Friday, September 30, 2011, 02:36 am

MobileMe experiencing outages ahead of iCloud transition

By AppleInsider Staff

Numerous MobileMe users reported experiencing outages of Apple's current cloud service on Thursday, even as the fall launch of iCloud looms.

AppleInsider readers have noted being unable to access MobileMe Mail. Apple's system status page for its web service currently states that 25 percent of members may be unable to access MobileMe Mail, and some members may be unable to access www.me.com web apps and Find My iPhone. All other MobileMe services are listed as "online and fully operational."

MacRumors noted that Apple late Thursday had cautioned on its status page that as many 75 percent of MobileMe Mail users might be experiencing problems.

MobileMe is, at this point, a 'lame duck' service, as it is scheduled to shut down on June 30, 2012. Apple plans to move existing members over to its upcoming iCloud service, a complete reworking of the company's cloud-based offerings.

But, Apple has indicated that it will eliminate some of MobileMe's less-used features, such as iDisk, MobileMe Gallery and iWeb publishing. After receiving customer complaints about lost functionality from the switch, Apple said it was open to considering adding back features "if there's enough feedback on the subject."


The Cupertino, Calif., company is expected to announce a release date for iCloud next week's media event to unveil a new iPhone, as it's unlikely that Apple would launch the fifth-generation iPhone without iCloud. Currently, the service is in a limited beta test.

Last week, the company released a developer build of Mac OS X 10.7.2 with iCloud integrated. Developer accounts have had their iCloud data wiped in preparation for an imminent launch of the service.