MacDailyNews - Where Mac news comes first

Oct 04, 09 - 11:18 am Comment from: Macintosher

The MDN Take says it all.

Oct 04, 09 - 11:27 am Comment from: heartbreak

Palm can't get over the fact the the Pre isn't the blockbuster Hail Mary phone they thought it would be. A lot of the phones are still sitting on the shelves, so they have resort to price cutting. They want to stick it to Apple the only way they know how. Pathetic.

Oct 04, 09 - 11:30 am Comment from: MacTony

It's kind of sad in a pathetic way.

Oct 04, 09 - 11:38 am Comment from: Frank

I'm having difficulty believing Rubinstein pursuing this dead end. Can it possibly be that his leaving Apple and joining Palm a devious plan hatched by Jobs? Jon rises to the top and implements resource wasting projects thus weakening Palm to the point where Apple can scoop it up for a dime.

Oct 04, 09 - 11:45 am Comment from: auramac

Disgruntled former employee, reason clouded by bitterness.

Oct 04, 09 - 12:01 pm Comment from: Anonymous©

It's kind of pathetic in a sad way.

Oct 04, 09 - 12:17 pm Comment from: LordRobin

Has anyone considered the possibility that Palm is closer to going under than anyone realizes? I mean, this latest move, blantantly violating the USB standard, smacks of panicked desperation.

------RM

Oct 04, 09 - 12:24 pm Comment from: TheConfuzed1

A customer of mine came into my dealership with a Pre shortly after it's launch.

I asked about it, and he naively said, "It does everything the iPhone does, but better, because it isn't tied to Apple. It was invented by the same guy who invented the iPhone!"

My response, "Uhhhh... Not really."

I couldn't really say more than that about the subject, because it isn't good business practice to argue with your customer over an issue that is unrelated to your product, or the sale of your product.

All I could really do was a mental face palm!

If Palm is indeed has been trying to set themselves up as takeover bait, I can only imagine that this iTunes hack job they keep doing is only reducing their potential value. Anyone who was to be interested in taking them over would also be taking on the liability Palm is deliberately and needlessly generating for themselves... they risk getting sued by Apple, not to mention losing customer faith/interest when they can't rely on their expectations of how to sync their Palms. Certainly if Palm was to get bought out, their new owners would end this once and for all, and thus further reducing the value of the product to existing and future customers who want/expect iTunes compatibility.

Upper management knows Palm is dead. They're just milking investors for all they can get. Gotta keep their huge salaries and bonuses and parachuttes for running into ground.

Get a clue, this is capitalism. And no I'm not M. Moore. The world is full of fat lazy douchebags so bend over. Unless of course you'd like to stop getting your opinions from television and talk radio.

Please tell us again, why would Apple buy Palm?

Oct 04, 09 - 12:50 pm Comment from: Scott Rose

Palm's behavior is just so bizarre, considering that markspace.com offers "The Missing Sync for Palm Pre" which lets you sync your iTunes music to your Palm Pre.

Why doesn't Palm just say on their website: "iTunes sync available with additional purchase from markspace.com"?

If they can't develop their own syncing solution in-house, why not just refer customers to people who CAN make a syncing solution?

Other companies do this all the time, like USB mouse manufacturers who don't want to write drivers for the Mac but their mice have all sorts of extra buttons on them that Mac OS X can't natively handle. (For example: evoluent.com) These mouse manufacturers typically tell customers to download USB Overdrive instead (at an additional cost).

Oct 04, 09 - 12:59 pm Comment from: almux

Desparation leads to desperate moves...

in the end this isn't about money. the Pre is on Sprint and the iphone is on ATT and they have different coverage etc. so the assumption that someone would buy either is a bit off

but Apple needs to fit this for the same reason they are fighting Psystar. the principle. if they let this violation slide it makes it harder when someone else tries something nastier.same reason they haven't filed to have the whole Psystar thing tossed. they want to fight that fight to get all the excuses shot down now, before someone with more money tries something.

