Apple .Mac 4.0 Online Service (Mac) [OLDER VERSION]

Simply put, .Mac is your life on the Internet. With the latest version of .Mac you can effortlessly publish your websites, backup your important data, share files with distant friends and colleagues, sync your personal information across all your computers, check your mail wherever you roam, and much, much more. Whether it's for you, your club, or any organization, .Mac provides a vital set of tools that make life online a breeze.

With iWeb -- part of Apple's iLife '06 software -- and .Mac, you can effortlessly publish your websites and blogs. View larger.

.Mac Groups lets you create a website for all your group's most important information. View larger.

Publish your photo libraries via a Photocast. Subscribers anywhere in the world will automatically download your latest photos into iPhoto. View larger.

Backup 3 is the essential, and very flexible, tool for backing up all your vital data. View larger.

Publishing with iWeb
Seamless integration with iWeb -- the newest member of iLife '06 -- makes it easy to publish your websites with a single click of a button. With iWeb, you can create beautiful pages with Apple-designed templates and then publish them via your .Mac account with a single click -- no configuration is necessary. You can also post blogs and podcasts without the confusion of creating RSS feeds. Or, add stunning online slideshows to your photo albums automatically. And for total control, you can set a password to keep your sites private.

iDisk
.Mac iDisk makes it easy to exchange files with friends or centralize your documents so that you can access them anywhere, at any time. iDisk allows you to use storage space on Apple's secure servers and view your stored files and folders on your desktop. If you want to share your files, simply drag files to your Public folder and invite colleagues to download your documents. Plus, iDisk lets you protect your Public folder with a password. You can access your iDisk from a Mac or a PC, and store up to 1GB of data (upgradeable to 4GB). The data transfer rate is upgradeable to 250GB per month.

Groups
This is the ticket if you need to communicate, coordinate, and stay in sync with your club, team, or organization. Create a private password-protected website for group images, message boards, announcements, calendars, a member list, and links to other websites of interest. You can even set up a group email alias for efficient communications. Post or view group messages on the group's own private mac.com address that only members can use. Meanwhile, you can publish web pages with group photos, share files in the group's private iDisk folder, or keep track of group meetings, special events, practices and other important dates on a group calendar. Feel free to create as many groups as you like (each requires 30MB from your iDisk allotment).

Sync
.Mac Sync keeps up-to-date information at your fingertips, whether you use multiple Macs or whether you're on the road without your Mac. With .Mac Sync you can view and update Address Book contacts and Safari bookmarks instantly. Plus, synchronizing Mail rules, signatures, smart mailboxes, and Keychain passwords in Mac OS X Tiger is a breeze. You can even access contacts, calendars, bookmarks, and email on the Web via any Internet-connected Mac or Windows PC.

Photocasting
Let your friends and family subscribe to your shared iPhoto albums and view your full-resolution photos on their own computers. With Photocasting, you can publish your photo albums using .Mac and anyone can subscribe. Subscribers then receive your full quality photos directly within iPhoto 6 or via an RSS reader on a Mac or PC. You can use a subscribed photocast like any iPhoto album in your library; they automatically stay updated so your subscribers always have your latest photos.

Backup 3
Protect your precious memories with this powerful upgrade to .Mac Backup. Scheduled automatic backups are as easy as one, two, three. With Backup 3, you can back up your iLife files with a single-click and customize your backup plans in minutes using QuickPicks or a Tiger Spotlight search. Quickly archive your iLife photos, movies, and purchased music in a single step with preset backup plans, or set flexible schedules that automatically update archives for you. You can back up important files to your iDisk (keeping them secure on Apple's servers), a hard drive, iPod, CDs, or DVDs. Backup 3 saves you time by archiving only what you've changed since your last backup.

Mail
.Mac Mail is ad-free and elegant. Use your account through Mac OS X Mail or through .Mac Mail on the web. Virus protection is built right in, and you get 1GB of combined email and iDisk storage. You can keep your mac.com email address even if you change Internet providers, while enjoying up to five aliases for fun or to protect against unwanted mail. With .Mac Mail you can access mail from your email program or web browser -- any Internet-connected Mac or PC will do. Fix typos with integrated spell-checker, create text and photo signatures, and set an auto-reply to handle incoming email when you're away.

Learning Center
.Mac's integrated Learning Center offers step-by-step tutorials on the applications you use most, including iLife, iWork, Mac OS X, and .Mac. Follow along with QuickTime movies and text-based information that allows you to learn at your own pace and try out new skills on sample files. You can even learn about Apple's professional line of software including Final Cut Pro 5, Soundtrack Pro, Motion 2, DVD Studio Pro 4, Logic Pro 7, Shake 4, Final Cut Express HD, and Logic Express 7.

Member Benefits
Exclusive member benefits include free software downloads as well as special product discounts -- all available through Member Central. Go to .Mac Member Central for free downloads of popular Mac software such as GarageBand Jam Pack Loops. Plus, you'll receive special discounts on selected products and free updates to .Mac features.

.Mac in Depth
Learn more about .Mac.