I personally use gmail as a .Mac backup using filters and rules to tag the incoming mail and sort it. Once a week I check it to see if there is anything new I need to file and thats it. I use it as a just in case solution.

I think that issue might be with optonline, and not .Mac. If I send an email to my Gmail account it shows up instantly in my .Mac account.

I have my email from my optonline.net mail forwarded to my .mac mail account. Some days I look in my in box and there is nothing. Which is unheard of. If I log into optonline.net’s web based email, it will show me to have the usual amount of mail for the day. It doesn’t show up in .mac web mail or Mail on my Mac for a long time after. Sometimes hours. This may be normal, but if I send an email to myself, it shouldn’t take hours for me to get it. I think the forwarding stinks.

Send a “test” email to yourself and see how long it takes.

While you research tomorrow’s post about ,Mac, look at corporate discounts as well.

Many corporations, including local, state and the Federal governments, have discounted buying agreements with Apple. As a Fed, I can walk into any Apple store and get that discount, as well as off of the on-line Apple Store.

As a matter of fact, some Apple sales people at the stores will sometimes give you the discount you should get when buying a new Mac in addition to the corporate discount. Last year, doing that, my .Mac update only cost me $69! Plus, I got it immediately, no shipping or waiting.

I bought a new MacBook a few weeks ago (5th Avenue) and I got $30 off the .Mac service. The sales man told me that if I wanted to continue the .Mac service, I can keep getting the $30 off yearly if I visit the store and buy the .Mac “retail box” in the store.

Just thought I’d let you guys know.