Oct 04, 09 - 01:54 pm Comment from: Snow Leopard

"So it's sorta social, demented and sad, but social. Right?"

Palm's definitely got that syncing feeling.

FINALLY – people are starting to understand that nobody is stopping Palm from syncing with iTunes content, if they would just write their own software to do so (as companies such as RIM have already done).

The only logical reasons I can think of for Palm's behavior are:

1) Continuing their feud with Apple keeps Palm in the news, as the poor sales of the Pre can't do that for them.

2) The folks behind the renewed funding for Palm are the same folks behind the continued funding for Psystar, and their goal is to challenge Apple's exclusive rights to its own products.

Has Farhad Manjoo read this?

Because despite his having written TWO 'favorable' to Apple articles — this is one subject he doesn't seem to grasp.

Oct 04, 09 - 02:33 pm Comment from: twilightmoon

@Gadfly

*groan*

Oct 04, 09 - 02:44 pm Comment from: Cubert

Finally, a dose of reality and common sense.

desperate palm is desperate.

Why? Because the pre depends on it. A poor man's Iphone is no man's Iphone if it gets no I apps.

The answer is "A"

There is a reason Jon was "re-assigned" from the Mac hardware group to the iPhone division (long after the iPhone was in development). I suspect he was then "invited" to leave the iPhone division too. He was over his head then and he is now too.

Oct 04, 09 - 06:31 pm Comment from: ken1w

Palm has made many stupid moves recently, starting with the introduction of the Pre itself. It was announced so early that it absolutely decimated sales of Palm's existing products for many quarters. Sales of those products were not great, but there were still loyal Palm customers; after the announcement, they were all waiting for Pre to appear. Apple also announced iPhone early, but it was Apple's first such product; there were no existing sales to kill, just the sales of competing smart phones. Smart move for Apple, stupid move for Palm.

Then, Palm sets the release date of Pre to be the Friday before Apple released the new iPhone 3GS a few days later. Apple released the new version for $199 and cut the price of the old one to $99, making the Pre look ridiculous.

Then, Palm starts talking about Pre coming to Verizon soon. So for anyone who wanted to get a Pre but did not like the idea of switching to Sprint, they were going to wait until it was available on Verizon.

Then, Palm announces the new Pixi, again months before it is due to be available. People who may have purchased a Pre had yet another reason to wait so they can compare and choose.

And I didn't even mention this iTunes mooching lunacy. The author of this article is absolutely correct.

The reason Palm continues to pursue this is that the music I purchase is music that I own the rights to, however Apple wants to limit the usability of that file to their own products. Yes, there are "work-arounds" for the roadblocks Apple has sprung up, but if Apple truly wants to seem as though they are not trying to lock down my music then open up the hardware syncing to other devices. After all, they are still getting my money for using iTunes.

Apple should watch carefully how they handle this developing feud. Remember what happened when MS stifled internet broswer pre-install software on computer OS's? Ever since that debacle IE use has plummeted in the consumer market (plus IE was getting stale).

Oct 04, 09 - 07:40 pm Comment from: zek

Pre/iTunes-User obviously didn't read the article. Or maybe just too much fluoride in the water, or mercury from the vaccinations?

Oct 04, 09 - 07:59 pm Comment from: Predrag

Pre/iTunes User has no choice but look at it from Palm's angle. He is one of those people who actually bought Pre, and iTunes synching was one of the selling points.

Just to make it all absolutely clear (not that it wasn't, since the article is as explicit as it could possibly get): there are NO APPLE ROADBLOCKS to anyone. If you want your product to sync with iTunes, get Apple's documentation on iTunes synching (the above article provides links) and write your synching software. It's that simple. There are even freeware (i.e. open-source) synching software tools out there already.

Blatant/overt disregard for the rules is what I have a problem with. This is the genesis of conditions that can lead to extreme anti-social behaviors.

