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Palm Ignores USB-IF Warning, Restores iTunes Sync
An anonymous reader writes "Palm's cat and mouse game with Apple continues. Ignoring the warning from the USB Implementers Forum, with its WebOS 1.2.1 release this morning Palm has restored iTunes media synchronization in its new Pre smartphone — and gone so far as to extend sync to photos. And, according to Digital Daily, it has done this, once again, by using Apple's USB vendor ID. Does the USB-IF have any recourse here? Does Apple?"
Oh, stop with that Apple is not a monopoly issue.
The only people who spout that line are Apple fanboys. It seems to be a mantra for them.
Note: Apple existed while Microsoft was being (and is still being) dragged thru a knothole. Therefore, Microsoft was not a monopoly either. There is no single manufacturer in any industry that has a monopoly. There is always an alternative).
Abuse of dominant market position is the issue here.
With Apple cornering WELL IN EXCESS of 70% market share of on-line music sales they have a dominant market position with the iTunes store, and the iTunes software.
Allowing you to purchase in the store, but preventing you from syncing the music or playing it on your choice of devices is an attempt to use their dominant market position in one industry to achieve dominance in another industry.
That is illegal in the US.
Monopoly doesn't even come into it. Its not the issue at all. You can only play the underdog if you actually ARE one.
So do give it a rest with the "Apple is not a Monopoly" nonsense ok?
There is no law against one machine lying to another. There is no allegation of theft, or attempt to defraud.
All there is is Apple treating some of their customers like second rate citizens. The black customers forced to sit in the back of the the technological bus.
So yes, Apple will be forced to stop restricting sync to its own devices only. Or they will have to document, license and publish the protocol to purchase from the iTunes store. Its just a matter of time.
You can not hold 70% share and still claim you are exempt from regulation because you have not yet achieved perfect monopoly.
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To save a few bucks... or to get millions of dollars worth of free publicity? Deliberately twisting the issue to send out an "Apple is a monopoly and refuses to let us sync" has been pretty successful so far. After all "Any news is good news" when you wanna be a star. They also know exactly who their demographic is and the type of person who jumps on their anti-Apple claims.
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It does exist. Palm is just lazy, and it seems you are too.
I have used several non-Apple music players with iTunes belonging to various friends from multiple vendors and they sync just fine.
It's not as elegant as an iPod, since it doesn't use the main Library file, but it does use the plaintext XML file that iTunes keeps up to date with its main library. This file does contain playlists, tracks, info and so on that allow you to sync with iTunes.
Why should they have to sync by Apple's supported route? Because Apple wrote and paid for the software and provides it free of charge to end users for a particular purpose. Should a Canon scanner be able to spoof as an HP device then tell you to go to the HP website and download their scanner software? Apple have put the money in terms of R&D, advertising, customer support etc. to make iTunes a very popular package. We can argue the rights and wrongs of proprietory software, but legally speaking Apple owns the rights and can do with it as they please. If you want the 'smoother sync experience' then Apple wants you to buy an iPod - ultimately they're a commercial entity to make money for their shareholders, which they won't do if they provide free software for every third party mp3 player.