pages. The safest way to respond and update any necessary information is to type www.me.com into your browser and log in to your account directly. That way you can be confident you are at me.com and your personal information is secure.
Apple further provides a support document on how to better determine the actual destination hidden behind a link, and an email address — reportphishing@apple.com — where users can forward any questionable content for investigation by Apple legal and law enforcement.
Together, MobileMe users can help take a byte out of Apple-targeted crime!
Mild Mannered Industries, which claims some experience with Sync Services, has an interesting and insightful blog post about how MobileMe syncing probably works, why syncing in general is so hard, and if we can ever look forward to a day where MobileMe actually, really, truly “just works”:
Is this really Apple’s fault? In the case of Mobile Me, and .Mac before it, all of the code is essentially Apple’s, but I think this just goes to show how hard it is to get a sync client and the core sync services code right. When you add in all of the third-party Sync client code, and mail synchronization, it just seems inevitable that many users will hit a problem at some point, and become very very unhappy.
Their glass-not-only-half-empty-but-broken-and-spilled-out-on-the-table outlook?
Personally, if it was me, I would have let .Mac die a quiet death. The problem set for ubiquitous syncing is just very very hard, and the consequences of failure, in terms of user dissatisfaction are too high. I suspect that, in time, MobileMe will go the same way as the Newton …
Our take? Pretty much the opposite. Not to get all Tennyson about it, but Apple is strong of will as they come, and striving, seeking, and finding the most reliable sync solution possible is only going to increase in importance when it comes to the mobile world they’re embracing with the iPhone and related technologies. Perhaps they won’t crack the nut, but they’ll mess it up something fierce in the attempt. And come on, would any of us really rather have no sync at all?
(via Daring Fireball)
Apple’s brand new MobileMe News (formerly MobileMe Updates) is back with their second post this week (and luckily for links, finally sporting unique URLs to boot!). The subject of their latest post? How previous .Mac users can keep using their @mac.com addresses on the iPhone post-MobileMe transition:
If you want to use your mac.com address instead of me.com for the MobileMe address on your iPhone or iPod touch, you can simply remove the me.com account (if you’ve already created one) and then add a new MobileMe account entering username@mac.com for the email address. Any contacts, calendars, and bookmarks you are syncing will re-appear on your phone. It can take several seconds to minutes to update your phone depending on how much data you have and your network connection speed. If possible, it is best to do this when you are on a wi-fi connection for the fastest response.
Easy enough? Well, there is one small little restriction: the above only works if you originally had an @mac.com address prior to July 9, 2008. After the MobileMe transition, no new @mac.com addresses were generated, leaving those new to the… er… new service with @me.com as the only option.
Personally, I’m not sure what to do with my account yet. Me.com seems a little too precious for everyday use, while @mac.com hits too many fanboy cords for comfort. Can we get custom domains for email as well as websites? What’s your preference?
We always see (almost entirely incorrect) ‘outlines’ of keynotes in the runup to any Apple event, now we’re getting them before the runup starts. It’s a pretty safe be that Apple will be doing something in late September or October, they always try to have new iPod announcements before the holiday season. So go grab your salt shaker, pour out a few grains (actually, you might want to use them all), and take a gander at what Anonymous has told to expect in a “late September event,” after the break.
Our take on the list you’re about to read: real iPhone file access would be a godsend and it’s a natural next step for the platform. iTunes Unlimited Music Subscriptions have been oft-rumored but given how strident Jobs has been about people wanting to own music instead of subscribe to it, we’re still doubters. Then again, he did say the same thing about mobile video right before the iPod got video support. Basically, there’s nothing there that we really think is a lock.
Here’s a better question: what do you think Apple has in store for us this coming holiday season?
Read the rest of this entry »
Ah, blogger David G., we barely knew you, and now you’re gone, without even that “later this week” post you promised us way back when. Just this sad, lonely little missive, titled “Final Post“:
This will be the last MobileMe Status posting. Instead, we have redesigned the MobileMe Support page so it’s clearer and has an enlarged area, now in the upper right hand corner, to report on system status. This is the place to go if you’re experiencing a problem and want to know if it’s related to an issue with our servers. It’s also the page to visit if you’re looking for general information about setting up MobileMe on different computers and devices, for answers to frequently asked questions, and more.
But don’t cry for good, old, anonymized David G. Oh no. He and the newly Microsoft-free MobileMe team, fresh under the totalitarian loving guidance of Eddy Cue, VP Internet Services, and direct report of Steve Jobs, have launched the all new, all different MobileMe News:
In addition we’ve created a new place for regular posts about all parts of the service, including enhancements, updates, explanations, fixes, support announcements, and other news as it arrives. MobileMe News is now accessible via a link on the right hand side of the tool bar at me.com, and we expect to update it frequently.
Current top news? You guess it, the additional 60 day MobileMe extension.
We’ll see how much effort Apple puts into this page. Personally, I’m nonplussed. While I applaud the usually Kremlin-eque Apple for taking what was surely very painful — albeit equally tentative - steps towards openness with this brief little foray into blogging, I can’t help but think a more genuine effort to connect with their customer base would be a Good Thing.
Apple likes to control the media cycle around their product releases, and they’re masterful at it. What they aren’t masterful at — and worse, what they don’t understand they aren’t masterful at — is controlling the media cycle around their mistakes. Wouldn’t better blogging go a long way to helping with that?