Oct 04, 09 - 08:04 pm Comment from: NewtonsApple

Pre/iTunes user...

Uh, no, you do NOT own the rights to the music you purchase. You own a license to play it for your own use and enjoyment. Nothing more.

Apple has done nothing to limit the usability of your files. They are not encrypted, they no longer have a DRM wrapper, and will play just fine in any player that can play AAC files, which is an industry standard (MPEG 4 audio layer).

Apple provides the "keys" to allow other people to develop their own syncing solutions via the XML file as mentioned in the article. Bitch to Palm for not providing a legitimate, legal way to sync your iTunes Library to your Pre, not Apple.

Claris Organizer was sold to Palm when Claris was broken up, and was then used as the basis for the Palm Desktop.

It then became primarily a Windows program, as the Mac version was let to rot.

So, I guess Palm wants Apple to do all the work for them again, so that they AGAIN can run back to Windows.

Macusers, can't you just feel the Mac love coming from Palm?

Oct 04, 09 - 09:09 pm Comment from: silverhawk

Apple should write free software for Palm allowing the Pre to sync with Plays for Sure.

Oct 05, 09 - 12:05 am Comment from: LE Studios

Why don't Palm sync to Microsoft Zune?

Maybe Palm is finishing up its iTunes synching software (much as Blackberry and Mark Space have), but in the mean time, they want to ensure that their customers can synch with iTunes.

So, while it's a bit bush league, and dodgy, doing this keeps their customers linked to iTunes, while they finish up their own direct synching system.

Oct 05, 09 - 10:04 am Comment from: Demon

Palm is to dumb and the management is too pighead to what is right for their customers. They feel they are entitled to direct iTunes syncing because they are Palm and without it they have no advantage over any competitor and they can't compete at all with the iPhone. The Pre was built-up by Palm to be this iPhone killer that would leave Apple struggling to sell even a hand full of iPhone while Palm when on take over the market. This would give Palm the cash and time needed to develop it's own replacement for iTunes all together or to make a deal with Microsoft or someone else to provide the music market place and syncing for Palm devices. The reality of it though is that the Palm Pre had only one effect it just reduced the number of old loyal Palm customers by showing them a cheap poorly designed and built product with no software support from Palm. Palm should be forced to place a big prominent disclaimer on all the Palm Pre adverts that reads, "All Software support provided by unwilling and uncompensated third parties. Palm can not make any claims as to fitness or reliability. If it stops working you're on your own Palm tech support can not and will not assist you. Because Palm is hijacking third parties software without their permission or knowledge contacting the third party about issues with your Palm Pre is unlikely to result is a resolution. You own it, you own the issues and the problems too. While thank you for buying a Palm Pre and not returning it in the first 30 days, Sucker is what you'll be once Apple breaks the Palm Pre syncing ability again. Keep in mind suckers you can't take us to court over it as you are aware of the fact that Palm Provides no software support and you're just stealing other third parties functionality without permission or compensation."

Buy a Palm Pre and support software and IP theft.

Kudos. I wasn't aware of this angle to this story.

It's a lot like the bull and the flea fable from Aesop. A flea who'd landed on the horn of a bull is puzzled when the bull has no reaction to the flea's departure after their long "friendship".

Significance through association, rather than one's own merit.

Oct 05, 09 - 10:36 am Comment from: Demon

How Many Palm Pre owners does it to write a letter to Palm to complain about their lack of proper software support?


None, because it's not Palm's fault it's Apple's fault for not doing Palm's job for them.
Like when the teach back in school asked a Palm Pre owner for their home work and all they could say, that it was Sally's fault because she was sick all weekend and didn't do the home work in time for them to sneak it out, copy it and put it back, without her noticing. So, it's clearly Sally's fault because she know now to do the homework and takes time to do the homework. So, everyone else should have the freedom to copy Sally's work whether she likes it or not.