Spanning Sync and the New MobileMe Calendars

With the new MobileMe calendars just now getting out of beta, we'd like to take a moment to address compatibility between Spanning Sync and the new MobileMe calendar format with a FAQ.

Note that this issue affects only users of Apple's MobileMe service, not regular iCal users.

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Q. Can I sync the new MobileMe calendars with Spanning Sync?

A. Spanning Sync can sync the new MobileMe calendars to Google, but changes made in Google won't show up on your MobileMe calendars. Unfortunately, Apple specifically disallows syncing of the new calendar format (called CalDAV) using its Sync Services architecture, which Spanning Sync is based on. Spanning Sync can read from MobileMe calendars so "one-way sync" is possible, but making changes to them is currently impossible.

Q. I upgraded to the new MobileMe calendars and now they won't sync with Spanning Sync. What should I do?

A. You can revert the new MobileMe calendars to the old format by going here:

https://www.me.com/calendar/downgrade

Q. Will Spanning Sync be able to sync with the new MobileMe calendars at some point in the future?

A. We can't make any commitments about future features, but we'd like to see Spanning Sync continue to work well with MobileMe. In the mean time, we're hopeful that Google will enhance Google Calendar so that it can sync directly with MobileMe without any intervening software. Google is tracking the request for this feature here:

http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Calendar/thread?tid=34e8c4dc6379472d&hl=en

Q. Is there an alternative to Spanning Sync that can sync with the new MobileMe calendars?

A. No software based on Apple's Sync Services can sync with the new MobileMe calendars. However, synchronization is built in to the new format so if you're content with having iCal sync with MobileMe, then the new MobileMe calendars are a good choice.

Comments

[Gurp]

"...synchronization is built in to the new format so if you're content with having iCal sync with MobileMe, then the new MobileMe calendars are a good choice."

I'm a little confused about this. Does that mean that with the new mobile me I could use Spanning Sync to sync changes in my google calendars back to my Mac (e.g. to be seen in iCal), and the new mobileme will in turn sync those same changes from my Mac (iCal) to my mobileme calendars?

If so, I don't understand how this is different from the arrangement under the current "old" mobileme.

[Larry Hendricks]

Gurp-- No, you can't sync the calendars on your Mac that you sync with Google with MobileMe because the new MobileMe calendars are CalDAV calendars and Apple's sync system won't sync to CalDAV calendars.