Apple’s fistful of new MobileMe technotes
Given the recent rather rocky launch of MobileMe, it is no surprise that this week’s list of new and updated technotes from Apple contains a large number of support documents relating to MobileMe.
It is one thing to read the range of complaints in the MobileMe Apple Discussion Group 
. It’s another thing to get a sense of big problems from the horse’s mouth itself.
Apple’s new Support offerings for MobileMe are listed at the end of this post.
All MobileMe services get a look in, but there is a concentration on Sync issues and how to deal with them.
Some of the items are more useful than others. For example, I didn’t know what the maximum size of a MobileMe email message was until I read that “you can send and receive email messages up to 20 MB in size with your MobileMe Mail account.”
On the other hand, the technote on “How MobileMe filters spam messages” is less useful.
It tells you that
To minimize the impact of spam on MobileMe members, MobileMe employs several methods of detecting spam before it ever reaches your inbox. Spam prevention requires filtering mechanisms that include dynamic lists, trend analysis and content filtering.
However, it continues, “Filtering spam at the server is only part of the equation. You may find it helpful to use your mail application filtering to complement the server filtering.”
The only way to deal with false-positives is to contact MobileMe support:
If you feel that a friendly message was inadvertently deleted, you may want to ask your friend for a follow up email before you contact support, if you notice that multiple messages are being delayed, bounced, or not delivered, you should contact MobileMe Support
Another cracker comes in the technote on viewing Mail.app’s Notes in MobileMe Mail:
Symptoms
If you create a Note with Mail in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, then view the note with MobileMe Mail, the text of the note will appear but the background color of the note will not be yellow.Additionally, the notes cannot be edited in MobileMe Mail, and may appear to be from an “unspecified-domain” with no “To” address.
Products Affected
Mac OS X 10.5, MobileMe, MobileMe MailResolution
This is expected behavior. For the best experience with Notes, use Mac OS X Mail only.This document will be updated as more information becomes available.
Here is the full list of new notes relating to MobileMe:
New and Updated Knowledge Base Documents
Canceling your MobileMe account
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2174
How MobileMe filters spam messages
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT1073
iDisk Syncing: Changes made directly to the iDisk may not immediately sync down to local iDisk
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1159
iDisk Syncing: iDisk may not sync if connected via a mobile high-speed connection
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1758
iDisk: iDisk Syncing takes up more hard drive space than expected in Mac OS X 10.5
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1771
iMovie and MobileMe Gallery: Some movie names may not work in MobileMe Gallery
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1038
iWeb: "This entry no longer exists" error when trying to add or remove comments on blogs published to MobileMe
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1763
iWeb: Default page fails to load & browser continuously refreshes
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1727
iWeb: In published site, Add Comment links don’t display or work correctly
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1762
iWeb: Preserving website comments when upgrading from iWeb 1.x to 2.0
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2094
Mac OS X 10.5: About viewing Mail Notes in MobileMe Mail
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1756
Mac OS X 10.5: Address Book Sharing - clicking the sync icon does not start sync with MobileMe
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1757
Mac OS X 10.5: MobileMe Sync menu icon spins constantly
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1182
Mac OS X 10.5: Resetting the SyncServices folder
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1627
Mac OS X 10.5: Syncing preference settings with MobileMe Sync
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2085
Mac OS X: Can’t connect to iDisk, get "Error Code -50"
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1429
Mac OS X: Do not remove or modify SyncServices folder
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT1865
Mac OS X: Mail - MobileMe account mailbox is dimmed
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1726
MacBook (Late 2007): iDisk, MobileMe or remote home directory sync unsuccessful
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1759
Maximum MobileMe message size
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2069
MobileMe and Apple ID passwords cannot accept some characters
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1728
MobileMe iDisk: Cannot Check Disk Space in System Preferences
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1737
MobileMe mail messages are missing
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1730
MobileMe scans email for viruses
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2076
MobileMe Sync, Mac OS X 10.5: Calendar syncing issues
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1200
MobileMe Sync: About syncing third-party Dashboard Widgets in Mac OS X 10.5
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1751
MobileMe Sync: Alert after merging contacts
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1178
MobileMe Sync: Conflict Resolver states that seemingly-identical contacts have conflicts after Mac OS X 10.5 upgrade
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1174
MobileMe Sync: iCal Group Calendar name may change when syncing in Mac OS X 10.4 or 10.5
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1188
MobileMe Sync: Initial syncing of Dashboard Widgets may result in duplicate widgets
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1750
MobileMe Sync: Non-functioning web clips may be deleted after syncing Dashboard widgets
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1171
MobileMe Sync: Removing third-party items from the MobileMe Sync pane in Mac OS X 10.5, 10.4
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1153
MobileMe Sync: RSS status doesn’t not sync between Mac OS X 10.4 and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1170
MobileMe Sync: Syncing contact addresses between Mac OS X 10.4 and Mac OS X 10.5 causes sync conflict or alert
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1754
MobileMe Sync: Syncing preferences may "hide" some application windows
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1199
MobileMe Sync: User moved via Migration Assistant does not register computer for syncing
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1183
MobileMe, Address Book Sharing: Contacts or Groups get out of sync
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1744
MobileMe, iDisk: About the invisible ".filler.idsff" file
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT1065
MobileMe, Mac OS X 10.5: "An error was returned from the server" alert after changing your MobileMe password
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1748
MobileMe, Mac OS X 10.5: iDisk Sync may not automatically sync changes
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1745
