News
Palm Pre will sync with iTunes
By Jesse Hollington
Applications Editor, iLounge
Published: Thursday, May 28, 2009
News Category: iTunes
According to a report from CNN Money, the upcoming Palm Pre will sync with iTunes out of the box with no third-party software required. The Palm Pre appears to iTunes in the same way that an iPod or iPhone would, except that FairPlay-protected content cannot be transferred to the device.
Although very early versions of iTunes for Mac provided direct support for other MP3 players, and third-party programs have long been available to allow various non-Apple MP3 players to sync with iTunes, this is the first example of an apparently unauthorized, non-Apple device actually providing its own direct iTunes integration. Not surprisingly, many of the Palm Pre engineering and development team are former Apple employees, including Jon Rubinstein, one of the designers of the original iPod. The synchronization feature works with both PC and Mac versions of iTunes.
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1
This is really great news for me, since I was considering getting one since my contract expires soon, and AT&T;‘s coverage is awful in my area. I am already on sprint and their coverage is great, but I do plan on keeping my ipod touch. I am sure I will like having both devices. iPod touch for games, music, movies, and entertainment, while the pre for social connection, facebook, e-mail, chat, and SMS. I think having both these devices will completely cover all of my mobile tech needs, with room to spare, and having both sync with itunes, is just icing on the cake.
Posted by Dan on May 28, 2009 at 7:31 AM (PDT)
2
Totally agree with Dan above. I was going to sell my touch and get an iPhone, but if the Pre syncs via iTunes (including calendar, address book etc) then I’m there! Keep the touch for media and use Pre for connectivity. nice.
Posted by Jules on May 28, 2009 at 7:56 AM (PDT)
3
That sounds GREAT!
I just really hope Apple doesn’t intentionally break this feature!
Posted by ahMEmon on May 28, 2009 at 8:01 AM (PDT)
4
As a Palm Treo user I love the Pre and the fact that I´ll be able to get music on it… Maybe it´s time to ditch the Nano… really, not everyone loves the iPhone!
Posted by Applefreak on May 28, 2009 at 8:24 AM (PDT)
5
It’s great that another phone manufacturer is using iTunes as their Data Conduit on a Mac.
Most Mac users store their music in iTunes and with Palm embracing existing technology (rather than re-inventing the wheel, like with HotSync) it is the only way to provide seamless integration.
One thing I hope for is equally as seamless integration with iCal, Address Book and Bookmarks, as well as maintaining the fidelity of Play Counts and Dynamic Playlists.
Posted by Dan Woods on May 28, 2009 at 1:54 PM (PDT)
6
Outstanding. One of the biggest reasons I have an Iphone is the simplicity that Itunes provides…knowing that Nokia is able to sync is great. I will likely switch back to Nokia when my next phone purchase arises
Posted by Raj on May 28, 2009 at 5:02 PM (PDT)
7
Raj you do realize that the Pre is NOT by Nokia? It’s from Palm and I am wondering if the syncing is Apple approved or not. I doubt Apple would allow it when the Pre is in direct competition with the iPhone. And I am aware the Pre is Sprint only but that is for now. It will be on other carriers in 6 months I am reading.
Posted by Mike Coogan on May 28, 2009 at 8:04 PM (PDT)
8
^whoops, you are correct. Got confused in the excitement. Hopefully though Nokia will be able to follow suit. I do enjoy Palms but they haven’t been good enough to sway me from p900 or my Iphone. Hopefully the n97 will somehow be able to do what the Pre can sync-wise
Posted by Raj on May 28, 2009 at 11:44 PM (PDT)
9
This development is exactly consistent with Steve Jobs’s “Thoughts on Music” letter. So any legal opposition from Apple will be very difficult to argue.
One the other hand, Palm’s effort to profit from iTunes popularity is quite sleazy.
We don’t know for sure this doesn’t have Apple’s blessing, so consider the outside possibility that it does.
Posted by j on May 29, 2009 at 8:59 PM (PDT)
10
Most smart phones manufactured post 2008 will syunc wit hiTunes. This isn’t news.
Posted by JT on May 30, 2009 at 12:03 PM (PDT)
11
Kudos to Palm with or without Apple’s blessing. If only all smart phone and DAP manufacturers would consider such a feature. iTunes has become a de facto standard for music library management with an install base far exceeding iPod and iPhone users. I’d love to see the time come when we have the choice to branch out to other players other than Apple’s and keep at least most of the advantages of iTunes.
Posted by Code Monkey in Midstate New York on June 1, 2009 at 8:36 AM (PDT)
12
Even though iTunes is, IMHO, due for a major code efficiency update for the Windows platform, I have to give the nod to Palm. I use iTunes because it is the best/easiest interface currently available to use and it works well with all Apple devices. Aside from Apples inability to make it more user friendly why remake a good thing? I think its great the Palm got up the initiative to tap into it. Hoping Apple doesn’t go all monopolistic and cut them off.
Posted by Clint on June 1, 2009 at 8:03 PM (PDT)
13
I’m surprised why everyone is congratulating Palm. The conveniences to consumers notwithstanding, it seems a very shady thing to do. iTunes is a major “feature” that sells iPods. And Palm just circumvents all the work to create their own music syncing software by hacking into Apple’s software.
Posted by tarZen on June 4, 2009 at 7:07 PM (PDT)