Palm WebOS 1.2.1 now available, 'fixes' iTunes media sync
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Oct 3rd 2009 4:20AM
posted Oct 3rd 2009 4:20AM
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Boring
PALM and Apple Never end. :(
and yeah, its little boring man :(
Steve Jobs:
"Time to UNFIXIT"
Apple should get back at Palm by making it possible for iPods to sync with Palm's music software ...oh wait.
What kind of advertising does Palm offer for potential Pre buyers... Occasional iTunes connectivity?
Palm needs to spend less time spoofing IDs and spend more time designing their own sync software. And from a company that claimed the Treo was a more versatile smartphone than the iPhone. Pfft.
I dunno, man; I still can't see my to do list on my iPhone's home screen. My Treo did that and more just fine. The iPhone may be a prettier and perhaps even better smartphone, but more capable? I'm not so sure.
The update is not on Bell Pres yet, mines sitting at 1.2.0 and I am being told it is up to date
It wasn't enough for Palm to steal iPhone UI and technology, they also want to steal
iTunes as well. Apple spent billions building iTunes infrastructure and Palm wants
it for free. I hope Apple keeps slapping their face humiliate them! Palm sure has
has thick face for practicing unethical business.
It looks fine for me.
@ Cameron
I agree 100%. "Smart phones" are getting faster and prettier, but they seem to be loosing a lot of core functionality. I can't speak for the iPhone but I just bought an HTC Magic, and as nice and pretty as it was, my old Palm m515 and WinMo6 phone had better copy and paste support.
I mean for gods sakes, the iPhone JUST got it. And Android is in bad need of a copy and paste redesign. Forget the m515, my m105 and IIIe did that better :P
So a note to RIM, MS, Apple, Google, and Palm. We know you want to make you're phones all pretty and touch friendly, but look back and remember that we don't like being jipped out of what we used to be able to do. At least I don't.
Another note, what makes capacitive screens all the rage? I mean sure it's nice to have finger friendly UIs, but where has all this hate for resistive screens come from? Just because capacitive screens are the cat's meow right now doesn't mean we should forget the stylus. 90% of the things I do on my phone work great with my thumb, but it would be nice to have handwriting recognition again.
I'm getting off topic here :P
Plain and simple. When developing for the future, don't forget the past.
9.0.2 will be ready in the morning
If anything it'd be interesting to see Palm push the iTunes version number up to 9.0.10.
I'd have to get some popcorn!
Yawn, world class os? I it has to steal Itunes no wonder Pre sales are tanking
@ roy:
Um, you have that wrong sir. Palm does not want to bend over for Apple's controlling arm. I would normally side with Apple, but iTunes currently corners the market for music management, and wants everyone to suck off of that teat. Palm, is the rogue company fighting to gain some ground over Apple. Power to 'em.
Any company with the courage to stand up to Apple is pretty damn cool in my book. Stupid, but cool. Balls, my friend. Palm has them.
One word.
doubleTwist.
Google it.
@dweechin
" I would normally side with Apple, but iTunes currently corners the market for music management, and wants everyone to suck off of that teat"
I think you'll find that, in this case, Apple _doesn't_ want Palm sucking on its teat (or any appendage). Hey Palm, just write your own software. Also, Music Management is not a market. At all. Music Purchasing, involving MONEY, is a market. Palm hooking into the iTunes store is really shady. Palm already has Amazon. Come on guys, between you two, there's gotta be some Software guys that need work.
PS (Yes, I'm aware Apple bought SoundJam.)
PPS. (Yes, Palm has already been harangued by the USB group for these shenanigans. Bush League.)
Its really annoying how some people seem to think the only way to synchronize iTunes purchases is directly through iTunes. There's a lot of more appropriate things Palm can do in order to let Pre owners sync their iTunes media. Hell, every other company on the planet has to play by those rules, so what makes Palm special? Having a former Apple engineer as their CEO?
