Apple Inc. is not known for admitting mistakes, but even the consumer-electronics company realizes it can't afford to upset its rabidly loyal customers. This is evident in Apple's reaction to problems with the new MobileMe online service.

Over the weekend, the company posted a status link on its MobileMe page in an effort to assuage users' concerns and complaints about the service, following reports that several MobileMe users had experienced problems such as lost email and contacts.

According to an Apple staffer identified as David G., the email issue affected 1% of MobileMe members, and the company was working to restore service by fixing more than 70 bugs that had been identified since MobileMe launched on July 11.

In a post dated July 27, David G. said that approximately 10% of the MobileMe email received between July 18 and July 22 may have been lost, and that "restoring full email access to the remaining 1% of MobileMe users is our first priority."

Apple hasn't disclosed how many MobileMe customers it has. Calls to the company weren't immediately returned.

"It does put a black eye on what seems to be the infallibility of Apple," said Charles Golvin, who covers Apple at Forrester Research.

MobileMe is Apple's foray into so-called "cloud computing" in which information stored on a computer server, or cloud, can be updated via any device linked to the cloud. Once one device is used to update information, then all devices connected directly or wirelessly to the cloud are updated. It's one of the company's main initiatives to expand the reach of its 3G iPhone.

The MobileMe service includes email, a calendar and contacts, Web-based photo galleries and 20 gigabytes of storage, and works with both Apple's Macintosh PCs and Windows-based PCs, along with the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Apple launched MobileMe the same day it rolled out the new iPhone, and almost immediately, the company became deluged with complaints about service disruptions and lost emails as Apple transferred members of its older .Mac service to MobileMe and added new iPhone customers to the service.

Analysts that follow Apple say the MobileMe issue is important because since the company is putting so much on the line with the iPhone, it needs to show it can offer a consistent, reliable service for consumers that want mobile access to all of their important data.

Shiv Bakhshi of IDC said that Apple is experiencing some of the growing pains that are common when a company first enters a business segment.

"Apple isn't used to the mobile-platform market, so this is new to them," he added. "They may have underestimated the scale and pressure of that new customer base."