.Mac (System Preferences)

The .Mac pane of System Preferences in Mac OS X was developed by Apple Computer to allow users to manage the .Mac and iDisk settings of their Macintosh.

History
The functionality was originally introduced in Mac OS X as the Internet pane to log into iTools, email amd web accounts; Internet connectivity settings were actually handled by the Network pane.

With the launch of Apple's own .Mac service under Mac OS X 10.3 (Jaguar), 3rd-party email account management was moved to the Accounts pane and the .Mac pane added an "iDisk" tab. With the expansion of .Mac services under Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger), the .Mac preferences pane was also expanded.

.Mac tab
The user can input his or her .Mac membership info, including member name and password, in this section. If the user is not a .Mac member, there is an option to sign up by clicking a button.

iDisk tab
The user can check the current iDisk storage situation (and buy more space if needed). There are also options to create (with or without automatic ) a local copy of the iDisk contents. Options for an online Public folder can also be set, including password protection.

Account tab
This pane allows you to change your user name and password. If you are connected to the Internet, Apple will also show you how much time you have until your account renews automatically. There is a button which allows you to change your Account Info.

Sync tab
As of Mac OS X 10.4, iSync is relieved of its duties to synchronize with .Mac. Instead, the .Mac System Preferences take over the job. In this pane, there are options to synchronize, with .Mac, the following:


 * Bookmarks
 * Calendars
 * Contacts
 * Keychains
 * Mail accounts
 * Mail rules, signatures and Smart Mailboxes.

Discontinuation
The .Mac preferences pane was superseded by the short-lived Mobile Me pane, which was plagued with problems. It was discontinued in 2011 and replaced by the iCloud pane (now known as Apple ID).