Judging from an email in my inbox, Apple is starting to recognize that they need to put a little more push into converting free iTools subscribers to paid .Mac subscribers. I ponied up for the service because my various forwarding addresses point to my mac.com email address, and because I was getting ready to buy virus software protection and web hosting space anyway.

Today I received the following email:

Dear .Mac member,

Since we launched .Mac in July, we've welcomed thousands of new members into the .Mac community, and we can't wait to add more. As an additional thank you to our former iTools members, we are announcing that when they convert to a paid .Mac membership before September 30, 2002, their first year of .Mac membership will automatically be extended to September 30, 2003.

As a full member, you've already qualified. Your membership will now extend to September 30, 2003, well past your original renewal date. And stay tuned for more membership benefits coming soon! Thank you for joining the .Mac community.

[signed--The .Mac Team] Apple Computer

The extension for me is about two months; for a non-converted subscriber it would be one month, or $99/12 = $8.25, about an 8% bonus. It's not especially compelling as a "special offer." What it feels like is an end of quarter sales push. It will be interesting to see in early October what the conversion numbers actually look like -- and, since Apple hasn't offered a plan to its investors to set expectations, how the Street will react.

Moving slowly this morning, thinking slower. Bad sign when there's an executive review in 40 minutes. We've entered the slippery slope towards fall here in Seattle: two grey days in a row, beads of water on the cars. Paying bills, drinking coffee, waking up.

We're sending my inlaws off in style tonight (their flight is tomorrow noonish) with dinner at Etta's. Looking forward to it.