I have been struggling to figure out why the Cisco AnyConnect VPN on my MacBook Air stopped working a couple of months ago. Access from my iPhone and iPad were fine but from my MacBook Air, AnyConnect kept disconnecting. The Cisco support forum and Google search is only as good as the search criteria you enter. Well, finally I found the answer to this frustrating issue especially as I was planning to work remotely during the Christmas break.

The problem rears it's ugly head when you enable the "Back to my Mac" application in MobileMe or iCloud. Both the "Back to my Mac" and Cisco AnyConnect VPN use a virtual adapter with the same name "utun0". Since MobileMe or iCloud initiates when your Mac starts up, it grabs the utun0 interface first, causing the Cisco AnyConnect VPN to connect and then disconnect immediatly. I know many Mac users have had this same issue so hope this post helps. Have you had problems with the Cisco Anyconnect VPN?

I transitioned from MobileMe to iCloud last week and it was seamless. However, I knew I would be gaining some functionality but also losing some services. iCloud no longer supports cloud based storage. So access to MobileMe’s iDisk was removed by Apple after the transition. Too me, this is a huge piece of missing functionality in iCloud and hopefully it will return. In fact several sources this week indicated that Apple made an offer to buy Dropbox but the offer was rejected. Apparently, in 2009 Steve met with the co-founders, Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi in Cupertino to discuss an offer.

Well in the meantime it’s out with iDisk and in with Dropbox. It’s pretty easy to sign up with Dropbox, all you need is an email and a password. Then install the Dropbox folder client on your Mac and PC. You can also install the Dropbox App on your iPhone and iPad. Below are screenshots showing the Dropbox folders on your Mac and PC. Even though DropBox is in the cloud, the folders appear and work like a local folder. You can also use the web browser interface but it’s really not necessary. So what cloud based storage service are you using?

Ok, are you confused like everyone else about Apple ID, iCloud, me.com email, mac.com email and your personal email. Let’s review each one of these:

• If you’ve bought music or apps from the iTunes Store then you have an Apple ID which typically is your email address. You might even have one or more Apple IDs. It’s best to only use one Apple ID as all your purchases are associated to that Apple ID. Especially important are updates to Apps which are only downloaded when you are logged into the iTunes Store with a specific Apple ID. 
• iCloud is Apple’s newest service that syncs your contacts, calendar events (iCal), Safari bookmarks, iTunes Store purchases between iPhones and iPads running iOS5 and Macs running OS X Lion. iCloud also provides you with the ability to create an email address in the form of yourname@me.com if you decide you need one. When you login to iCloud for the first time, it creates a new Apple ID if you do not have one or requests you to use your current Apple ID. If your Apple ID is not in the form of an email address, iCloud will not accept it and will prompt you to create a new Apple ID. Early on the iTunes Store allowed Apple IDs that were not in the form of an email address. In this cas
e you will need to use the email Apple ID for iCloud and your non email Apple ID for iTunes Store purchases. 
• The me.com email was created when Apple launched the MobileMe service. If you are NOT currently a MobileMe subscriber, iCloud allows you to create a me.com email address. If you are currently a MobileMe subscriber iCloud will transition your email, contacts, calendar events and Safari bookmarks to the iCloud service. 
• The mac.com email was created when Apple launched the .Mac service. This service was later enhanced and called MobileMe. The mac.com and me.com email addresses are interchangeable. 
• If you were not a .Mac or a MobileMe subscriber you most likely used your personal email to create your Apple ID. If you change your personal email, you should change your Apple ID to the new email to continue receiving receipts and email newsletters from the iTunes Store. If you used your me.com or mac.com email as your Apple ID, you cannot change the Apple ID to another email but the iTunes Store provides a separate email address field. 

For further information see the Apple Support knowledge base article Apple IDs and iCloud and also FAQ about Apple ID. You can create a new Apple ID or manage existing Apple IDs at My Apple ID or within iTunes. Edit.

I just successfully updated from MobileMe to iCloud without a hitch. It definitely took a while and there are a number of steps you should follow. Here is a list of steps I used to successfully transition over:

• Upgrade your iPhone and iPad to iOS 5 by connecting each device to your Mac and using iTunes to upgrade to iOS 5. This will take a while, budget an hour per device depending on the amount of data you have as each device is backed up, upgraded to iOS 5 and then the Apps, data and settings restored.
• Next backup your data on your Mac stored by MobileMe, see previous post. This is in case the transition to iCloud does not go smoothly. Also delete any data you from your iDisk as once you transition to iCloud your access to your iDisk is removed.
• Upgrade your Mac to the latest version of OS X Lion 10.7.2 by clicking on Apple > Software Update. This will provide the iCloud service in System Preferences.
• After the OS X Lion software update, the iCloud login from System Preferences will automatically be displayed. If not go to your System Preference and click on iCloud.
• Enter your existing MobileMe username and password. You will be taken to Safari to login to the MobileMe move page.
• Login to the MobileMe move page and you will be directed through a serious of pages to acknowledge the transition of your email, contacts, calendar and bookmarks to iCloud.
• Once you have transitioned to iCloud your iPhone and iPad will have automatically been updated to transition from MobileMe to iCloud, provided they have been upgraded to iOS 5.
• If you have an older iPhone that cannot be upgraded to iOS 5, your email will still work as the mail servers for iCloud are the same as for MobileMe. Unfortunately, your calendar items will have been removed as they no longer can sync with iCloud. Your contacts and bookmarks will remain but also will no longer be updated.

