At that time US$49 for Apple's promises was correct to me.

How has it turned ?

I can't send personnalized iCards with my browser of choice.

The online addressbook is not usable to me: no groups, no address selection while sending iCards, no LDAP access.

Synching Safari bookmarks ? I do not use Safari

Yes, .Mac is not software agnostic, I have the right to think Apple's apps are not always the best for me.

To summarize, I'm asked to renew a service that doesn't fullfill my expectations, that doesn't work with my applications of choice.

I'm a bit reluctant to pay US$99 a service that 's generating frustrations in me.

In the other hand there are parts of the service that I find useful and I'll lose them if I don't renew unless there's alternative...

I'm about to test drive this service:
homebase.oeone.net

I hope I can make an informed decision after that.