Free MobileMe in April According to Source in Education

Apple will finally unveil a revamped version of its MobileMe service sometime next month, in accordance with rumors of a planned cloud-based locker for storing media. Specifically, the upgraded version is expected to allow users to store music, photos and files online, and have them accessible on all their devices.

Leaked by a source working for a major educational institution, according to iLounge, the information would corroborate earlier rumors of Apple re-inventing the MobileMe service which currently serves users for email, and as a backup & sync solution.

There are currently quite a few services that offer the MobileMe functionality, in full or in part, for less money or completely free of charge (like Dropbox).

Apple charges $99 a year for the service, but the person allegedly learning of Apple’s plans said the current version of MobileMe was no longer available.

Moreover, the source added, the school’s supplier said that Apple is suggesting to students to sign up for the 60-day trial version of MobileMe.

This piece of advice is regarded as an effort to cover the gap between the last MobileMe purchases and the new release next month.

There have been many indications that Apple is erasing MobileMe as we know it, first by discontinuing boxed copies of the purchasable service, then by moving the entire service online.

Apple advertises MobileMe as being able to “[keep] your mail, contacts, and calendar information in the cloud and uses push technology to keep everything in sync across your iPhone, iPad, Mac, PC, and the web automatically."

"So no matter where you go or which device you use, all your information is up to date — no docking required,” the advertising material reads.

Apple has also recently notified MobileMe users that an upgrade to a new Calendar service is going live May 5th.