Mac FAQs

Q: What does the full .Mac membership include?
With .Mac, the simplicity of the Mac meets the power of the Internet. .Mac software and services make it easy to do amazing things on your Mac and share all of it with friends and family.

Share and access files, photos, movies, and more:
> Host web sites and publish web pages and photo albums from iWeb.
> Send and receive email with an IMAP/POP .Mac Mail account and use webmail to access it from web browsers.
> Enjoy access to email, contact information, and favorite bookmarks from the web.
> Purchase up to 10 additional email-only accounts.
> Use .Mac HomePage for convenient on-the-go web publishing.
> Share photo albums — including full-resolution images — by photocasting with other iPhoto 6 users.
> Instant message with .Mac member name and iChat.
> Publish iCal calendars online and share with friends and family

Store all your important data:

> Use .Mac Backup to back up files to FireWire drives, iDisk, CD, DVD, or other mounted volumes, and use one-step backups for iLife files.
> Store, publish and share files with iDisk, your personal hard drive on the Internet
> Designate 1 GB of combined storage space between iDisk and email based on your needs.
> Set read/write access to and password protect the iDisk Public folder.

Synchronize your most important information:
> Keep iCal calendars, Address Book contacts, and Safari bookmarks in sync between your Macs and available to you online.
> With Mac OS X v10.4 "Tiger" keep critical Mail information—including Spotlight-driven Smart Mailboxes—as well as stored passwords from your Keychain in sync and access them from multiple Macs.

Create a .Mac space online for groups:
> Use a group email account to send and receive group messages.
> Access group messages, photo albums, movies, and web pages.
> View the group online calendar and subscribe through iCal.
> Share files using the iDisk Groups folder.
> Publish group web pages and share photos in an online slideshow.

And more:
> Get exclusive tutorials on .Mac, iLife, Mac OS X, and more in the .Mac Learning Center.
> Receive freebies, discounts, and other surprises throughout the year with the .Mac member benefits program.
> Get comprehensive email-based support when you need assistance.

Q: What does the .Mac Family Pack membership include?
The .Mac Family Pack annual membership includes five .Mac accounts: one master account, which has the same 1 GB of storage (upgradable to 2 or 4 GB) and services as a regular .Mac membership, plus four sub-accounts. The master account is responsible for administering the sub-accounts and for renewing the family pack membership. The sub-accounts have access to the same services as a regular full .Mac membership and each have 250 MB of combined Mail and iDisk storage (which cannot be upgraded). Each account within a Family Pack has access to a Shared folder in iDisk, for easy file transfer between the accounts.

Q: If I have purchased the .Mac Family Pack membership, how do I set up the sub-accounts?
To set up Family Pack sub-accounts, go to http://www.mac.com and click Account. On the Account page, click Manage Accounts. To create a new sub-account, click the Set Up Account button or, to convert an expired .Mac account or existing .Mac trial or email-only account to a sub-account, enter the member name and password for the account you wish to convert, choose Sub-account as the type of account you wish to convert to, and click the Convert button.

Q: Once I have set up .Mac Family Pack sub-accounts, how do we share files between our accounts?
All accounts in your Family Pack, and only accounts in your Family Pack, have access to a Shared folder. This Shared folder is visible in the iDisk of each account. Any Family Pack account can drop a file into the Shared folder and any other account in the Family Pack then has instant access to that file. The Shared folder's storage counts as part of the storage quota for the Family Pack master account.

Q: If I am a current .Mac member, can I purchase the .Mac Family Pack?
Yes. Log in to .Mac and go to your Account page. Click Buy More and select a Family Pack upgrade. After you purchase the Family Pack, you will be able to set up your new .Mac Family Pack sub-accounts by logging into Account at http://www.mac.com and clicking the Manage Accounts button.

Q: What does the free 60-day .Mac trial include?
The free 60-day .Mac trial includes limited versions of many of the key features of a .Mac full membership plus the ability to join .Mac Groups:
.Mail Mail with convenient online access from any Internet-connected computer

50 MB of combined storage for use between iDisk and email (a combined 1 GB of iDisk and email storage comes with full membership)

Hosting for websites, blogs and more published with iWeb

Trial version of Apple's Backup software (Trial accounts are limited to 100 MB per backup.)

Web-based access to email, your address book, and favorite bookmarks

Photocasting for iPhoto 6 photo albums

HomePage for hosting websites and publishing web pages

Additional .Mac-only functionality for Apple's iCal — keep your calendars available to you online and across multiple Macs

Instant messaging with .Mac account name and iChat

Q: What are the system requirements for using .Mac?
General System Requirements
.Mac requires the use of an up-to-date web browser. For Mac users, we recommend Safari 1.2 or later or Firefox 1.0.4 or later. For PC users, we recommend Firefox 1.0.4 or later or Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later.

To get the most out of .Mac, we recommend using a Macintosh computer with Mac OS X v10.3.9 or Mac OS X v10.4.2 or later with 128 MB of RAM.

You can also join .Mac and access all of the web-based .Mac services from a Windows PC. We recommend Microsoft Windows XP or later.

We recommend broadband Internet access for both Mac and PC users.

Q: Does .Mac include Internet Service Provider (ISP) services?
No, but a .Mac membership does require Internet access. Broadband access is recommended.

Q: Is .Mac available to Microsoft Windows users?
Yes. Customers can sign up for a .Mac trial using a Windows machine and participate in .Mac Groups. They can also can sign up for a full .Mac membership. iDisk, .Mac Mail, .Mac Groups, Address Book, HomePage, Bookmarks, iCards, and Support can be used on a Windows machine, but stand-alone applications, such as Backup, are not available.

Q: Is .Mac available worldwide?
.Mac services are available for any customer, worldwide, and European customers can subscribe to the .Mac services with an international credit card. Transactions are billed according to a customer's country. Only certain currencies are supported.. However, .Mac services only exist in English, French, German, and Japanese and are supported only in those languages.

Q: Which web browsers are supported?
.Mac requires the use of an up-to-date web browser. For Mac users, we recommend Safari 1.2 or higher or Firefox 1.0.4 or higher. For PC users, we recommend Firefox 1.0.4 or higher or Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher..

Q: Do I need a .Mac account to send iCards?
No. Standard iCards may be sent without a .Mac membership. Create-Your-Own iCards (using your own images) and Address Book access require .Mac membership.

Q: Can I continue to use my .Mac Mail address as an AIM or iChat screen name after my .Mac trial or paid account has expired?
Yes. Your screen name will remain valid.

Q: Is .Mac syncing included with Mac OS X v10.4 "Tiger"?
Yes. .Mac syncing can be set up through Mac OS X v10.4 "Tiger" System Preferences. If you are using Mac OS X v10.2.8 or Mac OS v10.3.x, you will need iSync, and you will only be able to sync Safari bookmarks, Address Book contacts, and iCal calendars between your Mac computers. If iSync was not pre-installed on your Mac, you can download iSync from the Apple Support website.

Q: Can I still sync if I have not yet upgraded to Mac OS X v10.4 "Tiger"?
Yes. If you are using Mac OS X v10.2.8 or Mac OS v10.3.x, you can still use iSync to sync your Safari bookmarks, Address Book contacts, and iCal calendars between your Mac computers. You can also use iSync to sync your bookmarks and contacts to your .Mac Bookmarks and Address Book. If iSync was not pre-installed on your Mac, you can download iSync from the Apple Support website.

Q: Where can I download virus definition update (DAT) files for Virex?
If you already have a version of Virex on your Mac, you can get DAT updates from the .Mac Member Central page.


- srikanth dhanwada