@ Millah
Of course there are a plethora of wonderful applications that perform the same tasks as iTunes (and in some cases better or more efficiently). I for one use Songbird, (it still needs work, but it's coming along nicely).
But everyone seems to be missing the point of this whole issue! The mass market for portable media is influenced greatly by iTunes. Ask anyone who has an iPod what software they use, and 98% of the time they'll say iTunes. It's the mass market that Palm wants to attract! Idiot customers don't want to spend their precious time learning other music/media software. As soon as they hear: "it works with iTunes!", they're on board. When grandma wants to buy her 19 year old grandson a new phone, and the salesperson says, "it works with iTunes!," she may not know what that means, but she has heard of "iTunes" before - and that familiarity helps the sale.
My point is, MOST people are familiar with iTunes. People stick with what they are familiar with, it's human nature. It's unfortunate that many of the great media management apps out there haven't gained as much attention (Apple wouldn't want it any other way). Even if Palm introduces it's own syncing software, it will be foreign to iTunes users. This, in turn, is unattractive for the prospective Pre customer.
Palm, like any company, knows it's competitors. Palm is smart enough to know that whatever syncing software it produces, no matter the quality - it won't gain nearly as much attention as iTunes has. BUT, Palm doesn't want to pay dues to Apple for the opportunity, so they're circumventing the software. And with that, we're back to the issue at hand.
Oh yeah
@ Mike:
I agree! Of course money is relative to this whole debacle, which is why Apple doesn't want Palm mooching. Like I said, it's understandable from Apple's point of reference.
I will reiterate my post a couple posts down. Being the standard does not give other companies the right to use their competitors software illegally. Palm is misusing Apples vendor code to do this, and thats not right.
Apple is the company that invested the time, risk, and resources into making iTunes what it is today. They put the work in, other companies can't just come in and use it just because its the standard.
You can argue it a million times saying that "everyone knows how to use iTunes," but at the end of the day thats still a piss poor argument. Thats not even an argument, thats just a poor justification to justify Palms questionable actions.
Sure, we understand WHY Palm wants to have the Pre sync seamlessly with iTunes, but does that mean they are ALLOWED to? No, unless Apple wants them using the software they built.
@ Millah
Read the post above the one you just posted. As I have already stated, twice now, Apple clearly has the right of way.
"Everyone knows iTunes" is not to the contrary. Not in the least It's simply the statement of "why" Palm would be doing this. Before calling something a "piss poor excuse" for an argument, make sure that it is - in fact - an argument.
My statement wasn't "Palm is right and Apple is wrong." It was a statement as to why a company would continue such a battle, ultimately landing it in unfavorable territory. The whole thing is comical. And yes, I do like seeing Apple get a little pissy. It tickles me. BUT that doesn't mean I think what Palm is doing is right.
Millah: but does that mean they are ALLOWED to? No, unless Apple wants them using the software they built.
Screw that. Its my computer and my hardware. I should be able to sync whatever the hell I please. Its just incredible how anti-user rights some people are. All the bending over backwards for "corporate rights" which screw us over is ridiculous. How about you assert yourself instead of rationalizing anti-consumer policies?
Copy Paste FTW.
Why mark the guy down? It's a valid point. Users of the Pre are being subjected to this back and forth pissing contest. Palm knew this would be a rocky ride and brought its customers along for the beating rather than adopting a system that would benefit its customers. Part of the success of the iPhone is the integration with iTunes and the seamless interaction of the two.
@Millah
Are you sure that what Palm is doing is illegal? Where is the statute? Just because a USB org doesn't like it doesn't mean anything legally. It is possible, perhaps probable, that Palm is violating a copyright but my guess as to why apple has not taken them to court is that it is also possible they could lose that claim and then iTunes connectivity would be a free for all. I'm curious on whether or not you think it would be okay for MS to blocks iPods from connecting to windows.
Mostly I agree with Farhad here - apple is hypocrite. http://www.slate.com/id/2229856/
If its so illegal why hasn't Apple sued?
