CELL PHONE REVIEWS

Apple blocks Palm Pre from iTunes

Apple’s rival, the Palm Pre from Sprint, has received approval to block the Smartphone from operating iTunes software. The Palm Pre was the first phone that could connect directly to iTunes, pretending to be an iPod or iPhone and accessing Apple’s store. Palm released the Pre as a iPhone competitor, and Apple was quick to crush their iTunes accessibility.

Palm worked around that by updating the Pre’s software so their phone would give out Apple’s USB vendor code.  They complained that Apple was using the code improperly, by blocking competitors. The industry standards group which released the USB vendor code disagreed, notifying both companies in a letter. This letter warned that if the Palm Pre is updated again to include Apple’s vendor code, thereby restoring the iTunes feature, it would violate the groups rules.

There has been a long rivalry between the two companies, which originates with Jon Rubinstein. And it’s no surprise, considering Jon, the CEO of Palm, but was previously an executive at Apple whom oversaw the iPod.