Palm's music strategy: Use iTunes

Back in January, I criticized Palm for not having a reasonable music strategy for the upcoming Pre, the touch-screen superphone that could save the company. At that time, I mocked Palm for suggesting that consumers would have to drag and drop music files from their PC to the Pre, which would appear as a mass storage device. As I wrote, "without iTunes, there's no iPhone. And without the iPhone, there's no consumer smartphone audience." (Users will also be able to buy downloads over the air with an Amazon MP3 client, but the vast majority of music on portable devices comes from the user's computer, not downloads.)

Why reinvent the wheel?

(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET)

It looks like Palm took my criticism to heart: Thursday at the D7: All Things D conference, the company demonstrated the Pre and announced that its media sync capability would be built around...iTunes. That's right: when you plug the phone into your computer and hit the "media sync" button, it will launch iTunes and begin letting you transfer any DRM-free files to the phone. You'll still be able use iTunes to rip and store and organize your music, to sync it with any iPods you have, and to buy downloads. Why try to reinvent the wheel and risk disaster? Heck, why not go all the way and let iPhone applications run on the thing as well?

There's only one problem: what if Apple decides that it doesn't want a competitor using the software it built and developed? Could Apple force Palm into the sort of arms race that RealNetworks experienced when it tried to reverse-engineer iTunes' DRM scheme?

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[FrostyTS]

I'm planning on getting a Pre, and I'm also planning on never using Apple's iTunes.
Yes it's very pretty, but it is not the end all be all way of getting music, and it is also not the only way to get music onto your Palm Pre.

[magnusalpha]

I've long wanted a phone that I could simply drag and drop my music (and other file-types) into, one that appeared to my computer to be a mass storage device. I fail to see how this is a bad or mock-worthy idea.

[mrstacy]

I completely agree! I use the G1, which lets me just drag and drop music to my phone, no software required. To me and alot of other people this is a plus, not a minus. While its great to support the use of iTunes, lets hope they don't force you to use it.

[docster87]

I have a Mac, and I use iTunes; however, if I had a non-apple smartphone I would rather have simple drag and drop music loading (and unloading) than be forced into Windows Media Player or some other app. What is so wrong with drag and drop? I have an iPhone and rather than sync my media I have iTunes/iPhone set to manual, which is basically drag and drop. I prefer it, gives me 100% control of what media I have on my phone.

[rnaoncfixd]

But dragging and dropping isn't what attracts the lay-duhs.

[ballmerisanape]

Jesus Christ.. as if this is a big deal.. There are lots of phones/mp3 players that will interact with iTunes.

This phone will only synch with DRF free music.. not movies, music videos, games, apps.. you know.. all of the things that make the iPhone "different".... This "feature" puts this "smart phone" on par with a $30 mp3 player.

The true test of the pre will be with the applications. Since they are limited to "Web Apps.. thing first iPhone" on the pre... this will be the big issue. Playing standardized music formats should be expected.. not a selling point.

[ballmerisanape]

Wow.. just a few key spelling errors.. sorry ;)

[seven7dust]

the pre is basically a iPhone that can multi-task in a efficient manner
and I agree with the apps part ! thats the only thing that worries me !

[monkeyfun14]

Who uses iPhone on Windows machines without being forced.

And also cnet has a habit of simply clearing 20 comment long discussions..

[monkeyfun14]

iTunes***

[seven7dust]

hate to brake it to you but a lot of people like iTunes on windows !
it's probably the second most used media player after WMP

[capsicus]

"It looks like Palm took my criticism to heart: "

You single-handedly saved Palm, Matt. Why are you still at Cnet, you ******* genius?

[Constable Odo]

Who the heck wants to use drag and drop when you have thousands of files all nice and neat. Drag and drop is fine for a couple of hundred files, but 10,000 music files is a pain to handle with that old school method. Setting iTunes to manual is not drag and drop. It just replaces auto-synching.

I don't think Apple should prevent Palm from using iTunes, although I think Palm should have to buy a license from Apple to use it.