MobileMe, Mail: Copying MobileMe or IMAP email messages to your hard disk
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT1063
MobileMe: "iDisk full" error
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1764
MobileMe: "Temporarily unavailable" message when viewing a published calendar
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1658
MobileMe: "The size of the iDisk on your computer needs to be adjusted" alert in Mac OS X 10.4
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1160
MobileMe: About syncing more than one Mac to the same iDisk at the same time in Mac OS X 10.5
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1168
MobileMe: Arabic characters in file names change after iDisk sync in Mac OS X 10.4
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2079
MobileMe: Changes on an iPhone/iPod touch made to your calendars, contacts, or bookmarks while a sync is occuring may not sync to MobileMe
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1794
MobileMe: Computer has less free disk space after turning on iDisk Syncing
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1154
MobileMe: Configuring third-party email applications
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT1625
MobileMe: Email message "bounces" back after sending
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1187
MobileMe: Empty browser cache if issues occur after a MobileMe Mail service interruption
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2078
MobileMe: File contributed to a MobileMe Gallery via email doesn’t appear
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1747
MobileMe: Identifying fraudulent "phishing" email
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2080
MobileMe: iDisk Sync - Items in non-synced folders cannot be opened
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1761
MobileMe: Issues sending messages in Mail or other email applications
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1152
MobileMe: MobileMe Gallery maximum photo size
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT1071
MobileMe: Prompted for password when opening some folders on your iDisk in Mac OS X 10.5
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1749
MobileMe: Prompted for password when syncing keychains
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1181
MobileMe: Providing MobileMe support with long email headers for troubleshooting
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT1066
MobileMe: Published photos or movies may take a long time to appear on your MobileMe Gallery
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1746
MobileMe: Troubleshooting Syncing from Mac OS X
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1679
MobileMe: Using SSL encryption with your email
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2082
Publishing a password-protected iCal calendar to iDisk
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2071
Some items in Outlook may cause calendars to not sync
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306757
Why was I "spammed" at my MobileMe Mail address?
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2073
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July 14th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
[...] idea of the performance. And I came across a great resource today—Tim Gaden at Hawk Wings posted a large list of knowledge base articles focused on MobileMe and syncing. An interesting read—the articles [...]
July 15th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
MobileMe & iPhone 2.0 launches are game changers, similar to Boeing’s 787 Airplane. These quantum leaps need time to work the bugs out.
August 4th, 2008 at 3:30 am
Here’s a bunch of current problems with MobileMe that have not been widely documented anywhere, but they are extremely frustrating to say the least:
– You can’t turn on push services on the iPhone without being forced to also use your me.com email address on your iPhone. So if you’re one of the many people who still wants to use your mac.com email address (instead of me.com) AND use push services, you’ll end up with double incoming emails on your iPhone — one email message into your mac.com email account, and one email message into your me.com email account. As soon as you turn on push services on your iPhone, the iPhone AUTOMATICALLY adds the me.com email account into your iPhone’s mail program. There is no way to turn off the me.com email account while still receiving push services on your iPhone, so unless you like receiving double email notification, you have to choose between EITHER using your mac.com email address OR using push services on your iPhone.
– The colors that you’ve assigned to your calendars will sync between your Mac and the MobileMe website, but they will not appear on the iPhone. In fact, you have NO WAY AT ALL to specify calendar colors on your iPhone. And on the MobileMe website, you can’t change the calendar colors to anything except a small amount of predefined colors (no custom colors).
– Custom fields that you’ve created in your Address Book will appear on your Mac and the MobileMe website, but NOT on the iPhone! That’s bad enough. But it gets even more confusing, because the custom fields will appear on the MobileMe website only for contacts whom you’ve already assigned data to those custom fields on your Mac. There is no way to make those custom fields appear on the MobileMe Contacts website. They don’t appear by default like they do on your Mac, and there’s NO WAY TO EVEN MANUALLY ADD those custom fields to the MobileMe website.
– To do’s will appear on your Mac, but they do NOT appear on the iPhone, and they only recently appeared on the MobileMe website. But the big problem on the MobileMe website is that the preference to “hide to do items with due dates *AFTER* the calendar view” is gone. It has been replaced on the MobileMe website with a preference to “hide to do items with due dates *OUTSIDE* the calendar view”. This is a big problem for viewing overdue to-do’s on the MobileMe website, because you can’t view overdue to-do’s whose due date was BEFORE the CURRENT CALENDAR VIEW. At least in iCal, overdue to-do’s are still visible, no matter what your current calendar view is. In other words, overdue to-do’s “carry forward”. But on the MobileMe website, overdue to-do’s will DISAPPEAR (as if you’ve completed them) if their original due date is not in the current calendar view that you’re looking at. (Also, on a minor note, the to-do pane disappears every time you log out & log back in to the MobileMe website.)
– SUBSCRIBED CALENDARS DON’T APPEAR on the MobileMe website NOR the iPhone! What good is it to subscribe to the US Holiday calendar and the Jewish Holiday calendar and all of those sports calendars… if they don’t appear anywhere but the Mac?! Yes, we know there’s a workaround for exporting your subscribed calendar data and then importing it in as a regular calendar… but that defeats the purpose of having a subscribed calendar to begin with!
– Custom ringtones from the iPhone can sporadically disappear when syncing your iPhone to your Address Book. I have to play with this some more to nail down when this happens, but I think it happens after making a change to a contact on your iPhone or Address Book that has a custom ringtone attached to it, and then syncing. The MobileMe website and the Address Book on the Mac have no capability to hold a field for custom ringtone, so it seems to just “lose” this information.