How to force the update from .Mac to MobileMe

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If you're a .Mac subscriber and want to migrate to MobileMe but Apple Softare Update is not giving you any joy with the required update, follow these steps:

  • Launch the System Preferences.
  • Select .Mac and click on Sign Out...
  • After a while (it's been instantly on my Macbook Pro, it took 15 sec on my old G4), a prompt should appear telling you there is an update to MobileMe (if not, launch Software Update manually). Confirm the update. Quit Mail if it is running (it will tell you to quit otherwise).
  • Once the update is applied, go back to System Preferences, select MobileMe (or .Mac, if you didn't quit the panel the name and icon wont be updated) and sign-in again with the same login and password as for .Mac.
  • On the Sync tab, select "Synchronize with MobileMe", the frequency and what elements you want to keep in sync. Your computer will register with MobileMe (which may or may not prompt a duplication warning, here the process did go differently for my Macbook Pro than for the G4).

Rince, repeat on other Macs you may own, and be prepared to have to manually resolve conflicts on certain syncs after the upgrade (I had to repeatedly unlock syncs for various things on both my macs, which is a bit annoying).

No obligation to do so though, your .Mac account should be automatically upgraded at some point in time (I read it's been already for happy owners of iPhones, which I'm not, yet :p). But I find the MobileMe site way better and faster than the, now old, .Mac.

Post scriptum et caveat emptor: don't do this if you don't need it, MobileMe isn't fully baked yet. It's been rushed out in sync with the iPhone 3G launch and I can understand why Apple isn't updating the existing .Mac accounts during the storm.