GigaOm has the lowdown on Apple's .Mac mail reno, with a 2.0 twist:
A few weeks ago we mentioned that Apple’s dot mac email service was getting a bit of a Web 2.0 makeover, one that was long overdue. Well, the new email is live now, and it is a perfect embodiment of how Apple would incorporate the Web 2.0 technologies such as Ajax.
Nice to see Apple give .Mac some much-needed love, and mail is a good place for Apple to work their "fast follower" (except without the "fast" this time) magic of refining a user experience we're all familiar with. After all, they weren't the first with an MP3 jukebox, with a portable MP3 player, or with photo managemement software, but they still managed to do it better, making it easier for users, than anyone else had up 'til then.
Even so, .Mac has a long way to go before it's the network hub of your Mac life—your identity in the cloud. Until then, the $99 for .Mac looks like something of a ripoff compared to what you can do with Google, Yahoo!, or MSN/Microsoft Live for free.