Apple Issues Advisory Regarding Third-Party Devices Syncing With iTunes

[MacRumors]

Daring Fireball highlights a new support document from Apple addressing the issue of "unsupported third-party digital media players" syncing with iTunes. The brief document warns users that Apple does not test its software with such devices and thus their ability to sync with iTunes may be broken by future software updates.

Apple is aware that some third-parties claim that their digital media players are able to sync with Apple software. However, Apple does not provide support for, or test for compatibility with, non-Apple digital media players and, because software changes over time, newer versions of Apple's iTunes software may no longer provide syncing functionality with non-Apple digital media players.

The new Palm Pre has received a significant amount of attention for its ability to sync with iTunes despite the lack of support from Apple. The Pre has been discovered to accomplish this feat by emulating an iPod by transmitting Apple-specific vendor and product IDs to iTunes.

Article Link: Apple Issues Advisory Regarding Third-Party Devices Syncing With iTunes

[cptchipjew]

!pwned. A C&D would be pwnage. This here is what we call "classing up the joint".

[neoserver]

This is a typical response from Apple, I mean were people really expecting them to go out of their way to support the Pre? (This is regardless of whether they should or not.)

[harodude]

Well deserved!

All the more reason just to stick with a better device (iPhone) , and network (AT&T) at that~~~Never having to worry about compatibility!

[NateDMB]

Palm = Psystar. lmao

[ghettochris]

death to palm, though i'm kicking myself for not buying their stock after their january announcement. it jumped 35% in a day to close to $5, thought i missed out, now it's almost triple that. @$^@#$%

[Shake 'n' Bake]

Palm is going to look at the code in each new release and just keep changing WebOS's code so that it will still work with iTunes. Then they'll distribute it as an update.

[atticus18244fsa]

Wonder who this is directed towards.

[Eidorian]

Originally Posted by Shake 'n' Bake

Palm is going to look at the code in each new release and just keep changing WebOS's code so that it will still work with iTunes. Then they'll distribute it as an update.

I suspect the same as well. It'll be another messy game of catch up.

[Infrared]

Looks like a scare tactic to frighten buyers off the competition.

[travisjacques]

Originally Posted by Shake 'n' Bake

Palm is going to look at the code in each new release and just keep changing WebOS's code so that it will still work with iTunes. Then they'll distribute it as an update.

Sucks for the pre owners who have to update their phone anytime apple says, wouldnt it be nice if your phone just worked? Oh, wait, mine does.

[jaw04005]

Originally Posted by Shake 'n' Bake

Palm is going to look at the code in each new release and just keep changing WebOS's code so that it will still work with iTunes. Then they'll distribute it as an update.

Not if Apple starts authenticating the iPods and iPhones. Right now, the exchange between those devices and iTunes is relatively simple.

DVDJon explains:

So how has Palm most likely enabled the Pre to sync directly with iTunes?

• When you select “Media Sync” on the Pre, it will switch its USB interface to use Apple’s Vendor Id and the Product Id for a specific iPod model
• The Pre exposes a filesystem through Mass Storage Class that mimics the structure of an iPod
• The Pre responds to Apple’s custom USB command and returns XML info about the device

http://nanocr.eu/2009/05/28/syncing-...-the-palm-pre/

Haha. Look what Palm's press release regarding the feature includes in the footnote section:

(2) Compatible with iTunes 8.1.1 on Windows XP/Vista and Mac OS X version 10.3.9-10.5

[SG1-1]

As Flounder Say's

"This is GREAT"

[heisetax]

Apple has done such a good job with the iTunes Store that others want to use it. Apple actually makes more money, but Apple's paranoia will keep their legal department busy. Maybe some Palm Users can make up for some Mac & iPod people that do not se the iTunes Store. Having the iTunes Music Store being the only source for software for the iPod Touch & iPhone has kept me away from buying a couple of them. It sounds like a monopoly that everyone around here scowls about when other companies do the same.

[laughingperson5]

July 7th:
iTunes 8.2.3
-Opens iTunes to sync with Palm Pre-
-Plugs in USB-
-Palm Pre crashes-
Palm Pre crash screen says:
"Erasing Data and Firmware Files"
iTunes says:
"That's for buying a Palm Pre. Next time, buy an iPhone. -iPhone 3GS shows up on screen.-"

[commander.data]

Well I don't think many people expected Apple to officially support newer third-party devices in iTunes beyond whatever previous agreements they had with older devices. The support document is just legal clarification to discourage people from blaming Apple when things don't work.