Hope your transition from MobileMe to iCloud goes smoothly. Let us know if you have any issues.

Apple is due to release the much anticipated iCloud service today. If you are already a MobileMe subscriber and have a me.com email address you will need to transition it to iCloud. However, an iCloud me.com email address is only free for OS X Lion and iOS 5 users so you will need to upgrade your iPhone, iPad and Mac first. You will need to transition from MobileMe to iCloud by June 30, 2012. We recommend that you do the following before transitioning over.

• Save and delete all your photo albums from the Photo Gallery as the gallery is no longer supported. Go to iPhoto and copy the photos from your albums in the gallery and then delete each album.
• Save and delete all your documents from your iDisk as iDisk is no longer supported. Go to your Documents, Music, Pictures, Public and Shared folders on your iDisk and copy the documents to a folder on your Mac.
• Save and delete all your iWeb sites as iWeb is no longer being supported going forward. Go to your Web folder on your iDisk and copy the files to a folder on your Mac.
• Backup each Mailbox in the Mail application. Go to each mailbox, including the folders you store email and right click to bring up the Export Mailbox menu item, then export each mailbox to a folder on your Mac. In the event that your MobileMe email account does not transition correctly to iCloud you can re-import your saved mailboxes back into the Mail application and iCloud.
• Backup your Contacts from the Address Book application. Go to the File > Export > Address Book Archive menu item, then export your contacts to a folder on your Mac.
• Backup your Calendar events from the iCal application. Go to the File > Export > iCal Archive menu item, then export your all your events to a folder on your Mac.
• Backup your Bookmarks from Safari. Go to the File > Export Bookmarks menu item, then export your bookmarks to a folder on your Mac. 

For additional information about the transition from MobileMe to iCloud see the MobileMe Transition FAQ.

If you a MobileMe suscriber, you'll be happy to know that Apple has made a number of improvements, these include: support for MobileMe Mail aliases when composing or replying to messages in the Mail App, finding your device from another iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch in the new Find My iPhone App, opening documents in iDisk in a compatible app on your Mac, support for higher resolution images when viewing individual photos over a Wi-Fi network on iPhone 4, improved syncing of MobileMe Contacts with Microsoft Outlook, a full-screen map view in the Find My iPhone app, a new Calendar Beta, an application switcher when clicking on the cloud icon and access to Help, Account, and Sign Out when clicking your name. So are you a MobileMe subscriber and do you think it's worth the money?

If you already a MobileMe subscriber when you login into the Calendar there is an invitation request in the menu you can send to get access to the MobileMe Calendar Beta. It definitely looks and feels like the iPad Calendar. New features include sharing calendars with family and friends (must be MobileMe members in the beta), publishing calendars for groups or teams and event invitations with RSVPs. So are you a MobileMe subscriber? To find out more about the beta, including system requirements, you can read the FAQ.

For the past month Apple released a Beta version of it's new MobileMe webmail which has the same look and feel of the Mail App on the iPad. In edition the new webmail was rewritten to make it's response time quicker. Tuesday, Apple officially released the updated MobileMe. For me the response time has been the biggest change although the new interface is a bonus. For you if you have not already subscribed and own several Apple devices including a Windows device you need to subscribe to MobileMe so you can sync your favourites, contacts, mail, calendar items and even your desktop. MobileMe acts like a central server and I think Apple should make the service free to enhance their products. Yes, Steve are you listening to your customers!

I am sure the MobileMe Beta has been in the works for sometime now but maybe my 30 minute MobileMe support call and my email to Steve about the slow performance of the MobileMe webmail has helped push along the development of the MobileMe Beta. If you already a MobileMe subscriber when you login into webmail there is an invitation request in the menu you can send to get access to the MobileMe Beta. It definitely looks and feels more like the iPad Mail. So are you a MobileMe subscriber? Here is the news announcement from Apple:

Today we're introducing the beta of an all new MobileMe Mail web application, and we're asking you to try it and let us know what you think. You can sign up at me.com by just logging in to MobileMe Mail and clicking "Request an invitation." You will receive an email notification when you have been added to the beta and can start using it. Here are some of the new features:

Widescreen and compact views. When reading your mail at me.com, the new widescreen view lets you see more of each message with less scrolling. Choose compact view to hide your folders or classic view to see more of your message list.

