Apple In Business » Server http://www.appleinbusiness.com Using the OS X, the Mac and iPhone for Business Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:42:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Is MobileMe An Outlook Web Access Killer? http://www.appleinbusiness.com/2008/06/is-mobileme-an-outlook-web-access-killer/ http://www.appleinbusiness.com/2008/06/is-mobileme-an-outlook-web-access-killer/#comments Wed, 11 Jun 2008 05:10:23 +0000 Mike Harding http://www.appleinbusiness.com/?p=6 With the announcement of Snow Leopard Server and its new features driving it closer to an actual Microsoft Exchange competitor, it would seem that one critical component was needed.  

Outlook Web Access basically gives the PC user web based email, calendaring, address book and file access from any web browser, all linked to the company Exchange Server.

Sound like MobileMe to the rescue.  Outlook Web Access, except better, newer, more features, easier to use and open standards based.

Now its getting interesting…

]]> http://www.appleinbusiness.com/2008/06/is-mobileme-an-outlook-web-access-killer/feed/ 0 Snow Leopard + MobileMe = Apple Exchange 1.0 http://www.appleinbusiness.com/2008/06/snow-leopard-mobileme-apple-exchange-10/ http://www.appleinbusiness.com/2008/06/snow-leopard-mobileme-apple-exchange-10/#comments Wed, 11 Jun 2008 04:58:31 +0000 Mike Harding http://www.appleinbusiness.com/?p=5 Is Apple truly unconcerned with the Enterprise market.  Obviously not.  Look at the new iPhone “push” features.  What about the constant reference to “Exchange for the rest of us…”.

Well, if MobileMe is Exchange for the rest of us, then Snow Leopard and MobileMe together must be the beginnings of a version Exchange built by Apple to compete directly with Microsoft’s Exchange.

Just read the features list of the OSX Snow Leopard Server.

  • Calendar Server
  • Address Book Server
  • Email Server
  • etc…

Sure, the current version of Leopard Server has a calendar server and an email server, but NOT an address book server.  Want to bet it will be a “push” server. Sound familar?

How about the “new” email server.  What new email server? Up to now Apple has used a collection of open source products, like Postfix for email.

Look at the actual text from the Snow Leopard Server page…

Mac OS X Server’s open standards-based mail service is the ideal server for small businesses or companies looking to bring email in-house. Snow Leopard Server dramatically increases its performance and scalability with an overhauled engine designed to handle thousands of simultaneous connections. Mail services have been enhanced to include server-side email rules and vacation messages.

How is Apple going to “dramatically increase performance and scalability” of this “overhauled engine”?  Perhaps by using the existing open source products as a jumping off point to build their own version of Exchange. Modular perhaps, but Exchange none the less. I might be wrong, but I don’t think Postfix currently supports server-side email rules or vacation messages. 

Just a hunch, but most small businesses don’t need “thousands of simultaneous connections”.  Sounds like an move to the enterprise to me. Lots of Macs, iPhones, iPod Touch and other upcoming products, all synchronized and available from the users Outlook Web Access MobileMe account, anywhere.

Well see in… “about a year”.

 

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