Apple: MobileMe actually works on Windows now. No, really

One of my big complaints about the iPhone and then MobileMe was that Windows/Outlook syncing was horrifically bad and it was painfully clear that the Walt Mossberg/David Pogues of the world had never even tested these products together, not even once. Apparently, neither had Apple. Yesterday, almost exactly six months after it started charging customers $99 a year for MobileMe, Apple finally fixed the service so that it actually works on Windows. Yes, seriously. We've recently improved the performance of MobileMe syncing with Microsoft Outlook on Windows. Contacts and calendars automatically sync whenever a change is made in Outlook, and likewise when a change is made on the web or from another device. To take advantage of this improvement make sure you're using iTunes 8.0.2 and MobileMe Control Panel 1.3 and that you have "sync" set to occur "automatically" in the Control Panel. So, my advice hasn't changed. Sure, use an iPhone. It's wonderful. But forget about the insanity of MobileMe and its yearly charge. Thanks to Nick R. for the tip.

Paul Thurrott

February 11, 2009

1 Min Read
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One of my big complaints about the iPhone and then MobileMe was that Windows/Outlook syncing was horrifically bad and it was painfully clear that the Walt Mossberg/David Pogues of the world had never even tested these products together, not even once. Apparently, neither had Apple. Yesterday, almost exactly six months after it started charging customers $99 a year for MobileMe, Apple finally fixed the service so that it actually works on Windows. Yes, seriously.

We've recently improved the performance of MobileMe syncing with Microsoft Outlook on Windows. Contacts and calendars automatically sync whenever a change is made in Outlook, and likewise when a change is made on the web or from another device. To take advantage of this improvement make sure you're using iTunes 8.0.2 and MobileMe Control Panel 1.3 and that you have "sync" set to occur "automatically" in the Control Panel.

So, my advice hasn't changed. Sure, use an iPhone. It's wonderful. But forget about the insanity of MobileMe and its yearly charge.

Thanks to Nick R. for the tip.

About the Author

Paul Thurrott

Paul Thurrott is senior technical analyst for Windows IT Pro. He writes the SuperSite for Windows, a weekly editorial for Windows IT Pro UPDATE, and a daily Windows news and information newsletter called WinInfo Daily UPDATE.

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