Craig Hunter sums up the ongoing cat and mouse game between Palm and Apple over iTunes sync. In effect, Palm doesn’t need iTunes to sync to the Pre:
They can sync the Pre to a customer’s iTunes music library with a public, open, and documented approach that has been used by third-party developers and device makers for years. This capability was created by none other than Apple itself.
Why does Apple provide a way to access iTunes data?
Clearly they took this approach to give customers access to their music in a manner independent of iTunes and Apple, now and in the future, since a well written XML file is almost like a self contained fossil record… Apple is keenly aware of the issues surrounding online music sales, both from the standpoint of protecting the intellectual property of musicians and record labels, and the rights of customers.
If the means to sync to iTunes data already exists, and is sanctioned by Apple, do other companies or applications use it?
Clearly, other companies know how to sync painlessly with iTunes music (see RIM’s Blackberry Media Sync for example), so why doesn’t Palm develop a syncing solution for their own hardware?
Then why does Palm play this silly cat and mouse game with Apple’s iTunes connectivity, at the expense of their customers?
Perhaps Palm doesn’t have the resources to develop their own sync app. Or maybe they want some publicity. Or maybe they just want to push Apple’s buttons. Who really knows. But I seriously question the strategy and brains of any company that ties critical product capabilities to the unsupported use of their competitor’s software. I mean, really? Can it get any more ridiculous? Can you possibly send a more mixed, less confidence-inspiring, “we’re a bunch of hacks who can’t provide our own sync software for our products” message to customers?
Some executives falsely believe that any publicity is good publicity. It is not. Palm is desperate and vengeful. That’s not a good combination.