“Palm today quietly circumvented Apple’s protective measures again with webOS 1.2.1. Its second update in a week is the first to restore iTunes syncing for the Pre since iTunes 8.2 and will let the Pre take media from iTunes 9.0.1 as though it were a native device in the jukebox software,” Electronista reports.
“Apple has never brought up the possibility of legal action regarding iTunes sync but has repeatedly made clear that it will break compatibility with non-Apple devices when possible,” Electronista reports.
Full article here.
John Paczkowski reports for AllThingsD, “How has Palm done this? By once again making the Pre masquerade as an Apple device.”
Plug your Pre into your computer and set it to Media Sync and it identifies itself like this:”
USB Product ID: 0×1209
USB Vendor ID: 0×05ac (Apple, Inc)
Manufacturer: Apple Inc.
Paczkowski reports, “A brazen move, considering the USB-IF specifically warned Palm against doing exactly this in its Sept. 22 letter to the company.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: What a great feature beleaguered Palm offers their Pre sufferers: Intermittent and unreliable iTunes syncing. This, along with near total App-Lack™, an antique mechanical keyboard perpetually stuck in vertical mode, no soft keyboard at all, a cheap plastic screen that’s reportedly quite the nasty scratch magnet, and flimsy, junky-feeling overall build-quality – all backed by a company that’s so running on fumes that they can’t even manage to come up with their own software to legally sync with iTunes. No wonder they’re having trouble selling their crappy, app-less fake iPhones.
@ken1w,
This is exactly what Palm did with the Pre in the past, so yes, Apple can block this again by swapping the product ID.
“Apple has every right to block access to their software by non-Apple devices, but Apple cannot block access to folders and files on a hard drive.”
While encrypting the files and folders would be a deal breaker for most if Apple did this, Apple could easily encrypt the XML files that make up the library and playlist data. Apple doesn’t do this specifically because they want to allow 3rd party apps and devices access, and this is the way Palm should be accessing iTunes content.
You guys don’t get it, Apple is telling you, that you can only sync Apple devices with Apple software, which you have the rights to. That’s like Microsoft telling folks they can only sync devices that have Microsoft software with the media center. If Microsoft did that they’d be sued in a heart beat.
@ future:
Don’t even try the whole Microsoft thing. Ever hear of the Zune?
This is really getting pathetic. I have no sympathy for them.
@future
It’s worth remembering that the money Apple spent on developing iTunes was given to them by the people who bought their products – that’s us. I don’t like Palm getting an easy ride that they don’t deserve on the back of ‘my money’.
@ future, you ignorant slut.
Since you seem to be the only person on planet earth not to know this, let me enlighten you;
Apple provides a manner for 3rd party devices to connect and sync to iTunes, Palm simply chooses not to use them and prefers instead to commit fraud.
No. You don’t get it.
There’s no reason for iTunes to sync with 3rd party hardware. Because you can already transfer your music to any 3rd party hardware you want. iTunes won’t stop you. It is not some kind of gatekeeper standing between you and your music files. You are perfectly free to do with them whatever you like, and that includes putting them on non-Apple hardware.
People have even written software to do this for you if you’re too lazy to open your Music folder and do it manually.
No, wait. You don’t even have to navigate your Music folder manually. I forgot iTunes makes it even easier than that. You can just left-click on a song and select “Show Song File” from the popup menu. It’ll open the folder containing it, and you can just drag-and-drop the contents into your Sandisk or Zen or whatever.
So in reality, you’re complaining that Apple should make iTunes sync with 3rd party devices because you’re too lazy to drag-and-drop, and too lazy to download any of the software that effectively accomplishes iTunes syncing for you.
Yeah, what a mystery why Apple isn’t being sued.
Now let me just say, good luck Palm! I hope you can get your USB license revoked just like you’re obviously trying to! Seriously, what are these people thinking? Are they high? If the USB IF fails to punish them, I think at that point Apple will indeed step in with a lawsuit, which Palm won’t be able to win. For a whole lot of reasons.
@TheConfuzed1,
Actually, kahuna is a Hawaiian word for a person who is recognized by the elder kahunas as having their same powers of perception.
