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Apple Disables iTunes Sync Feature on Palm's Pre

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Apple doesn’t take kindly to would-be usurpers to its iPhone’s status as the best (and best-selling) smart phone on the market.  It previously threatened to take legal action against those who violate its mobile multi-touch patent and now it has taken action to try to kill the potential of the Palm Pre before it gains significant market share. 

One of the key features of the Pre was its ability to sync effortlessly with iTunes, via firmware support.  As the majority of MP3 players on the market are iPods and most people have their music libraries on iTunes, this was an attractive feature as it made for a painless import of your music library.

However, Apple will not let the threat to its smart phone empire stand and true to its word has rolled out an iTunes update that kills the feature — iTunes 8.2.1.  The release notes describe, “iTunes 8.2.1 provides a number of important bug fixes and addresses an issue with verification of Apple devices.”

Sure enough, the update kills the Palm Pre’s iTunes syncing via the Media Sync option.  Unfortunately for Apple, though, the update can’t lock out doubleTwist and The Missing Sync, and other applications which offer similar syncing for smart phones.  Palm is actively advertising these apps as work arounds.

Palm stuck by its previous statement when asked for comment, remarking, “Palm’s media sync works with iTunes 8.2. If Apple chooses to disable media sync in iTunes, it will be a direct blow to their users who will be deprived of a seamless synchronization experience. However, people will have options. They can stay with the iTunes version that works to sync their music on their Pre, they can transfer the music via USB, and there are other third-party applications we can consider.”

A simple way for Pre users to keep the good syncing rolling is to not update iTunes.  Those who installed the update can delete iTunes and find an older version online.

Apple has proved merciless in its enforcement efforts in the past.  From suing Mac cloners out of existence to bricking customers’ iPhones who left the AT&T network, Apple has done its best to stick it to those buy its hardware but refuse to do its bidding.  In the MP3 player and online music market, however, where Apple enjoys virtual monopolies, one must wonder how much longer it can practice such anticompetitive tactics before its hit with antitrust fines and regulation as Intel and Microsoft have been.

© 2009, DailyTech