“Palm filed complaint with the USB Implementers Forum, the standards group that oversees USB connections on things like smartphones and computers, claiming that the Apple’s iTunes update was an improper use of the technology and that it violated USB standards rules,” Goldman reports. “It was a bold move; a bold move that failed miserably and calls into question Palm’s broader strategy – and ultimately the Pre’s success in the market.”
Goldman reports, “The USB-IF responds: ‘Under the Policy, Palm may only use the single Vendor ID issued to Palm for Palm’s usage. Usage of any other company’s Vendor ID is specifically precluded. Palm’s expressed intent to use Apple’s VID appears to violate the attached policy. Please clarify Palm’s intent and respond to this potential violation within seven days.’
“Ouch, ouch, and double ouch,” Goldman writes. “There it is for the world to see, from the overseeing body in which Palm sought refuge and solace. Instead, the company gets a closed fist retort right to the jaw.”
Goldman writes, “This is America and no company should have the right to co-opt another’s innovation. I’ve said before that ‘theft’ is not another word for innovation.”
Much more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: RIM’s BlackBerry Media Sync is the prime example of the proper, ethical way to sync non-Apple devices with iTunes (and Windows Media Player) music files. Beleaguered Palm, likely because they’ve been running on fumes for years, along with being led by obviously ethically-challenged people, tried to take the cheap, unethical way out. Some “strategy.”
“Beleaguered”….
well.. if the shoe fits … !
This is America and no company should have the right to co-opt another’s innovation.
But Micro$hit is allowed to flood the world with their smootched off crap version of Mac OS.
Watch the crybaby libs who are all for the phoney ass ‘net nuetrality’ find some reason to wet in their diapers about this ruling to.
@Z
Funny, I was thinking just the reverse: Here we have a regulatory body ruling that one company is not allowed to freeload off the work of another company, even if in some perverse way it benefits some consumers. Where are all the conservative wingnuts decrying this blatant restriction on freedom? You can bet that if a federal agency had issued the same ruling we’d be hearing all about the destruction of American capitalism, with the increasingly tired comparisons to the nazis, etc. Is it possible that some regulation is necessary to having an orderly society? OMG
@Z,
the only “crybabies” I see nowadays are batsh!t crazy conservatives who still can’t get over the fact that a black man is the POTUS.
Here, kitty kitty kitty!!
@ralph m.
As part of our desire for freedom, conservative wingnuts also have a respect for property rights and the rule of law.
P.S. I am only partly a conservative wingnut. On many social and environmental issues, I am a liberal wingnut, so don’t bash me.
I’m with Z on this one.
The libs will inevitably get their panties in a bunch over this one.
And “GeeOne” to suggest that conservatives are upset about Obama’s race is to feed into the stereo types cast upon us by the left’s own constituency. There is no more racism on the right than there is on the left. And the right certainly doesn’t take issue with Barack’s color… we dislike him solely for his policies.
By now you know the roe
What do fish eggs have to do with this?
I hate journalists who can’t use the language properly.
?? Goldman writes, “This is America and no company should have the right to co-opt another’s innovation. I’ve said before that ‘theft’ is not another word for innovation.” ??
Really? Oh! Yes! Thank You Geronimo!
Guys, let’s not have every thread devolve into a political spat, ok? I read this site to enjoy the company of fellow Apple fans and I should not have to sift through posts from people trying to inject politics into these discussions. If I’m wrong, then I guess I’ll have to go elsewhere.
Honestly, this is an APPLE news & rumors site. Why would anyone here assume that the Apple fans who read this site would be upset that someone ruled in Apple’s favor because they belong to one political party or another. Let’s all try and get a grip on reality here.
Palm could have chosen to partner with Mozilla Songbird for their music sync needs. Not only would they have gotten iTunes sync for free (since Songbird can do that), but they’d have generated genuine goodwill by supporting and promoting an open-source alternative to iTunes.
Instead, Palm chose merely to engage in petty attacks on Apple to gain publicity, which serves nobody and only generates goodwill from rabid Apple-haters.
@ Ralph M
There is a pretty big difference between a regulatory body established by competitors working together, and a regulatory body backed by the full power of the federal government.
I think standards bodies tend to be harder to influence than government bureaucrats, don’t you agree?
If you are conservative- this is a win. The reason is based on the governments need to have innovation occur.
If no reward is obtainable be the innovator, then likely it will slow and reduce future spending on a new products. No purchase no taxes or these days it is coined as revenue! Taxes for short.
