Mossberg On MobileMe: Too Flawed To Recommend

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Staci D. Kramer

mocoNews.net
Thursday, July 24, 2008; 11:00 AM

Forget the launch woes ... Walt Mossberg has spent the last week testing Apple's ( NSDQ: AAPL) new MobileMe service and finds it so flawed he can't recommend it as is. In his weekly column, Mossberg writes: "It's a great idea, but, as of now, MobileMe has too many flaws to keep its promises."

The server overload and email outages that marred the launch have "eased considerably" but these problems are "systemic." MobileMe, viewed here as a possible killer app, is supposed to support syncing email, bookmarks, calendar info and address books on multiple computers, the iPhone and the iTouch via Mac or Windows. But it didn't work that way for Mossberg; see the column for details like disappearing email, unsynced bookmarks, missing contact info and more.

His conclusion: "Apple patiently explained each of my problems, sometimes helping me with workarounds, sometimes claiming they were rare, other times saying that it was working on fixes. If Apple does get MobileMe working smoothly, it could be a terrific service. But it's way too ragged now."

Sounds like killer-app status is still in the distance. Meanwhile, here's Mossberg's MobileMe video.

Apple Apologizes For MobileMe Glitches; Offers 30-Day Extension