Apple iTunes 8.2.1 Prevents Palm Pre From Syncing

All good things must come to an end, and in this case it means Palm Pre users being locked out of iTunes. What was only a matter of time, has become a reality and a move that I frankly thought Apple would have done long ago when the Palm Pre was initially launched. The lockout comes in the latest version of iTunes 8.2.1 which now prevents the Palm Pre from syncing with it.

Why Palm even advertised that the Palm Pre could sync with iTunes is beyond me. Surely they knew that Apple would eventually lockout the device from syncing with its software which is meant for the authentic iPhones and iPods only.

A spokeswoman for Apple said that the new update "Disables devices falsely pretending to be iPods, including the Palm Pre. As we've said before, newer versions of Apple's iTunes software may no longer provide syncing functionality with unsupported digital media players".

I think that sums up Apple's stance on other devices using its music software. Palm should probably just throw in the towel instead of trying to come up with alternative means for the Palm Pre to get back into iTunes. Instead, I would recommend that Palm work on their own version of an iTunes like software program or look into some sort of licensing deal with Apple for iTunes.