(Thanks Chad for the extra info!
Just received this MobileMe Update “pushed” straight to my iPhone, courtesy of the “MobileMe Team”:
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.
What’s the bottom line? The key data is August 19, 2008 at 0:00 Pacific Daylight Time. If you were on a free 60 day trial at that point, you’re getting another 60 days for 120 days (4 months total). If you were already a paying customer as of that date, even if you already received ONE MONTH FREE back on July 16, you’re getting another TWO MONTHS FREE, for a grand total of THREE MONTHS FREE!
At $99 per year, three months is $25 worth of Apple-a-culpa for us right there. (And given MobileMe’s millions of users, an incredibly big charge for Apple on the quarter).
Personally, I had very few problems, so I’d like to hear from one of the famous 1%, or any readers for whom MobileMe has been a complete failure thus far. What do you think of Apple’s latest gift of flowers and candy? All kissed and made up? Or is MobileMe still sleeping on the sofa?
What’s better than a couple of well versed, well argued technologists presenting deeply reasoned and sharply insightful, fundamentally different but equally challenging, views on a critical topic? Well… nothing. They’re just hard to find given the intertube collective’s penchant for rewarding punditry and link baiting. Sometimes, however, we’re lucky enough to find a mix of both knowledge and provocation.
Cases in point: here were have noted Windows Super-Siter, Paul Thurrott, and accomplished Roughly-Drafted Apple Insider Prince McLean each presenting their own unique, multi-part perspectives on MobileMe.
Ready for the blow-by-blow? Continued after the break!
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Remember that warning we posted on Tuesday about a MobileMe phishing attack in the wild? Turns out it’s been terrifyingly effective so far. Ars Technica quotes CardCops president Dan Celements:
“We found 20 different files parked on the server, each file with two or three or four, up to 20, profiles. Cumulatively, there were about 300 profiles collected in that one day. And 100 to 200 were mac.com addresses.”
NOT GOOD. Ars goes on to rightly point out that Apple customers are typically higher-income, and thus more desirable targets. We’d also add that Apple users are not as accustomed to malware and phishing as our Windows-using friends, but as email and web browsing doesn’t care about platform, we REALLY need to be. Just like you wouldn’t open a package left at your door that smelled like gasoline and was ticking, even if it came in a Tiffany’s box, don’t open links or give out credit card information just because it fakes coming from Apple.
REMEMBER: Don’t EVER believe email requests for secure data. Go to the site yourself (not through their link — type it in) and log in and see if there really is a problem. Check domain names carefully. App1e.com isn’t the same as Apple.com, they’re just hoping you don’t notice. Worried about the recent DNS poisoning attacks? Use HTTPS/SSL or use a direct IP address. If in any doubt, pick up a phone and call Apple (or your credit card company) directly.
Phishing attacks, where a bad guy tries to fool you into giving them personal information such as financial account logins, are nothing new on the ‘net. Fake emails leading you to a fake bank site to enter your information so that they (increasingly organized crime, often in Russia or China) can log into your real site and transfer out all your money, then steal your identity and sell it off to second and third tier hackers for other nefarious uses.
This specific attack pretends to come from Apple regarding a MobileMe billing problem, and asks the user to click a link to update their credit card information (which will be promptly stolen). What makes this recent attack particularly dangerous is that MobileMe HAS had billing problems in the recent past, and what with all the other problems associated with the launch, users may be unfortunately prone to believe the phishing attack.
REMEMBER: Don’t EVER believe email requests for secure data. Go to the site yourself (not through their link — type it in) and log in and see if there really is a problem. Check domain names carefully. App1e.com isn’t the same as Apple.com, they’re just hoping you don’t notice. Worried about the recent DNS poisoning attacks? Use HTTPS/SSL or use a direct IP address. If in any doubt, pick up a phone and call Apple (or your credit card company) directly.
Yes, the bad guys are bombing the internet back to the stone age. It’s not a safe browsing world. Be careful and protect your data with the same care you protect real-world valuables.
(via Ars Technica)
Om Malik says Apple is clueless about scaling MobileMe:
There is no-unified IT plan vis-a-vis applications; each has their own set of servers, IT practices and release scenarios. Developers do testing, load testing and infrastructure planning, all of which is implemented by someone else. There’s no unified monitoring system. They use Oracle on Sun servers for the databases and everything has its own SAN storage. They do not use active Oracle RAC; it is all single-instance, on one box, with a secondary failover. Apparently they are putting web servers and app servers on the same machines, which causes performance problems.
John Gruber retorts, with the US’ #1 online music retailer firmly in his corner:
But the iTunes Store does gangbuster traffic and has a terrific track record for uptime. The message I read from yesterday’s reorg that put MobileMe under Eddy Cue (Apple’s VP for iTunes) is that MobileMe could and should be as responsive and reliable as the iTunes Store.
The crazy thing is, MobileMe should have been an iTunes-learned breeze for Apple in terms of meeting service levels, given their pedigree. But then iTunes uses WebObjects (which I believe is old school Java-based) and MobileMe uses SproutCore (which is all dressed up in Ajax-y 2.0 objectivity), and the pretty much disastrous July 11th launch, which took down both iTunes iPhone activation, and slammed the MobileMe servers into weeks of problems, show something clearly is different with the new kit on the block.
Hopefully Cue will bring some of the iTunes luster to MobileMe, but only time will tell. What do you think? Which blog wins this round?
