Apple discontinues MobileMe sales

Apple has reportedly ditched its $99 cloud-based MobileMe product from its online store amidst rumors that Cupertino is prepping a free version of the service.

According to AppleInsider, the MobileMe site on Apple.com currently leads to a dead link, and resellers have told the blog that Apple notified them about plans to discontinue the product.

The MobileMe Single User product and Family Pack have been declared "End of Life" by Apple, AppleInsider said.

Apple is also planning a 30-minute downtime for me.com tonight, during which time the site's Web-based apps will not be available.

 

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple was planning an overhaul of MobileMe. The Journal said the company will ditch its one-year $99 subscription model in favor of a free service. MobileMe would "serve as a 'locker' for personal memorabilia such as photos, music, and videos."

This comes after December reports from MacRumors.com that said a reader e-mailed Steve Jobs to complain about MobileMe, and Jobs responded with a promise to improve the service in 2011.

Apple rolled out a few updates to MobileMe last year. In May, it introduced a new beta version of its MobileMe mail service, which added a widescreen option, single-click archiving, server rules, formatting toolbar, and faster performance and improved security. That came out of beta in June, but the lack of a free version disappointed users. In October, the MobileMe Calendar also merged from beta and was made available to all MobileMe members.

Apple is holding an event on March 2, which is rumored to include the launch of a new iPad. Will MobileMe also be included? Stay tuned.

This article, written by Chloe Albanesius, originally appeared on PCMag.com and is republished on Gear Live with the permission of Ziff Davis, Inc..