James Delahunty
5 Aug 2009 11:56
Palm has written a letter of protest to the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), the non-profit organization that maintains the Universal Serial Bus (USB) specification and promotes the interface. The Palm letter concerns Apple's iTunes update (8.2.1) which blocked the Palm Pre from being used with the iTunes software in exactly the same way as an iPod is. iTunes even identified a Palm Pre as an iPod and showed iPod artwork when connected.
The support for Apple's iTunes software was seen as an important selling point for the Palm Pre. The device was able to fool iTunes into identifying it as an Apple product by manipulating the USB standard's device descriptors. Apple's iTunes blocks access to any device that isn't an Apple product by checking the idVendor descriptor when connected.
Palm was so unhappy about its device being blocked by iTunes that it informed USB-IF in its letter that it was going to update its webOS software to use Apple's USB Vendor ID in order to regain iTunes access -- a move it made on July 23rd. Palm is appealing to the USB-IF group because it claims Apple's moves block interoperability with the USB interface.
"Interoperability is central to any standard-setting organization," the letter reads, "because, without widespread interoperability, many of the benefits of standardized (as opposed to proprietary) technologies are lost."
There are several ways that Apple can block use with a Palm Pre, but it is likely that Palm can issue updates to the thwart the efforts quickly, meaning it may be a cat and mouse game that goes on for a while, unless USB-IF intervenes for either side.