This sounds like The Adventures of MS in Europe: a company with a compelling product is doing all they can to thwart other folks from developing for it and thus gaining and advantage. In a couple years, mark my words, Apple will be getting sued for monopolistic practices, as they relate to music management.
And as to folks saying Palm is "illegally" doing this... any legal folks around here that could shine some light on that argument? Is there anything illegal about this? (Say nothing of "tacky"...)
Guys, pissing off the USB-IF is a big deal. If they've once again spoofed Apple's vendor ID, an act expressly forbidden in that letter we read about, then there's a good chance Palm could have their own license revoked.
What that would mean is Palm having to come up with an entirely different method to connect their devices to your computer. Not a great strategy on their part.
Guys, an update to a piece of software on YOUR computer that intentionally breaks the use of YOUR device is what we call malware. Just because Apple is a big company doesn't mean we should give them a pass on this. They're distributing malware for the purposes of maintaining their monopoly on the de facto digital music solution. There is no technical reason why that program should intentionally cripple compatibility with third-party devices.
I wonder if itunes 9.0.2 will just be like 1-2 megabytes bigger then 9.0.1
I'm with dweechin on this.
Apple have a monopoly in iTunes and will do anything they can to get people to buy their [very nice] products. Just like the issue of Microsoft bundling IE in Windows, people must be given the freedom to choose alternative manufacturer hardware while keeping iTunes compatibility.
@ the whole thread
literally 1000's of words of posturing AND YET not one post that actually gets it right.
Palm does not HAVE to do this, Apple provides a Freakin API. There are plenty other PMP devices that SYNC WITH iTunes and they don't break every point release.
Okay people? Once more now, Apple ALLOWS companies to connect devices to iTunes.
Palm and Rubenstein are just being fookheads. Can write an entire OS but can't connect to an existing API. Someone needs to smash him before this crap is used to legally destroy Palm.
...
Interestingly, Apple will either have to move to cumulative updates (since each point is the whole app again punishing non Pre owners), load the next point with poison code that kills the Pre, or destroy Palm legally. The current back/forth isn't Apple winning
I vote for poison code that kills Palm Pre's that connect to iTunes. It's the most exciting option.
See, IMO this is what got us to those crappy copyright laws.
The problem: you people hold on to your shit TOO TIGHT, so tight that makes everybody uncomfortable.
It is allowed by law of course, but you are still an a**hole. A legal a**hole, that's all.
@cy: You're right, but I don't think just anyone can just *use* that connectivity API without violating a licensing agreement somewhere, unless they deal with Apple first. I don't think anyone's actually done that for a long time, and it's possible that Apple isn't offering that option anymore.
API or not, if Palm wants to integrate with iTunes (and they clearly do), they need to sync up (^_^) with Apple and do what it takes to get in there legitimately.
You got the articles ready with holes to fill for version numbers ?
Actually, I think you are reading an article pre-written for this occasion.
It will last forever, if you choose not to upgrade your Apple products. Duh.
You've got to pick a side, and if you've bought a Pre while owning a Mac, you already have.
it's not that simple. there are some areas where ATT simply blows in coverage. but Sprint is rocking it. So the iphone (which is not on Sprint and can't be unlocked to Sprint cause of the GSM/CDMA issue) is not an option.
as for those saying "I can't buy music from itunes" yes you can. now that it is DRMfree you can buy it and use it anywhere you want in terms of devices. as for syncing, they put the list in an XML and as proven by Blackberry and such, you can write apps that will even read the playlists from itunes. Palm was just lazy. And I'm actually shocked that Apple hasn't filed something legal at this point. Won't be shocked if they do later. This isn't really all that different from the whole Psystar issue. Well there is one difference, Apple might actually be considered having market power in portable media devices. So maybe that's why they aren't fighting it in court yet. they need to determine the effect of that issue first. Whether they could be hit with anti trust. Although it makes one wonder why Palm hasn't thought of that tactic and used it as a way to force official syncing support from within itunes.