[ovality]

The Pre will only sync with iTunes on a Mac - Windows iTunes does not support 3rd party devices.
I think you should also detail the other ways in which music can be put onto the Pre - for people who do not want to use iTunes, rather than acting as if iTunes is the be all and end all of music syncing.

[kelmon]

That's not what I have heard - apparently the iTunes sync function works on the Windows version as well. I think it remains to be confirmed but I certainly would be surprised if the Windows version was not supported since that is the platform used by the majority of iPod owners.

[forever4now]

IHopefully, ALL music services (iTunes, Amazon, Ovi, Zune, etc.) will ultimately be offered on ALL smartphone platforms. This would:

1. create a very competitive environment for music services.
2. maximize consumer choice.
3. give music services access to the entire smartphone market.

If these music services could be delivered with an HTML5 web app, it would:

1. make the services immediately available to ALL smartphones (and non-smartphone devices) supporting HTML5.
2. reduce development & maintenance costs (a single app for all platforms).
3. circumvent the approval process, in app stores that reject competitive apps.

[kelmon]

Well, hurrah for common sense. Despite the comments that iTunes is a horrible application (it's certainly pretty old and could use a rewrite), it is the media management application that a lot of people use in order to put content on their iPod/iPhone. Given this I don't think that using a different application to manage media on the Pre would be attractive to those users so using what they already use makes a lot of sense. The only shame is that it won't support video files purchased from the iTunes Store, which probably won't change until Apple has another trip to the EU Competition office to try and break-up the iTunes/iPod lock-in.

[pairof9s--2008]

Yet with all this iTunes bashing, I find it ironic that the main point here is that the Pre CAN sync with iTunes. You can speculate that Apple will close that door, but as of right now, Pre is able to sync with iTunes.

Yet, nowhere do I see anyone bashing Microsoft and it's Zune Pass, Marketplace & subscription service which I'm sure the Pre has no chance in hell of syncing with. Now with MS launching their psuedo iPhone/Pre, the Zune HD, I certainly doubt that situation will change. For all the talk of a closed system in iTunes, Microsoft is still tops for proprietary systems.

Then again, who uses that crap anyway?!

[Sweatman15k]

I think your last comment answered your question as to why no one is complaining about MS and the Zune stuff.

I don't konw anyone that has a Zune. I personally own a Sansa (because I am cheap) and am happy with that device.

[tammylouwho]

I0 years ago, I was on my 3rd PC in 6 years and on my way to find Gates and take him out for all the misery he'd caused me. At that point in time, I was on the phone with Microsoft's tech dept which was someone in another country who could barely speak English and he was telling me I had to pay $35.00 plus $1.00 per minute to figure out my problem (maybe!) and I could not believe another PC was dead! Another hard drive crashed! The 3rd time all my information was LOST! The next day I bought an Apple Desktop. I will never forget my first (and one of my few) calls to tech support. The tech's name was John! I could not believe I heard that right! John! While we waited for a file to download he asked me "If I'd seen any good movies lately!" I was in shock! He spoke english! He had a conversation with me! He was friendly! He was from California! And more than anything - It was FREE and he wasn't in a Rush to get rid of me! He didn't mind hanging on the phone with me! I could pronounce his first name! I was happy, stress free and my life changed FOREVER. I bought lots of Apple Stock at under $5.00 a share! 2 years later I bought my 14 year old a macbook for school. I sold half my stock and made gobs of cash. Then a couple years later I bought a macbookPro. Then my husband bought a MacbookPro. And we bought Ipods! Shuffles! Nanos! and 80gbs! and then Iphones! The 2g, then the 3g and then on July 19th the new 3gs! And I sold more stock and made gobs of money and I am happier by the day! My computer life is stress free and I have CASH and I am ready to tattoo a big apple on my ass because everyday just gets better! Old sayings get to be old sayings for a reason.."YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR"! That original desktop STILL WORKS AND I HAVE NOT HAD ONE PROBLEM WITH IT! GO Apple GO ! Do Whatever it takes to Defend and Expand your territory! And Yes - I pay $5 for my coffee - I use the money I made when I sold my Apple stock!