ThinkSecret in January of 2007: (via)
Think Secret sources say that it [Leopard] may involve a free version of dot Mac with an increase in capacity to 200GB. (Sources are unclear whether dot Mac will actually be free and the increase may be much smaller than indicated.)
In 2008/2009, the rumors mostly cooled off about iTools/.Mac/MobileMe going free. This story I found from 2009 did make me laugh a bit:
WalletPop on November 4th, 2009:
“…rumor has it that Apple wants to revolutionize the way we get our television delivered by offeringall you can watch TV for $30.”
I did find one 2009 rumor about MobileMe going free but the site is no longer online. I guess the rumor business is pretty cutthroat?
http://www.agrobits.com/apple%E2%80%99s-new-data-center-likely-to-focus-on-cloud-computing
TUAW reports on May 11th, 2010:
MacDailyNews’ source says MobileMe will become free of charge “sooner than later… depends on certain facilities going operational.” This almost certainly refers to Apple’s new server farm in North Carolina.
TiPb (which historically stood for Titanium Powerbook) on June 4th, 2010 (long after the Titanium Powerbook was discontinued):
MobileMe, might just be going free. They’re thin, admittedly, but BGR points us to a change in how account type is shown — now “full member” is highlighted.
As opposed to free member?
Gizmodo on June 5th, 2010:
MobileMe’s services aren’t really a luxury anymore, and users are increasingly growing to expect that type of seamless, automatic syncing on their devices. Announcing a free, basic MobileMe service at WWDC would go a long way to getting Apple’s head in the cloud and fulfilling that expectation.
Mobile Open Source on November 20th, 2010:
Facebook and Google, be worried, Apple is coming. It all starts with [free] cloud sync.
TouchReviews.net on February 14th, 2011:
MobileMe being free is a favourite rumour. But all that has been said about MobileMe this year so far is that “it’s going to get much better”. And that is in an email from Steve Jobs himself.
Today (March 18th, 2011), AppleInsider let us know some breaking news:
Citing a “trusted” source employed by a major educational institution, iLounge claims “the school’s supplier has said the current version of MobileMe is no longer available, and that Apple is suggesting new students sign up for the 60-day trial to cover the gap between the final MobileMe shipment and the launch of the new version.”
However, they’ve said this same thing time and time again.
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Will MobileMe ever be free? Doubtful but, one thing is for sure; the advertising revenue collected by thousands of rumor sites over the past 4 years could potentially fund a free year of MobileMe for every Mac user. It’s a start for 4 solid years of bullshit.