I love it. Apple upgrades make your product worse, Palm upgrades make it better. This is why I downgraded from iPhone OS 3.0 to 2.2.1. 3.0 made my 3G unusably slow and hot.
Well while I'm not a fan of itunes this will make my life a little easier, will have to get it tomorrow.
And it doesnt HAVE to steal itunes, it just makes many people's lives easier, like my own, I currently have about 5 music managing programs on my pc, itunes because of my ipod which I am keeping for now, and my music management has gone out of the window, it was so pretty before but now...
wow...palm is just begging to be kicked in the nuts.
Dont worry; they seem to have an endless supply.
@F. C.
Sounds like what Chuck Norris would say.
Go Palm! hahaha...
No look I do of course agree that its an unreliable solution for consumers & a nice Blackberry for Mac solution is probably the best way... but the battle still never fails to amuse me...
Yeah, go Palm! Keep blatantly misusing Apple's vendor ID, that'll show 'em!
Oh no wait, it will just get them sued out of existence. You realize that by having the Pre identify itself as an actual Apple iPod that it's violating Apple's trademark, right? Yes, Apple owns both the names Apple and iPod. Palm is simply being stupid by not writing an app to sync to iTunes like RIM did, and they're actually on the wrong side of the law on this one.
So let's all applaud Palm's stupidity, because they're so awesome or something.
If what Palm is doing is/was illegal, there would have been a lawsuit the first time they did this.
Wonder if Apple would take it further than just updating iTunes. Wonder if they could sue. Time to grab a big bag of popcorn if that happens.
Everyone here keeps calling it "illegal" for Palm to sync with iTunes, but i'm not buying it. Im pretty sure this falls in the exceptions clauses in the DMCA, no wonder what Apple says. The fanboys are complaining that Apple had to invest sooo much money to make iTunes, and Palm is stealing it...but then why is Apple then investing more money to keep Palm out? If this had anything to do with money spent on the software, Apple would just ignore Palm, but they actively try to block them, proving it has everything to do with maintaining their dominance in the music and player industry.
lol Palm
Has Palm's response to the USB-IF's request been published on the internet?
See Arkell v. Pressdram.
yeah. in summary it was "screw you IF, we are going to keep doing it."
Oh Happy Day! Pre has 30 days to make me a believer or im take'n it back and gettin the Tour, Lets Go Pre! im routin for em.
jobs is working the hampsters overtime tonight i bet
Palm: master trolls.
They certainly are the most Successful Troll is Successful- troll out there.
Yeah, iTunes - not such a big deal. But the Exchange email situation is killing me!!!
Not sure why, but this update is US only right now - canadians are left out in the cold of the great white north.
And it is chilly up here...
Meh.
It's warm down here in Waterloo, why don't you move here?
No really, It's warm in Waterloo. Like, 17 degrees.
It's official, Palm is a pathetic company that has no shame. Soon they'll have their foot in their mouth. Pitiful
You're buggin.. palms a pathetic company? A company that revolutionized hand held computers is pathetic? Look this iTunes thing is stupid but the only reason why its like this is because Apples iTunes is the standard music library software for most people.. more people buy ipods then any other music player... how do you sync an ipod? iTunes.. you're music is already there and you don't want to change how you get to it.. Palm should have tried to go the official route on trying to get the pre sync working with itunes but whats the likelihood of apple accepting them? [Scottish accent] NOT Bloooody Likely! [/Scottish accent]
First of all i'm just calling it as i see it, Palm is revealing just how pathetically desperate they are. Apple is not stopping them from syncing. Apple is stopping them from syncing illegally to Itunes as an ipod. Thats copyright infringement plan and simple. So many other companies sync without doing it illegally. Also to be honest, the only thing Palm revolutionized was how much one company can rip ideas off of Apple, second behind MS. Palm is clearly wrong here and there's nothing you can say to change that fact and I don't know why people are defending Palms bad actions.
Right now Palm is trying to save face because they've already embarrassed themselves so much.
