Apple has long offered a $30 discount on both MobileMe and iWork to new Mac buyers. But according to a memo sent to resellers, both promotions were discontinued effective Monday night, which is a likely signal that updates to both the MobileMe service and Apple's iWork software suite are imminent.
MobileMe has been rumored to be slated for a major upgrade as far back as mid-February, when the Wall Street Journal reported that 'Apple is considering making MobileMe a free service that would serve as a 'locker' for personal memorabilia such as photos, music and videos, eliminating the need for devices to carry a lot of memory.' Since then, rumors have suggested wide-ranging changes, including new social media services, cloud storage services, and streaming audio or video which may or may not be linked to iTunes. The new service is expected to be cheaper than the old $99 per year price—perhaps even free—to better compete with Google's cloud services which are heavily used by Android.
Other factors add fuel to the fire that a MobileMe update is coming soon. First, Apple removed MobileMe from its online store and ceased shipments of retail MobileMe boxes in late February. The company has since continued to offer free 60-day trials too, suggesting the update could be timed for the end of April. Furthermore, Apple said during its annual shareholder meeting that its $1 billion data center in North Carolina would finally come online this spring. Combined with the cancelled discounts, a launch appears imminent.
Apple has also discontinued the $30 discount for its iWork suite of productivity software, which includes Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. The individual apps have been available via the Mac App Store since day one for $20 each, itself representing a $20 discount off the $79 suggested retail price. However, iWork hasn't been updated on Mac OS X since early 2009. In the interim, Apple has launched iOS versions for the iPad, and slightly updated its iWork.com 'collaboration' service, which after over two years is still in beta.
Best Buy in Mexico kicked off rumors of an update earlier this year when it briefly showed an iWork '11 update scheduled for February 19 on its website. That date came and went, but with the synchronized discontinuation of the $30 discount promotion, Apple may be readying an update around the same time as MobileMe—perhaps with updated iWork.com cloud services—or in time for WWDC in early June.
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