Apple's vision of creating computers that we can store our 'digital lives' on has reached its boiling point where most of us are doing just that. But what happens when the hardware fails? -- a question often only realised when the hardware fails and important data is lost forever.

Although, Apple has facilitated for this inadvertent conclusion with the advent of its .Mac host of services, .Mac has been receiving its fair share of user chastising of late. Notably for the annual subscription pricing (see: Diagram 1.0) and also a variety of tech-related issues. On the tech front, .Mac is admittedly one of the slowest means of file transfer over the Internet in contrast to the almost instant file upload/download speeds that are common with ftp server accounts. Additionally, if a Mac user opts to decline the invitation to subscribe to .Mac this not only effectively robs the excellence out of the iSync utility but also, to a large extent takes the "i" out of your iMac. So to speak.

Enter Qdea's Synchronize Pro X...

Diagram 1.0, .Mac subscription pricing at press time

If your main concern is how to sync 2 Macs to bear the same user account contents or carry out automated back ups of mission critical data from your Apple portable to either another Mac or a back up hard drive, Synchronize Pro X maybe your answer!

Whilst .Mac requires online verification of the validitiy of your .Mac subscription before carrying out any sync'ing or backing up, Synchronize Pro X sits locally on your Mac and can be called upon on a whim. Although, coming in at a relatively steep pricing, its the equivalent to a year's subscription on .Mac and as such makes it a worthy consideration. Especially, since you get to keep using it beyond a year.

In addition, Synchronize Pro X also bears the ability to create bootable versions of your Mac system onto a back up hard drive or another Mac system. Among its other features it also facilitates sync'ing only of files that have changed and not your entire Mac hard drive. Which not only saves time but ensures that both versions are identical by referencing time stamp differentials in file modifications.

Having said that, being a purely back up and synchronisation utility, Synchronize Pro X, pales in comparison to .Mac if your motives are to reap the full benefits of the iLife suite and have the ability to access your Mac on-the-go via Apple's .Mac site. .Mac adds simplicity to mundane and technical tasks for the avid digital lifestyler who would just much rather get on with life than spend hours figuring out how to share their iCal calenders with family and friends or create their own Web page and/or Web-based community. With .Mac, sharing photos and home movies, are only few clicks away whilst Address Book contacts and Safari bookmarks can be stored online and accessed from any computer with an internet connection. To make subscribing more enticing .Mac also offers periodical freeware applications and demos which can be downloaded from a user's iDisk. There are also well produced training guides and movies for new Mac initiates teaching anything from step-by-step tutorials on the applications you use most, including iLife, iWork, Mac OS X, and .Mac itself.

However, despite Apple's brazen attempts to integrate back up as a key feature in .Mac until now, it somehow still doesn't quite hit the mark. Neither product cannibalises into each other's market since both do different things better than the other. Although, admittedly .Mac and iSync attempts to claw at the back up market but it still has some ways to go before becoming a full blown product that can be considered where mission critical data is at risk. So, for a comprehensive back up and synchronisation solution -- Synchronize Pro X; for the iLife junkie with nominal back up needs -- .Mac?

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