Palm defies USB authorities, restores iTunes compatibility for Pre

19 Comments

by Devin Coldewey on October 3, 2009

palmrocky
Wow, it’s on. I thought that Palm was going to work out an alternate solution after that official reprimand from the USB Implementers Forum, but they’re going right ahead with iTunes compatibility again. I suppose they feel that it’s more of a crime for Apple to restrict device access than it is to spoof a device’s maker. At any rate, the conflict just got escalated. This will be remembered, 24-style, as the moment Palm went rogue.

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Comments

Tyler - October 3rd, 2009 at 2:18 pm CDT

Shit just got real…

Steve - October 3rd, 2009 at 2:23 pm CDT

Awesome stuff! Go Palm!

Seriously, Apple sells 57% of all online music…and has 25% market share for all music sold in the U.S. These numbers are insane…especially when one considers that delivered product then drops into an iTunes ecosystem targeted for just their devices.

If Walmart sold 25% of all music in the US, but the music would only then play on Walmart-branded CD players, the FTC would get involved.

Sure, you can move iTunes-purchased non-DRMed music to other MP3 players using a range of other tools or processes, but the fact that Apple goes out of their way to block the client-side of their store from device manufacturers shows the monopolistic spirit in play here.

iTunes is *not* part of an iPod. It is the front end for the Apple store that sells 25% of all music sold in the US. The iTunes ecosystem is a store…yet Apple also uses it to an unfair advantage by making it both the store *and* the iPod synch software…thereby equating the store with a device family…and raising barriers for all other device manufacturers…while doing everything that they can to leave consumers with the impression that the store is only compatible with iPod devices.

No one expects Apple to go out of their way to add compatibility for other music players and Palm hasnt asked them to do so, but they are doing the opposite here – they are going out of their way to block it…which is *why* Palm has gone rogue.

It’s not the USB Implementers Forum’s job to broker monopolistic issues. Their opinion may be quite sound and valid within their narrow scope…but there are larger issues at play here…and it is time for the FTC to get involved.

Until then, go Palm…you plucky little rogues! :)

is high enough that the iTunes ecosystem represents a barrier to fair competition for music devices.

agasaf - October 4th, 2009 at 8:42 am CDT

So basically you think if McDonalds would restrict the use of the Drive-Thru counter to a McDonalds branded vehicle you have the right to disguise your Porsche as McDonalds car and pick up your burger instead of walking inside?
Even if you know McDonalds only built the restaurants to sell their cars?

Damn .. now I’m hungry …

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- Paul G - October 5th, 2009 at 12:27 pm CDT
  
  There is no such thing as a McDonalds car! Maybe in Finland though.
  
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  - Acakaliman - October 5th, 2009 at 2:07 pm CDT
    
    McDonalds?? That’s ridiculous. But BurgerKing? Now we’re talking.
    
    On a serious note: @Steve: the only way iTunes got to be soo popular is because it IS tied to iPods, and both were designed from the get-go as such. To complain that now Apple’s iTunes is “monopolistic” simply because they’ve succeeded at building great MP3 devices and had foresight to build an online delivery mechanism that would get along with their iPods is just BS. They tried, they’ve won. Case closed.

David Yasnoff - October 3rd, 2009 at 2:25 pm CDT

Thug life!!! Apple Apple, so stingy with the platforms. You would think getting a$$ raped by Microsoft in the OS game would have taught them something. Open up Itunes to Palm and charge them a damn licensing fee. Then if they hack you it’s clear they are stealing. Also let them build all the Pre’s they want and pay you for the privilege of interoperability with Itunes. The Iphone is a better product anyway… why act all protectionist when your product is superior? Stupid

Gryphyn - October 3rd, 2009 at 2:31 pm CDT

David, I couldn’t have said it better myself. Come on, apple. Think outside the box. I though that is what you were supposed to be good at.

Cyber Akuma - October 3rd, 2009 at 2:51 pm CDT

They say “think outside the box”

But what they mean is “stay without our closed platform box”

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- Milo - October 4th, 2009 at 4:14 am CDT
  
  It’s “Think Different”, not “Think outside the box”.
  
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raj hegde - October 3rd, 2009 at 7:47 pm CDT

You guys got it wrong. First of all … the music purchased via iTunes wud play on any Hardware. The iTunes syncing is for iphone/ipod only. But you can get any 3rd party software to sync iTunes music with the Palm pre. Or palm can easily develop syncing software that uses the iTues XML files to sync the itunes library to the pre. But Palm is lazy as shit … .they are just hacks … and they are going to get an ass whooping!!!!

will kuhn - October 3rd, 2009 at 8:39 pm CDT

Let’s not be naive – Palm not only knows what they’re doing here, but they probably have a plan B as well. They haven’t hit critical mass yet with the Pre, and the early adopters know not to update their iTunes.

It seems like they’re trying to force a lawsuit, or at least tweak Apple into agreeing to something. Both companies have overlapping patent portfolios, so a legal battle would be interesting.

Devin Coldewey - October 4th, 2009 at 2:10 pm CDT

Yeah, that’s probably true. They wouldn’t let themselves be backed into a corner like this without having something to fall back on. Maybe a piece of software that piggybacks on iTunes, allowing you to sync but not exactly with iTunes.

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Peter Payne - October 4th, 2009 at 6:13 am CDT

I haven ISBN number for my business, which I use to publish PC games. This number is one that I had to sign up for, and I have a certain number of unique IDs to use. The numbers identify me and are tied to me and so if another company used them, I’d have issues. It seems that the USB codes are similar, and any company hijacking another company’s codes is breaking the rules big time.

Why can’t the Pre do the syncing the XML way like Blackberry? Pretty stupid/

kurt - October 4th, 2009 at 8:12 am CDT

Palm’s behavior here is unprofessional. Palm should just man-up and develop its own sync software. It’s a lot less expensive than the legal beatdown that is coming, and a lot less damaging to its reputation.

Billy Bennett - October 4th, 2009 at 10:54 am CDT

All these apple drones seem so butt hurt by this.