The Palm Pre is out of sync with Apple’s iTunes software yet again.
Apple’s latest version of iTunes (9.0.2) that rolled out Thursday evening breaks the Palm Pre’s ability to sync with iTunes software. The development should be no surprise to Palm Pre owners using iTunes, as it is the third time this year that Apple has disabled the Pre from syncing its multimedia with iTunes.
“Unfortunately, Palm has brought down the ire of Apple because of the way they have decided to make it very easy to sync the Pre to iTunes,” says Chris Hazelton, research director for mobile and wireless at analyst firm The 451 Group. “A better, if more difficult, way to go about the whole thing would be for Palm to build its own sync software though they may not have the time or assets to do it.”
Of course, the simplest solution for Palm Pre owners is to not download the iTunes software update and stick with the older version with functional syncing. Still, the implication of Apple’s move is this could create a bigger headache for Palm Pre customers later down the road — when Apple adds new features to future versions of iTunes and presumably continues “crippling” the Pre.
When Palm first introduced the Pre earlier this year, a key feature was the device’s ability to easily sync music with iTunes through the USB port. The feature was a clever trick on Palm’s part. Palm masked the Pre’s identity to iTunes.
“What Palm did was identify the Pre as a recognizable device for iTunes so iTunes treats it like an iPod, which also meant Palm didn’t have to write a separate application to do this,” Hazelton said.
It didn’t take long for Apple to take action against Palm. Barely a month after the Pre’s launch in June, Apple disabled the Pre’s sync feature through an iTunes update. Palm responded by offering a patch for its webOS operating system that would fix the problem. But another iTunes update in September broke Pre compatibility again.
Meanwhile, Apple complained to the USB Implementers Forum, an industry standards group about the Pre’s deception. The forum ruled largely against Palm and asked it to “clarify its intent.” It wasn’t enough to dissuade Palm.
Now with the release of yet another iTunes update, Palm is back to square one. Patching the sync feature again is one of Palm’s choices — one that the company can keep doing. But it also risks losing the confidence of consumers.
Pre user Jake Lazaroff says the Pre’s problems with iTunes sync has turned him away from using the feature completely on his phone. Instead, Lazaroff has opted to use doubleTwist media sync software for his music.
“Palm thinks this is a cat-and-mouse game they are playing with Apple but it is really Pre users who are affected,” he says. “I don’t use sync so [I] am not angry with Palm but I can see how someone might be a little frustrated with them.”
Finding a fix to the issue is easy. Palm could make its own media sync software, much like its competitors, Research In Motion and Nokia. Last year, RIM introduced BlackBerry Media Sync, software that allows iTunes users to sync their DRM-free music files with their BlackBerry media players. The software greatly simplifies how BlackBerry users interact with iTunes.
Palm needs to reassess its strategy and devote resources to creating a similar app for the Pre, Hazelton said. Or the company could partner, or acquire, DoubleTwist or other media sync software players, he suggests.
“There are alternatives and it’s time now for Palm to start exploring some of them,” Hazelton said.
Lazaroff says he doesn’t blame Apple for the problem with Palm Pre’s sync feature.
“No one is forcing Palm to use iTunes,” he says. “Apple has no obligation to make sure the Pre syncs to iTunes at all times.”
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