Just received this MobileMe Update "pushed" straight to my iPhone, courtesy of the "MobileMe Team":

We have already made many improvements to MobileMe, but we still have many more to make. To recognize our users' patience, we are giving every MobileMe subscriber as of today a free 60 day extension. This is in addition to the one month extension most subscribers have already received. We are working very hard to make MobileMe a great service we can all be proud of. We know that MobileMe's launch has not been our finest hour, and we truly appreciate your patience as we turn this around. Read this article for more details.

What's the bottom line? The key data is August 19, 2008 at 0:00 Pacific Daylight Time. If you were on a free 60 day trial at that point, you're getting another 60 days for 120 days (4 months total). If you were already a paying customer as of that date, even if you already received ONE MONTH FREE back on July 16, you're getting another TWO MONTHS FREE, for a grand total of THREE MONTHS FREE!

At $99 per year, three months is $25 worth of Apple-a-culpa for us right there. (And given MobileMe's millions of users, an incredibly big charge for Apple on the quarter).

Personally, I had very few problems, so I'd like to hear from one of the famous 1%, or any readers for whom MobileMe has been a complete failure thus far. What do you think of Apple's latest gift of flowers and candy? All kissed and made up? Or is MobileMe still sleeping on the sofa?

MobileMe: We've already told you about the less than silky smooth launch, the about-face on "push", the exorcising of the "Exchange for the Rest of Us" slogan, and the apology letter from Apple that saw everyone -- even people on the 2 month free trial -- get a FREE month of service tacked on for good measure. What more could go wrong?

How about botching the credit card authorization process and having to issue a second apology letter and offer an additional FREE month?

Yup. Scaling any business, even one as tightly run and usually incredibly well managed as Apple is a nightmare, and it looks like what with simultaneous iPhone 3G, iPhone 2.0, App Store, and MobileMe launches in up to 20+ countries at the same time is causing some cracks in Apple's traditionally glossy shell.

Temporary bump or signs of things to come on the road to 10 Million iPhones and ever-growing Mac sales?

Full text of Apple's second apology letter after the break!

Thanks to Ryan for sending it in!

Dear MobileMe Member,

Apple has identified and resolved an issue that caused an incorrect, temporary authorization hold of 116 CAD to be placed on your credit or debit card when your MobileMe trial account was created. We have addressed the issue and want to apologize for any inconvenience.

Typically when you create a new trial account, your credit or debit card is verified by authorizing a small charge (equivalent to USD $1). Unfortunately, an error caused the incorrect amount to be preauthorized for your card. Be assured that this is not a charge, but only an authorization hold. The hold is released by the card-issuing bank after a predetermined period, usually between a week and a month. Where possible, Apple is working to have these holds removed earlier.

To show our appreciation for your continued loyalty, we have extended your free trial period by 30 days. This extension is in addition to the 30-day extension of which you were notified on July 16, for a total of 120 days of free MobileMe service.

Look for the extension to be reflected in your account settings in the next few weeks. You may now enjoy MobileMe free of charge until 08/11/08, after which your annual paid subscription will begin. Thank you for being a MobileMe customer.

Sincerely, The MobileMe Team