I don’t know how it ever came to mean your nuts. But, at lease it’s always used in the context of having big balls and a no guts, no glory attitude.
This is some serious shit. The USB-IF can yank their license to use the patents in the USB patent pool if they keep that up, and that will kill the company.
-jcr
@future
Apple are doing nothing of the sort. They quite happily worked with RIM to put together a Blackberry sync method, and Sony Ericsson supply an iTunes sync plug-in for their phones. The beef with Pre is how they go about this, not what they are wanting to do.
So, is this the reason why my Griffin car charger no longer works? The charger works, but last week I had to quit using the Griffin USB cable, and switch to the Apple one. Just let me know where to sign up for the class action.
@Cubert
the term Kahuna has never been associated with testicles. It’s just the misuse of the word. Cajones would have been the correct word to use.
Apple should send Palm a seise and desist letter. It’s time for Apple’s legal team to stop Palm’s non-sense and tell them to go do there own music store instead of circumventing iTunes for there needs. Or Palm needs to license iTunes properly and pay for it.
It seems Psystar, palm all think they can mooch off of Apple without proper permission. This needs to stop!
A CEASE and desist letter would be even better!
@John,
Cease and desist. Man, you must have some pretty big kahunas to post an error like that!
How dare Apple spend millions of their own dollars to create a successful solution between their hardware and software and not give it to the competition for free. Who do they think they are.
I think all successful tech companies should have to spend millions of their own dollars to write the competitions software for them. It’s only fair because they’re successful. Right?
Palm is just showing what bottom feeders they are. Like Apple or not, they owe their competitors nothing. There isn’t any Anti trust. There isn’t a Monopoly. Apple is just very successful. Last time I checked, it wasn’t a crime.
Palm should change their name to Carp. It fits. And on a bad day they can change the spelling to Crap. It also fits.
With 50,000,000 iPhone/iPod touch users. I don’t think Apple is worried about losing the Pre’s smallish user base.
Apple owes them nothing! Write your own software Carp, I mean Crap, I mean Palm. If you can that is. Blackberry did.
Pre: It’s Craptastic!
Now with iTunes Sync. (For the next few hours at least…)
I’ve heard that one remedy for big kahunas is to soak them in Kahlúa. I wonder who was the first guy to try it?
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I was reading about Sprint having their commercials for the Pre look like a series of mini-dramas that are embedded in shows like ‘Desperate Housewives’ and ‘Heroes’. I guess it’s the only way to make it look like their product is cool and actually used by anyone.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113343180
future got confused and sez: “You guys don’t get it, Apple is telling you, that you can only sync Apple devices with Apple software, which you have the rights to.”
Incorrect. As MDN indicated above: “all backed by a company that’s so running on fumes that they can’t even manage to come up with their own software to legally sync with iTunes.”
Palm contribute to their own App-Lack™ by not providing users with simple, legal, software compatibility with iTunes. Instead they break USB protocols and masquerade as an iPod. Their entire attitude is LAZY and rediculous. Then add to that their complaint against Apple to the USD-IF, resulting instead with Palm getting slapped for their illegal USB masquerade fraud. Like a 5 year old couldn’t see that coming. Then, despite being cited for their infraction, Palm pull the same USB fraud again. This is called desperate dimentia.
As I’ve said before: No wonder Rubenstein no longer works for Apple. He’s a rationality reject. Shameful.
Pre users cannot sue Palm in a class action lawsuit. It takes more than 4 people to bring a class action suit.
Palm mixed it up with the pre, apple feels it. and so do you. otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this. forced to use at&t;, which sounds like an awesome company with great customer service and fair pricing. ha ha. oh and I hear picture messages work grrrrreat! finally.
Mac os seems to multi task, you would think apple would have the smarts to make that a phone feature. it dosent matter, you will love Steve BJobs no matter what. He could lead you to an iphone user holocaust and you would follow, iphone in hand. ignorance is bliss, so keep residing in your blissful apple utopia. while the rest of the world moves on (with Picture MMS, not a years after release, but day one.)