It may look brave to you but it looks pitiful to me
If I recall, Apple was the company that took the time, resources, and effort into making their software the "standard." Not Palm. Being the standard doesn't give other companies the right to start illegally pairing their hardware with someone elses software. Dumbest argument ever.
@ Kyleomusic
Well I wouldn't call the Pre pathetic, I would call it ballzy/stupid (because being ballzy is doing something stupid) As a promoting factor it's a brilliant idea, and only hoarding apple has anything to fear. You are correct in Pre is doing something Illegal and will pay for it in the end. It does not change the fact that it is a good idea. Palm needs sales and needs to get the Pre off the ground, only after will I think they will be able to set up their own manager. Everyone knows apple own are needlessly loyal. It is not as if Apple has the best, but the best advertised. I myself hate itunes with a passion, I use the Zune manger and i think its great ("hahah you and like 20 people use that" go f*** yourself lol) Now before you start to spout MS snatching idea, lets not forget a lot of the new updates the iphone/touch originated from the Zune such as music sharing with other players, convertibility with other players, and playing games with other players. So before you go out making it seem as if Apple is the only pure company I'm sure have had done some dirty things. Lets not forget about the DRM only music for the longest time, or never having copy paste, MMS, Video player, and a bunch of other things taken from other companies after the fact, then advertising it as if they made it better when its just new, but actually its just new bubbly packaging. Now of course I'm not saying apple is the only greedy company out to make the most the cheapest way, not at all, but all the companies are the same Apple, Palm, MS, and others all take ideas/programs and take it as their own.
how embarrising i meant "apple owners are needlesly loyal" though the sentence should have been "apple ownders are blindly loyal"
Also
"then advertising it as if they made it better, but actually its just new bubbly packaging, but nothing different"
Sorry about that lol =)
"Apples iTunes is the standard music library software for most people.."
To drive that thought further: most Windows users end up with iTunes whether they like it or not, as it comes bundled with Quicktime (unless you go out of your way to find the non-bundled version), many OEMs ship it in their default installs, Apple Updater has a habit of installing new stuff, and it will of course have been necessary for the six or so iPods that person has gone through in the last few years.
Apple brought this upon themselves. If they want everyone to use iTunes, it should be usable for everyone. Otherwise, it's even more nasty bloatware than is usual for Apple...
This is getting hilarious
I think people are taking this the wrong way. Palm are most likely laughing about this as a ongoing office joke.
Why don't they take a page from RIM ? RIM's approach is the way to do it & I'm sure it would cost Palm less to bring out their own application than to keep updating the Palm OS for every version of iTunes that comes out.
Step your game up Palm!
Hmm...Looks like a lot of Apple fan boys around here. Not really sure what your gripe is with Palm??
They re-enabled iTunes syncing for SOME of their users who still use iTunes, trust me, not everyone loves that over-bloated program. All I seam to hear from most of you is that Palm should stop trying to use/copy/steal/hack or whatever else you want to call it from Apple, and that they should come up with their own program.
1. They already have they're own program.
2. Palm is so much easier than Apple in the fact that you don't have to use any software/program if you don't want to (drag and drop).
3. Like I said above, Palm is only doing this because they know that iTunes is the most popular music program out there and that some of their users do have iPods so this only makes it easier for them.
4. My biggest issue here: Why does Apple care?? If Pre users are using their software then they are also, more-than-likely, buying their music from Apple. Which means Apple is making even more money than they would be if iTunes wasn't an option for Pre users.
The iPhone is nice and the Palm Pre is nice. Why everyone makes such a big issue over this is confusing?
Amen.
thank you. people are ignorant and only see what they "want" to see.
Palm could also just be using the cat/mouse game as more publicity. Most people know they could use it.
Where it seems most readers here would take sides with Apple and accuse Palm of infringement, others might see it as Palm (an underdog) taking on Apple (a giant) and side with Palm.
I honestly have no opinion to either side. They both have reasons for what they do.
I own both a Mac, and a Pre.
