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Steve Jobs: MobileMe "Not Up To Apple's Standards," Vows To Fix (AAPL)

steve-jobs-eyebrows.jpgApple has already apologized publicly to its MobileMe customers for the email/syncing service's flakiness -- including, for some, lost email. Now it's privately admitting its mistakes and moving on -- but not without casualty.

In an internal email leaked to Ars Technica, Apple (AAPL) boss Steve Jobs allegedly admits that MobileMe is "not up to Apple's standards," and that launching it at the same time as the iPhone 3G and the iTunes App Store was "a mistake."

And it looks like someone is going to pay for it: In a reorg of sorts, Jobs announced the project will now fall under iTunes exec Eddie Cue, who will now oversee iTunes, the App Store, and MobileMe, as Apple's Vice President of Internet Services, according to Daring Fireball's John Gruber. We assume this means someone (or multiple people) got shown the door. (Know more? Drop us a line.)

"The MobileMe launch clearly demonstrates that we have more to learn about Internet services," Jobs wrote. "And learn we will. The vision of MobileMe is both exciting and ambitious, and we will press on to make it a service we are all proud of by the end of this year."

Admitting that MobileMe is a dog is the right move, and we also wouldn't be surprised if Steve Jobs or Apple made another public statement about MobileMe's botched launch.

And while MobileMe now has a soiled reputation -- including a rare bad review from Wall Street Journal tech reviewer Walt Mossberg -- we still think it has potential to be a long-term success. If the mobile Internet becomes anywhere near as important as it's hyped, everyone is going to need a personal over-the-air email/calendar/contacts synching service. For iPhone owners, once Apple irons out the quirks, there's no reason it couldn't/shouldn't be MobileMe.

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See Also:
Apple Restoring Email To MobileMe Customers, Feedback "Cautiously Positive"
Time For Apple To Get Serious About Apple TV
AT&T's U.S. iPhone Exclusive Extended To 2010? Or Shortened From 2012?

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