Palm Pre To Sync Seamlessly With iTunes 178
Wired is reporting that Palm's new handheld device, the Pre, will be able to sync automagically with Apple's iTunes. Thanks to a team of ex-Apple engineers the Pre will sync everything but iPhone applications and some of the older Fairplay DRM music. "It does it by faking out iTunes, making the jukebox software think that it is connected to a real iPod. Hook it up and you'll be given three options: USB mass storage device, charging only or iTunes sync. This is a ballsy move from Palm, and we totally love it: a big fat middle finger at Apple. Apple will, we are sure, be readying its legal attack dogs as I write, and don't be at all surprised if an iTunes update pops up around June 6th. This fight just got a lot more interesting."
Why is this a big deal? (Score:5, Informative)
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Nomad Jukebox C Creative Labs USB
Novad MuVo Creative Labs USB
Rio One SONICBlue/S3 USB
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Rio Fuse SONICBlue/S3 USB
Rio Cali SONICBlue/S3 USB
psa]play 60 Nike USB
psa]play 120 Nike USB
SoundSpace 2 Nakamichi USB
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2172 [apple.com]
iTunes Has Always Supported Other Players (Score:5, Informative)
They are even documented [apple.com] on Apple's website. I'm not sure why it's a surprise that the Pre is also going to be able to sync with iTunes.
Re:iTunes Has Always Supported Other Players (Score:1, Informative)
Dude, that document is obsolete and only covers the Mac version of Itunes
If history is a guide,Apple will easily break this (Score:1, Informative)
If experience with palm os on my trusty handspring is guide, Apple will be able to break this easily. Palm's USB driver was a total joke. The hotsync would regularly blue-screen windows in a multi-core or even hyperthreaded environment unless you forced affinity on the hotsync.exe. And they never fixed it. They couldn't even cope with seeing more than one core in a usb driver. One of the few apps I ever saw that could blue-screen windows.
And they only recently supplied drivers that worked under vista. And the still haven't released an x64 version.
Soured me on Palm forever. And proved their driver's dept sucks.
Re:Palm? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Why is this a big deal? (Score:3, Informative)
Nokia has been syncing with iTunes as log as I can remember. They have their own software and is very simple to do. it's not supported by Apple and in hasn't stopped working in the last 3 or so years.
Re:Why is this a big deal? (Score:5, Informative)
Those are legacy devices, pre-dating the iPod, from the time when iTunes was just a music management application (originally called SoundJam MP) and not the lynchpin of Apple's vertical monopoly entertainment strategy.
None of those devices are supported on iTunes for Windows.
Re:I can see an iTunes update in your future. (Score:2, Informative)
the community refers to more that the self-aggrandizing idiots that made that blog post that was turned into a
Re:But... (Score:2, Informative)
Will Amarok 1.4 work with the Pre? I would love to have a Smart Phone that works well with Linux.
I would imagine it would. It simply shows up as a mass media device, where you can just copy MP3s over to it and they show up in the media library. This is the same way a lot of other MP3 players work, so it should be trivial to get Amarok support
Except for... (Score:5, Informative)
Except for movies. And TV shows. And audiobooks. Oh, and applications.
But yeah, besides those things, *totally* DRM free.
Anyone can do this and many have (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Why go the legal route? (Score:4, Informative)
No, it won't. Think about it for a moment and you'll realize why.
iTunes knows which version or revision of iPod is connected because Apple has prepared iTunes to recognize each one -- first-party software recognizes first-party hardware. The icons are all stored inside the iTunes binary, and it's only relying on an identifier from a list of possible iPods it knows of (thus the software update after each iPod release).
Most likely, the Pre is presenting itself to iTunes as a 4th gen iPod, something that iTunes has to support and for which there is a lot of reverse-engineering work already out in in the hackersphere.
How about... let's sync with Palm Desktop (Score:4, Informative)
To hell with iTunes, I just want to sync my Palm (my existing Palm) with Palm Desktop on my Macbook, without going through a third party product that wants to OWN my PDA.
Back when I had Palm Desktop and Hotsync, I could sync my PDA with my office desktop and my home desktop and my laptop and everything Just Worked. Then I had to start syncing with Lorus Notes at the office, and tried two third paty syncing products, and the best I could manage was syncing with TWO computers. Then Palm gave up on Hotsync, and now I'm using Missing Sync and my PDA is tethered to my Macbook. Not only that, but I can't get it to sync notes at all.
I don't know what I'll do when my current PDA finally dies. I never liked PDAs at all until I got a Palm, I tried a Pocket PC for a while and it screwed up my data... but even Palm doesn't support Palms any more.
Re:Sue Those Monopolistic Apple Bastards! (Score:1, Informative)
Um, the modern/legal definition of monopoly doesn't mean you have to have 100% market share to be considered a monopoly. Apple's overwhelming market share is close enough.
Also, being a monopoly is not in itself illegal, or necessarily a bad thing.
Next up: why Apple isn't literally a "bastard", but acts like one anyways.
Re:Sue Those Monopolistic Apple Bastards! (Score:2, Informative)
I am aware only of the iTunes COM/AppleScript APIs that allow third-party applications to access the iTunes library; then, these applications can perform whatever kind of operations they like.
These APIs do not provide a mechanism for third-party devices to show up in iTunes. Instead, they allow other processes to get information to implement their own synchronization.
The Palm Pre's iTunes support apparently works by presenting itself as an iPod USB device, which requires no extra software and uses the same interface as an iPod would.
Re:Sue Those Monopolistic Apple Bastards! (Score:3, Informative)
The whole reason that music went DRM free is because the
actual producers/distributors of the music realized just
how much power they had handed Apple.
. . .when they required Apple to apply DRM in the first place (which was the only reason it had ever had it).
throw me in the briar patch (Score:5, Informative)
Some people never use iTunes to buy anything, but once you have iTunes it is hard to resist visiting the iTunes Music Store. Remember, Apple is getting rid of DRM in the ITMS, and music purchased there now "plays for sure" on any device. This is much more of a middle finger to the RIAA. Keep in mind that the recording industry is looking to reduce Apple's control and influence, not increase it.
If Apple allows Palm, iRiver and other device manufacturers to use iTunes, it gains access to potential music sales that previously would not have been Apple's. When it comes to personal listening devices, either you iPod or you don't. But - if you own an MP3 player and you buy music instead of downloading it on P2P networks, I am sure Apple would love to have your business.
Next, consider the potential market for sales to owners of smartphones, and Apple can broaden their potential market tenfold without lifting a finger. If Palm allows the Pre to utilize iTunes without prompting or overt permission from Apple, the FTC cannot really take action against Apple for restraint of trade, monopoly practices, etc etc etc.
Finally, iTunes exposes the user to the Mac user interface, even when running on Windows. Users may also see Apple product features "dimmed" in buttons and menus when their non-Apple product is connected. Apple could even detect that a non-Apple product is connected to their iTunes software and display marketing that targets sales to users of their competitors' products. Can you say "halo effect"?
"I've got you this time, Brer Rabbit," said Brer Fox, jumping up and shaking off the dust. "You've sassed me for the very last time. Now I wonder what I should do with you?"
Brer Rabbit's eyes got very large. "Oh please Brer Fox, whatever you do, please don't throw me into the briar patch."