The government needs people to profit and this is why they give a 20 year exculsive rights to the product or idea. If you reverse it then anyone can profit from your work.
If you believe that everyone should profit from others, then this would be a loseing decision. Because on will profit and the other is left trying to get what the other has accomplished without the due effort. Sadly, now many believe what someone has done that is usable to them is by need, due to them.
Sorry, but this is my view point.
So, contary to thought, this is in fact a conservative win.
@nova81426
Good luck with that one. The battle was lost long ago.
As for Z and Kelly McNeill, don’t you think maybe you should have waited to see who would bitch politics first? Maybe nobody would have, and the issue would have remained Apple vs. Palm. BUT NO! The ones I see doing most of the irrational batshit on this site are the neocon nazis. But that’s okay by me, it makes it so much easier to figure out who to dismiss.
Got to agree with Goldman on this. Palm is getting the smack down they are rightly due. Palm needs to Innovate, sell it off or just close it down and stop wasting everyone time.
The Pre is a luke warm failure but a failure. The next Palm device (the Pixi) is already the butt of more then a few jokes. How Palm expects to stay in business targeting bad products to such selected stereotyped groups is beyond me. The Pixi is targeted at overtly famine Gay men while the Pre is designed and marketed to geek lesbian women with small hands and fingers who want a Macho but famine looking device. While the Treo is being targeted at IT geeks who whom have not seen the sun in years and are still living in the past and think Windows ME is state of the art in OS technology.
I consider it a “win” for rules and ethics. Apparently, Palm ignores the first and is lacking in the second.
Cut the political horse manure, please. You’re all obviously not qualified, and it has no place here.
Whether this ruling came from the mouths of the government, some czar, a homeless vet, Rachel Ray, Oprah, or me- it’s true.
The most sensible reaction is, yes- “But what about Microsoft?”
I suppose if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and a form of advertising in its own right, Apple should welcome all the imitators. I always thought it hysterical when Apple had already abandoned its truly innovative color scheme for its iMacs, even George Foreman grills were suddenlt being sold in different colors. Sure, even Apple nicks a few ideas- mostly to make a product more functional and compatible- it’s usually doing the R & D for the rest of the industry!
And gets “criticized” for doing so! Lance Nerdypants Ulanoff of PC magazine would love to beat Apple because he’s a frustrated CEO, stuck in the musky offices of a dying brand.
If Palm deserves a slp on the wrist, Microsoft (and Dell) deserves a kick in the coconuts!
@ Demon,
I was about to castigate you for your totally insensitive comments, but then I realized that this is just the kind of things that demons say. It isn’t your fault, it’s simply in your nature; kinda like Conservatives.
Four legs good.
Two legs bad.
I am a conservative wingnut but that adds nothing but perspective to my following statement. Which you can ignor if you would like.
Brilliant move on Apple’s part. Had this been MS they would have started with the lawyers, and a multi-gazillion dollar lawsuit against Palm.
Apple started simple, knowing full well that Palm was in the wrong, they moved into the “digital signature” method of pretection and kept thier mouths mostly shut.
They left it up to Palm to do the bitching and complaining, and filing of grievences. Gave them just enough rope to hang themselfs. Now if Palm doesn’t back down Apple has a ton of public info with which to show a judge and jury pointing out Palm knowingly abused the system.
If it even comes to that point.
@ Arnold Ziffel,
Got any more enlightening porcine philosophy?
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Can’t someone write a filter that rejects any post that is political? It is really tiresome to read the 12 year old rants about conservatives or liberals. A number of my friends no longer bother to read any of the comments here since at least half of them have nothing to add to the articles. Go away you zealots.
Steve M took the keys from my fingers. This example clearly shows how industry, via its own standards bodies, can successfully regulate the actions of competitors without government intervention. Of course, to be fair, not all industries have standards bodies to provide oversite. This should illustrate to general business that they need associations of ethical behavior that can act as third party watch dogs to protect both the consumer and their collective business reputations as a whole. The problem with this, unfortunately, is that these association typically get involved in government lobbying once they get big enough, and then they get political, and then their business becomes one of self-propagation and they cease to represent the members of the association. Oh, hell, I have no answer. I’m just glad the USB group put the smack down on Palm.
“Know the roe”?
Huh? I’m with ya, qka. That’s meaningless. Even the ‘correction’, “row”, ain’t the idiom. I can hazard a guess that what was reached for, but not grasped, was ‘know by rote’.
Sad. All too sad.
@Sir Bill Gates,
I just wanted to make a political post.