iSync
iSync is a software application first released by Apple Inc. on Jan 2, 2003. Apple licensed the core technology from fusionOne. It ran only under Mac OS X and was used to synchronize contact and calendar data from Address Book and iCal with many non-Apple SyncML-enabled mobile phones via a Bluetooth or USB connection. Support for many (pre-October 2007) devices was built-in,[1] with newer devices being supported via manufacturer and third-party iSync Plugins. Support for Palm OS organizers and compatible smartphones was removed with the release of iSync 3.1 and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. BlackBerry OS, Palm OS, and Windows Mobile (Pocket PC) devices could not be used with iSync, but were supported by third-party applications. Before the release of Mac OS X 10.4, iSync also synchronized a user's Safari bookmarks with the then .Mac subscription service provided by Apple.
iSync 3 screenshot | |
Developer(s) | Apple Inc. |
---|---|
Stable release | 3.1.2 (586.1)
/ November 10, 2010 |
Operating system | Mac OS X |
Type | Personal information manager |
Starting with Mac OS X 10.4, much of iSync's original syncing functionality had been moved into the Sync Services framework, which developers can use to incorporate synchronization into their own applications. iSync, however, retained responsibility for the setup, configuration and synchronising of supported mobile handsets. Since the release of iTunes 4.8, the user interface for synchronizing iPods had been delegated to iTunes, although conflict-resolution and substantial changes to contact information (>5%) shows use of iSync. Synchronization with MobileMe (previously .Mac) was then the domain of MobileMe Sync, accessible through a System Preferences pane.
iSync was removed from Mac OS X in version 10.7 (Lion).[2] However, since the underlying framework still existed in Lion and 10.8 (Mountain Lion), it was possible to restore the functionality of iSync using a 10.6 (Snow Leopard) installation or backup.[3]
Version history
iSync version | Operating system version | Release date | Features | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10.2 | 10.3 | 10.4 | 10.5 | 10.6 | |||
3.1 | Yes | August 28, 2009 | Released as part of Mac OS X v10.6. Also final release of iSync. | ||||
3.0.2 | Yes | May 28, 2008 | Released as part of Mac OS X v10.5.3 | ||||
3.0 | Yes | October 26, 2007 | Released as part of Mac OS X v10.5. | ||||
2.4 | Yes | March 13, 2007 | Released as a part of Mac OS X v10.4.9 update. Added support for additional mobile handsets from Motorola, Nokia and Sony Ericsson and offered initial support for two mobile handsets from Samsung. | ||||
2.3 | Yes | June 27, 2006 | Released as a part of Mac OS X v10.4.7 update. Added support for additional mobile handsets. | ||||
2.2 | Yes | April 3, 2006 | Released as a part of Mac OS X v10.4.6 update. Added support for additional mobile handsets, including many Nokia Series 40 devices. | ||||
2.1.1 | Yes | January 10, 2006 | Released as a part of Mac OS X v10.4.4 update. Added support for additional mobile handsets. | ||||
2.1 | Yes | July 11, 2005 | Added support for more devices. | ||||
2.0 | Yes | April 29, 2005 | Released as part of Mac OS X v10.4. iSync now only syncs data between portable devices. Data synching between computers is handled by the operating system. | ||||
1.5 | Yes | Yes | August 10, 2004 | Added support for more devices. | |||
1.4 | Yes | Yes | February 17, 2004 | Added support for more devices including Symbian phones and the iPod mini. | |||
1.3 | Yes | Yes | October 24, 2003 | Released to coincide with Mac OS X v10.3 release. Adding support for more devices. | |||
1.2.1 | Yes | October 8, 2003 | Added support for more devices and calendar support for Symbian phones. | ||||
1.1 | Yes | June 3, 2003 | Added support for more devices. Added bookmark synching between Macs. | ||||
1.0 | Yes | January 2, 2003 | First non-beta release. |