Here's the thing that gets me... No matter what Apple does, in most of the anti-Apple peoples' eyes who post on this site, Apple can never win... iTunes is software that is designed for the sole purpose of syncing a person's music/photos/apps/contacts with their iPod/iPhone. Plain and simple. If the role was reversed and Apple was trying to make the iPhone sync with software designed specifically for the Palm Pre, I would pretty much would bet everything that Palm would try to disable this syncing, and even worse, the anti-Apple people would be bashing Apple for how bad they were... If I was the owner of Apple, I would do exactly what Apple is doing, and I bet if most people took their love/hate for Apple out of the equation, they would do the same thing. As a business owner myself, I don't want my business's name to be associated with another person's product/name unless I endorse it. Apple is merely doing the same thing. And by Apple allowing the Palm Pre to sync with iTunes, in essence they are saying that they support the Palm Pre...
@ Brandon
"They re-enabled iTunes syncin for SOME of their users"
If Apple doesn't want Pre users to be able to be able to sync with iTunes, that's their call. It's their program.
"1. They already have they're own program"
Good for them then. It should have been like this to begin with.
"3. Palm is only doing this because they know that iTunes is the most popular program"
...which many would argue, is by no means, a justification of their continued 'fixing' and spoofing.
"4. My biggest issue here: Why does Apple care?? If Pre users are using their software then they are also, more-than-likely, buying their music from Apple."
And why shouldn't Apple care? Who are we to judge if iTunes music sales mean squat to Apple's bottomline, apart from themselves? Perhaps they ARE willing to lose that Pre user's music market share. More recently, iTunes seems to be focusing more aggressively on app sales for iPod touch / iPhone owners.
Again, it's their program. If they don't want Pre users to sync with iTunes, then perhaps it's time for Pre users to consider moving out of the iTunes ecosystem. I can perfectly understand why Apple wouldn't want to yield an inch to people using a competitor's product.
Judging from yoru comment as well as most of the others on here, it is Palm Fan Boys up/down voting their fanboyism opinions all over this article, not the other way around. Why won't Palm write their own drivers like everyone else? Can any Palm fan boy answer that simple question?
I agree...I don't get what the big deal is about syncing with iTunes. That program is crap. I avoid using it at all cost to even sync my iPod.
@ CromwellD
You appear to be making a good point, but upon close analysis, your argument breaks apart.
1. I am also a businessman, and I know business people argue points based upon their personal views (i.e. bias) and not always based upon objective assessment of the situation.
2. Not everyone that is arguing against Apple is (a) anti-Apple or (b) “bashing” Apple. They may simply disagree with Apple’s actions and conduct towards the Palm Pre.
3. Not every business owner will do what Apple is doing. Apple has to take a long term view. Before Apple started to deliberately prevent the Palm Pre from syncing with iTunes, I was generally in favor of Apple (and thought Microsoft was a bully). But now, Apple is making Microsoft look really good! In fact, I bought a Mac this year (in early 2009) for my nephew, and was considering buying one for myself. So as you can see, I am not anti-Apple. But now I am hesitant to buy an Apple product. I now feel (and know) that Apple does not play nice with anyone. I don’t have anything personal against Apple, but as a consumer, just like Apple is announcing that iTunes is off-limits, I have the right to decide where I spend my money. And if I owed a large iTunes collection, I would not like what Apple is doing, deliberately blocking me from conveniently accessing my collection. One of the main concepts of Microsoft Windows from its inception is plug-n-play. With Apple, you can plug, but you can’t play.
4. You argued that allowing the Palm Pre to sync with iTunes is an admission that Apple is supporting the Palm Pre. I don’t buy this argument. That is like saying by Microsoft allowing iTunes to run on Windows, Microsoft is supporting iTunes.
5. Apple is repeating what they did in the 1980’s and 1990’s, when they tightly controlled their software and hardware platforms; which caused Microsoft Windows to capture over 90% of the desktop operating systems market. So in a way, I should not be surprised at their present conduct.
