Slashdot Mirror
USB-IF Slaps Palm In iTunes Spat
An anonymous reader writes "The USB Implementers Forum has finally responded to Palm's complaints that Apple is violating its USB-IF Membership Agreement by preventing the Pre from syncing with iTunes. It's found in favor of Apple. Worse, it's accused Palm itself of violating the Membership Agreement by using Apple's Vendor ID number to disguise the Pre as an Apple device."
Somebody needs to make another 1984 ad, with Steve Jobs indoctrinating the masses of obedient Apple users. If you really can't see that a program which does everything to take control of your entire music library should not exclude players simple because they're sold by another company, there's probably an Apple certificate of ownership in your passport.
Think about what you just did: you posted on Slashdot.
You used a web browser, which sent a few HTTP requests, represented as TCP/IP packets over an ethernet cable, which then traveled to an internet router, possibly via DSL or DOCSIS, got routed via OSPF and BGP, to a server running Apache and Perl.
Every step of that journey involved one or more open, freely-available standards-based protocols that have been embraced by hundreds if not thousands of vendors so they could all communicate with each other. Without all those open protocols, you would be stuck on a Microsoft internet, or an Apple internet, or maybe even a boring conservative IBM internet, and they would all be walled gardens, completely blocked off from each other.
In a market where most people are trying very hard to be compatible with as many others as possible, Apple continues to shut the world out. If users want to sync iTunes with their Palm, or their Rio, or their Samsung, or even their crappy chinese knockoff MP3/Phone/Video/sex-toy, Apple should welcome them with open arms, inviting them in to drink the kool-aid. Shutting them out only means they will stay completely away from Apple's products, hardware AND software.
You get someone like me, I can't stand iPods, I think their sound quality is absolutely shameful, especially considering the premium they're charging for the Apple brand. That said, if I were to find a competing music player that suited my tastes, I might want to hit up iTMS, after all, it is the largest digital music store. Oh noes, iTunes won't sync to my player and I need to jump through hoops with some ghetto 3rd party app ? Screw that, I'll hop onto Rhapsody and Apple gets ZILCH!
Openness benefits everyone, even the greedy bastards who have to loosen their grip. For them to not see it, in this day and age, is a sign of tunnel-vision and obliviousness.
-Billco, Fnarg.com
It must be nice to believe morals can change if you get everybody to agree on them.
Inb4 Godwin'd.
Alexander Peter Kristopeit bought his basement from his mommy for one dollar.