Report: Palm Pre recognized by iTunes

Jim Dalrymple | May 29, 2009

As Palm readies the Palm Pre for release next month, another interesting tidbit of information has been discovered about the device. It is recognized by Apple's iTunes. (Note: There is still no word on the availability of the GSM version of the Palm Pre in Asia.)

In fact, the Palm Pre is not only recognized by iTunes, it also syncs seamlessly with iTunes, according to a report on Forbes.com. There is one caveat: The Pre cannot handle Apple's DRM protected songs. Still it's quite a nice feature to have if you plan to purchase a Pre and have all of your music in iTunes.

One of the features that Apple has long touted about its hardware and software combination is how seamlessly the two work together. This gives users the ability to sync pictures, movies, videos and data to devices or to the "cloud" with little or no configuration from the user.

It makes sense that Palm would have the knowhow to be recognized by iTunes. After all, Palm Executive Chairman Jon Rubinstein is an ex-Apple executive himself. Rubinstein was the head of Apple's iPod division before leaving the company, giving him an intimate knowledge of the device and supporting technology.

Apple has been very quick to jump on developers who have tried to circumvent its control over the iPod and iTunes in the past, and they could very well do it again.

Considering how vehemently the company has protected it in the past, it seems hard to imagine that Apple would give an iPhone competitor like Palm access iTunes without a fight.

Via CNET's Apple blog

Filed under: Handhelds, Mobile Phones
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