Rules to keep your email organized everywhere. Mail rules help you reduce inbox clutter by automatically filing messages into folders you select ahead of time. Set them up at me.com, and your rules organize your incoming email on the web and everywhere else — on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and PC.

Single-click archiving. Click the Archive button and the selected message is quickly filed into the Archive folder where it's always available for future reference.

Formatting toolbar. You can create great-looking email messages using formatting buttons to bold or italicize text, change font color, insert images, and more. You can even create formatted web links to hide long URLs.

Improved performance. Mail at me.com loads your inbox and messages faster. And with interface refinements such as the ability to scroll through your entire inbox without having to manually click to load the next set of messages, you'll be able to work more efficiently.

Increased security with SSL. With the MobileMe Mail beta, accessing your email on the web is more secure than ever. Your inbox is protected to prevent anyone from eavesdropping on your webmail. As always, you receive SSL protection when you use your MobileMe Mail account on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and PC.

The MobileMe Mail beta works best with Safari 4, Firefox 3.6, and Internet Explorer 8. To find out more about the beta, including system requirements, you can read the FAQ. Here is screenshot of the new MobileMe.

With the formal announcement of the iSlate tablet by Apple tomorrow, iPhone Apps are going to play an even larger role in Apple's product strategy. It is well predicted that the iSlate will be based on the iPhone interface and use the same mobile version of Mac OS X as the iPhone. This means thousands of iPhone Apps will be able to run on the iSlate.

If you an Apple MobileMe subscriber you will be able to access your iDisk on your iPhone or iSlate through the MobileMe iDisk iPhone App which is a free download from the App Store. Using the MobileMe iDisk App you will be able to use your iDisk to transfer files between your Mac, iPhone and iSlate. I regularly transfer files between my Mac in my office and a PC at a client site using my iDisk. It really is convenient, no USB key needed. I also copy files to my iDisk for later viewing on my iPhone when I am travelling. This will be similar when the iSlate comes out.

To access your iDisk through the MobileMe iDisk App, you log into the App with your MobileMe username and password. You can then see a list of your folders and files on your iDisk. The App allows you to share files, access your public folder and view files. File formats supported on the iPhone include iWorks, Office, PDF, QuickTime and others. The MobileMe iDisk App is accessible on all my Macs, PC, iPhone and now the iSlate. This is a cool icrazee way to transfer files.

Today Apple released the MobileMe Gallery iPhone App which you can view your photos and videos from your MobileMe Gallery directly in an iPhone App. Now you no longer need to use the Safari Browser to key in your MobileMe Gallery URL and login to your gallery.

I downloaded the app and the interface is intuitive. You are asked to type in your MobileMe username and password. Once you are authenticated your MobileMe Gallery albums are displayed in a list. You can click on the any of the albums and a matrix of thumbnails of the photos in the album are displayed. If you select any of the thumbnails the photo is displayed. You can then swipe, pinch to zoom and rotate your iPhone to see a landscape view of the photo. The interface is similar to the Photo App that comes standard with all iPhones.There is one difference, the MobileMe Gallery App also has a scrolling sampler of photos at the top of the list of albums to give you easy access to recently added photos.

The MobileMe Gallery App also stores your gallery on your iPhone so you can view your photos when you are offline. The default storage is 3MB which you can increase to a max of 500MB. The settings also allow you to default Safari to open the MobileMe Gallery App when a MobileMe Gallery link is selected in Safari. Another cool feature is you can add the Mobileme Gallery of friends to your list of galleries in the app. It's a pretty cool app and you have instant access to all yours and your friends photo galleries. It's free in the App Store, also see the Apple MobileMe Gallery. Here are some screenshots of the MobileMe Gallery iPhone App.

I was working on my MacBookPro and it occurred to me that it was just like working on my iMac at my desk just with a slightly smaller screen. What exactly made that possible? Well there are a few things, one is I ensure my iMac and my MacBook Pro are installed with the exact same applications. To do this I maintain a spreadsheet of all the applications and their versions I install on one and ensure the exact application is installed on the other. I typically buy the family pack version of applications which contains five licenses so that I can install the application on all my Macs.

The second thing that makes working on my iMac and MacBook Pro the same is I subscribe to Apple's MobileMe service. What exactly is the MobileMe service and how does it help to keep multiple Macs in sync? Think of the service as a centralized server for your Macs, iPhone and PC and the Internet is your computer network. MobileMe centralizes and syncs your user profile, Mac OS X settings and email. You can have MobileMe maintain and sync the following:

• Safari browser's bookmarks
• iCal's calendar events
• Address Book's contacts
• Dashboard Widgets
• Dock Items
• Key Chains
• Mail Accounts, both your MobileMe mail account and others
• Mail Rules, Signatures and Smart Mailboxes
• Notes
• System Preferences