I think as long as third-parties don't promote iTunes support too hard, like running entire commercials demoing it, Apple probably won't mind too much beyond occasionally breaking things with iTunes updates. This is kind of like their more passive response to community hackintosh projects. However, if third-parties push iTunes support too hard as a feature then I can see Apple fighting back legally or with active protection measures in software kind of like their response to Psystar.

Does Apple own the trademark to the "iTunes" name? I would think that would make it a bit harder for other companies to directly advertise iTunes functionality.

[HiRez]

Originally Posted by Shake 'n' Bake

Palm is going to look at the code in each new release and just keep changing WebOS's code so that it will still work with iTunes. Then they'll distribute it as an update.

So Pre owners have their syncing broken every few months? No, I don't imagine that's going to go over very well. Palm had to see this coming so I assume they're working on a solution of their own (ie. iTunes clone) that's just not ready yet.

[thevofl]

Didn't Apple send out a message like this before releasing the 1.1.1 software effectively bricking a number of phones?

[Fenir]

so if people use their pre with it, then just don't update to the next iTunes?

[lapis]

hate hate hate

Why are they so afraid of hardware competition that they go out of their way to shut out software support for anything other than the mighty ipod? They want us all in, on everything. And you know what? They are not necessarily the best choice for everything.

(Needing freaking mobileme in order to remotely zap your data? Shameful.)

Lest anyone think I'm not an Apple person, I bought the first iphone on Day 2 and will be purchasing this one on Saturday. And all my personal computers are Macs.

But that doesn't mean I don't see an ***hole company when I see one.

[treyjustice]

Originally Posted by lapis

hate hate hate

Why are they so afraid of hardware competition that they go out of their way to shut out software support for anything other than the mighty ipod? They want us all in, on everything. And you know what? They are not necessarily the best choice for everything.

(Needing freaking mobileme in order to remotely zap your data? Shameful.)

Lest anyone think I'm not an Apple person, I bought the first iphone on Day 2 and will be purchasing this one on Saturday. And all my personal computers are Macs.

But that doesn't mean I don't see an ***hole company when I see one.

itd be dumb for them not to

[birch25]

Originally Posted by Shake 'n' Bake

Palm is going to look at the code in each new release and just keep changing WebOS's code so that it will still work with iTunes. Then they'll distribute it as an update.

Exactly. This is really the best we could have hoped for from Apple. The Pre pretends to be an iPod for iTunes and allows its users to easily sync their media to their prone. This is great stuff and fortunately, unlike their statement that jailbreaking/unlocking one's iPhone is illegal, they're merely saying that they don't provide support for other devices and iTunes' code may change in ways that will make other devices no longer sync properly (until Palm issues a patch of their own).

Seriously though, what's with all the hate on these forums? I'm a huge Apple fan as well but wishing Palm to "die" is quite irrational. Boo on competition...?

[travisjacques]

Originally Posted by heisetax

Apple has done such a good job with the iTunes Store that others want to use it. Apple actually makes more money, but Apple's paranoia will keep their legal department busy. Maybe some Palm Users can make up for some Mac & iPod people that do not se the iTunes Store. Having the iTunes Music Store being the only source for software for the iPod Touch & iPhone has kept me away from buying a couple of them. It sounds like a monopoly that everyone around here scowls about when other companies do the same.

Apple does not make more money if people can sync their pre to their itunes, then what is the point of them buying an ipod or iphone? Itunes software is free and i dont know anyone who still pays for music so apple makes next to no money for allowing this to continue

[Shake 'n' Bake]

Palm may abandon iTunes all together.

Palm may give instructions to the Pre users to use iSync to sync their iTunes music located at ~/Music/iTunes. That may be simpler, but you'll be without your iTunes metadata and (probably) album artwork.

[bladehavoc]

Originally Posted by HiRez

So Pre owners have their syncing broken every few months? No, I don't imagine that's going to go over very well. Palm had to see this coming so I assume they're working on a solution of their own (ie. iTunes clone) that's just not ready yet.

Too bad there are a mysterious things called options for syncing. Something that apple doesn't provide. The pre can be used as a mass storage device for drag and drop media access, not to mention there are third party apps that sync the pre, such as the Missing Sync, etc.