Steve Jobs Announces MobileMe During WWDC Keynote

At the WWDC (World Wide Developer's Conference), Steve Jobs made several interesting announcements regarding the future of Apple, and the iPhone. A large portion of his keynote address focused on the major overhaul of the Apple .mac service. Titled MobileMe, this new service was dubbed by Steve Jobs as "Exchange for the rest of us."

This long overdue upgrade to the service that many Apple Computer users subscribe to includes many features that make the new MobileMe as good, if not better, than Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Exchange.

Here are the highlights of the MobileMe service:

Change: Automatic Upgrade for existing .mac subscribers.
Why this matters: Rolling out a new service is one thing, but since .mac has been a subscription service, many subscriptions have not expired yet. MobileMe is due out in July, and charging existing .mac users to upgrade would have been disastrous. This was a good move.

Change: 20gb storage capacity (up from 10gb).
Why this matters: Just a year ago, .mac was upgraded to 10gb, and many users complained at the high cost ($99) of such limited storage and functionality. Upgrading to 20gb makes the new MobileMe service comparable to other online file lockers. $99 doesn't seem as bad with twice the storage.

Change: Over the air syncing of mail, contacts, calendars, and media.
Why it matters: This is probably the most dramatic change. Allowing the iPhone to sync over the air with calendars, mail, and contacts, will make the iPhone a major player in enterprise and business circles. Traditionally, business users have been locked into Windows Mobile or BlackBerry services. By allowing over the air syncing, the iPhone will dramatically increased its install base and market share instantly.

Change: Seamless integration of Mac and PC environments
Why it matters: Again, this change bridges the gap between the Apple platforms of OS X and the iPhone and other business users. MobileMe will fully integrate with Microsoft Outlook. This has been a major drawback for business users. The new, system independent features will make the iPhone very appealing for business users.

Change: Full service online interface that mirrors the experience of the desktop
Why it matters: If you have used .mac or iDisk, then you know that the online experience was weak at best. Integrating the look and feel of the desktop versions of iCal and the Mail application will make people feel comfortable with the service. As more PC users buy iPhones to work with their Microsoft enviornments, the look and feel of the OS X apps on their MobileMe service will start to pull them over. In no time, Apple's market share in the desktop world will skyrocket. Think of the iPhone and MobileMe pair as a gateway drug for Macs.

Change: Full integration and redesign of iDisk file storage
Why it matters: iDisk will look like the OS X finder. This is a must for Mac users. Finally, they will start to take iDisk seriously. For the Microsoft user, it will make them wonder why Microsoft is doing it wrong.

Change: Push email, calendar, and contacts for iPhone and iPod touch
Why it matters: Everyone else is doing it, and it is why people weren't buying iPhones. Now there will be no excuse not to have one.

The new service will roll-out in July and will be available at the new domain www.me.com. Apple set a lofty goal of 10 Million iPhones sold this year. MobileMe is going to be a major part of making that happen.