@CromwellD
>>iTunes is software that is designed for the sole purpose of syncing a person's music/photos/apps/contacts with their iPod/iPhone. Plain and simple.
If that's the case, then how come in system preferences there is a "Devices" menu, and not an "iPone" "IPod" Menu?
Amen!!!
So does Apple habitually check to see if Palm has fixed the sync, or do they just wait for Engadget to tell them?
They have an entire team dedicated to that
@skalpa - what? an entire team checking engadget? ;-)
@David
Of course. Who'd you think Engadget's writers were?
It could also mean that Apple actually bought a Pre or two for the team's use.
No, an entire team checking on Palm...
Most of its members were actually working on binging copy and paste to iPhone OS 1.0, but had to be relocated to the "Palm checking" team when they started working on the Pre...
Wait, if Apple knows how the Palm Pre is connecting with iTunes, doesn't that mean that Apple is violating copyrights? The obvious conclusion would be that they had to reverse engineer the Palm Pre's firmware in order to discover this, and determine the way that Palm is "fixing" the issue with iTunes. Obviously reverse engineering, or disassembly of code, especially for a device or an OS, is very illegal.
Lol, you so dumb patient1or2. Clean room reverse engineering is perfectly legal in the US of A. They don't have to disassemble anything, they can just watch the traffic over USB.
Between this fiasco and the plummeting price for the Pre, you can smell their desperation; you just gotta know that Palm is a fail.
Did you ever possibly think for a minute that the lower price of the Pre might be in response to the $99 8GB iPhone? Considering the Pre is also 8GB. No. Probably not. Instead you just automatically assume it means the Pre is failing.
The Pre is competing.
For Palm, this seems to be all a matter of resources and support. Supposedly they'll keep doing this every time iTunes changes as long as the Web OS update doesn't take more than 40 man-hours to complete. A side desktop app to properly support iTunes syncing would not only run counter to Palm's cloud-based model, it would surely take more than 40 man-hours to do right and even more resources to support. So even though they're pissing off Apple and the USB-IF, I can't see them changing their stance here. The only things that could stop Palm are either the company being acquired or going belly up. Whether or not it's right, both Palm and Apple are in no-win situations.
You know, if this was Microsoft, and iTunes was their application, everyone would be screaming about their "closed shop" program, and restrictive competition. Justice Department would be all over this with anti-trust, but it isn't Microsoft, so all is fine. Hypocrisy!
I don't see the Justice Department busting down their door for the Zune software. Did I miss something? And please do not fall back on that lamest of the lame argument about the Microsoft's IE troubles that are without a doubt night and day different than everything I have ever seen it compared to.
Please... this issue is complicated and mind-boggling enough. Injecting additional threads may fry the undeveloped fanboy brain.
@ Justin,
I don't think you understand. Microsoft had/has a monopoly on browser, OS software and it abused that stance to prevent competitors from entering the market. That is why they were convicted in a court of Law. Apple does not, therefore they will never have issues like that with the Law. iTunes is just one of the many music management/music store programs, the difference is that Apple is not preventing any one from entering the market with a competing music management/music store program. So there is zero hypocrisy involved.
That Palm is faking the Pre's ID to make it sync with iTunes is only an affirmation that iTunes is the most popular music program in the market.
Guys, this is getting so #%$&#$% stupid.
If only someone had said that back in 1984... so much vitriol and hate could have been put to better use.
..
..
..
*Goes back to jerking off furiously to Apple's new Keyboard FCC filing..
And childish stuff like that is the reason why I refuse to buy Apple products.
Lack of income probably plays a role too.
Mike, you haven't been following this very closely if you think Apple is the one acting childish.
lol...
Its like the end of a scary movie where the monster plays dead, only to come back and snatch you by the nuts.
I love Palm's little battle with Apple. It ensures them all the publicity they could get and makes customers happy. Win-win. To all the people who say Palm needs to just get their own program...who says they're not working on it? I'm sure they have a backup plan in case they're forced to stop hacking into iTunes.