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After my initial keynote buzz wore off, I'm rethinking this .Mac idea and wondering if Apple is doing the right thing. There are advantages, of course, assuming they relate to the way I use my Mac and the Internet.

But after September 30 there will be no more free iTools. No free storage space on Apple servers, no email address for free, no --- um, no... hey, just what have I been using iTools for, anyway? In truth, absolutely nothing. I did copy an essential piece of data onto an iDisk folder for safekeeping once, but until a friend asked me to see if my iDisk was working yesterday, it had been almost a year since I opened it. I realize I may not be typical, as users go. I don't have Web pages hosted at mac.com. I don't store photos there -- there's hardly any room for that, anyway. I don't care about the software goodies I never asked for that are stashed in the other folders. The only reason I got an iTools account was to have that email domain, an email address I've used for everything "permanent" because I figured it would be around forever. Is this worth a hundred bucks per year?

Well, maybe it is. With more storage space and the worldwide email services, maybe. When I see what a mere mortal like myself actually needs iSync for, maybe. For now I'm going to let my old email address that gave Apple a free plug every time I used it die on the vine. As soon as I see what this thing can do for me, I'll jump on it and take back everything I just said, but not yet.

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