Review: Dot Mac

Technology solutions come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Apple’s Dot Mac is a little bit of all things. Dot Mac is a collection of web based services that are knit together to provide a variety of options. Dot Mac is about integrating the data on your Mac with the Internet. One of its features called Homepage lets even the most novice user become a web based publisher with stylish and attractive web pages that look anything but amateurish. Homepage allows you to select photos from your iPhoto collection and publish them to your own web site. The complexity of learning the web publishing process is brushed out of the way. Another feature of Dot Mac is its ability to synchronize data on your Mac with the Internet or other Macs. Using iSync or the Tiger integrated Dot Mac sync, you can replicate settings like your contacts, calendar, mail settings, bookmarks and more on one Mac to another. Dot Mac also offers the ability to store files on your computer on the Dot Mac server that can be accessed anywhere on the Internet via PCs for Macs. The iDisk, as it is called, can be used to backup files from your PC or Mac or can be used as repository for accessing documents remotely. Dot Mac also includes backup software allowing you to backup files and user settings to a CD, DVD, network drive or your iDisk. While Microsoft Windows includes a backup program the Mac does not. This is not the only backup software option but is a good value when packaged with other Doc Mac services. The Dot Mac service also includes a mac.com email address providing web based access to your email. Free email services like Gmail and Yahoo mail are comparable in form. Throughout your Dot Mac membership you'll have access to special offers from 3rd part companies. Apple will also provide bonus freebees such as loops for Garage Band or Widgets for Dashboard in Tiger (yet to be released as of this writing). Dot Mac is an incredible value to someone who currently doesn't have a method for obtaining the above services. With each feature of Doc Mac you use by means of another provider the value goes down greatly. Many have suggested Dot Mac should provide an al la carte service but that is unlikely to happen. Dot Mac does have a few frustrations. For example, Dot Mac only provides 250 Megs of disk space provided for email and iDisk. With disk space so cheap and with services like Yahoo and Gmail offering gigs of space for free Apple should up theirs as well to maintain the value of its product. iDisk is also extremely slow when transferring data up or down and I’ve found it more of a hassle than it’s worth. The challenge to the Dot Mac service is how can it grow. Tiger is providing minor changes to Dot Mac for better integration. If 3rd party software developers take advantage of the Dot Mac platform that will help increase the value. Apple alone can't grow the Dot Mac service. Overall, Dot Mac provides some compelling features for $99 a year. Dot Mac’s integration with the Mac OS and its various applications is fantastic.