I have been a .Mac user and supporter for years. But alas this time around I cannot justify the $99 a year price tag. This is because of a number of factors. The main problem I have is that .Mac services are duplicated in cheaper services I pay for. I have a web host, and I have grown to not use the iCal and iPhoto integration of .Mac. With the advent of bigger USB thumb drives I find I do not even use my iDisk anymore. That was the last straw.
The other reason I decided not to renew my .Mac account is strictly financial. I don't have the money to pay for it right now.
I am kind of sad I have come to the conclusion that the .Mac services are not really worth it to me anymore. People grow out of things though. And I have grown out of .Mac.
That was not the true reason for this entry however. I just needed a setup.
When you decide to not renew, or let your account relapse, Apple does not junk your account. I assume the things stored on your iDisk and your HomePage data is gone however. Your .Mac account is still intact though. You can login, and change your password. Of course you also get the obligatory sales line to rejoin too.
You also get to keep your iChat/AIM name. Your .Mac e-mail account will not work of course, but you can still use that address just fine for IMing. This was in fact that last reason I had put off a decision on wether to cancel my .Mac account or not. I know it might sound silly, but I communicate with a number of business contacts through IM.
So the moral of the story is that if you decide not to renew your .Mac account you can still continue your service at any time by paying the fee, and you can keep your iChat/AIM name. I think that is a nice touch.
This is smart business of course, it may end up bringing the customer back. Also I think it would take more work on Apple's end to delete your account and iChat/AIM name from the system.
