July 1, 2012: Apple shuts down MobileMe, its subscription-based suite of online services and software offering push email, chat, data storage, a photo gallery and other features.
After letting the service limp along for four years, Apple finally decides to pull the plug, pushing users to switch to iCloud. The company gives MobileMe users until the end of July to remove their data from the service.
MobileMe: Apple’s failed iCloud precursor
Before the cloud became the invisible infrastructure behind every photo, file and message, MobileMe was Apple’s ambitious attempt to bring seamless syncing across Macs, iPhones and the web. It offered a glimpse of the connected future — then stumbled under the weight of Apple’s own expectations.
Launched in 2008, Apple’s ill-fated iCloud precursor was an early attempt at running a cloud-based subscription service. Unlike today’s monthly offerings, Apple priced MobileMe at $99 as a one-off payment for an individual plan or $149 for a Family Pack. Cupertino also offered top-up options for those wanting to add storage.
MobileMe was part of Apple’s “digital hub” strategy, announced soon after CEO Steve Jobs returned to the company in 1997. Apple had experimented with subscription-based internet services for Mac users since the early 2000s.
MobileMe expanded these efforts to cover iPhone and iPod touch owners, while overhauling the service for OS X (and adding support for Windows PCs).
‘Exchange for the rest of us’
“Think of MobileMe as ‘Exchange for the rest of us,’” said Jobs in a press release to mark the launch. “Now users who are not part of an enterprise that runs Exchange can get the same push email, push calendars and push contacts that the big guys get.”
On paper, it sounded great. It even powered Apple’s Find My iPhone service, which helped users locate lost devices.
In practice, however, MobileMe never lived up to its promise. As early as August 4, 2008 — just a month after shipping — Jobs apologized for the service’s botched rollout.
“It was a mistake to launch MobileMe at the same time as iPhone 3G, iPhone 2.0 software and the App Store,” he wrote in an email to employees.
MobileMe was a rare Steve Jobs misfire
Behind the scenes, Jobs was furious about the MobileMe debacle. According to a Fortune article, he gathered the responsible employees together in the Apple auditorium and asked them, “Can anyone tell me what MobileMe is supposed to do?”
When some people began to stammer answers, Jobs snapped: “So why the f**k doesn’t it do that?”
In his email to Apple employees, he promised to make MobileMe “a service we are all proud of,” but this never really happened. By 2011, Apple stopped advertising the service to new customers. iCloud replaced MobileMe that October.
The July 2012 death of MobileMe came as no surprise, but marked the end of one of Jobs’ rare misfires.
Did you subscribe to MobileMe — or the even earlier .mac? Let us know in the comments below.
