iPod Apple sailing close to the wind?

[Denarius]

Just saw an interesting story on the BBC website that the Palm Pre was able to sync with iTunes, but Apple have updated iTunes to block it from connecting.

I'm just wondering how long it will be before Apple start getting into trouble for anti-competitive practise? I think I'm right in saying that iTunes is the single largest online music reseller along with the iPod/iPhone range being the most popular flash memory based music players. By locking out others from the system they're simultaneously locking out other online music sellers from the iPod and locking out other hardware manufacturers from iTunes. Coupled with OSX being artificially locked in to Apple Hardware and I just wonder how long they will be able to carry on like this without either US or European authorities taking an interest.

What do other people think?

Scope of this goes a bit beyond iPod and iTunes, but I couldn't find a general enough part of the forum.

 

[SimonJ]

There's a long thread about this very issue here.

I see it this way - Apple created iTunes and iPods. It's their software and they can choose what works with it and what doesn't. Why should they be forced to support a competitor's product?

The same goes for Mac OS X - Apple created it and Apple decides what it runs on.

Is Microsoft locking out competition by not allowing iPods to sync with its Zune syncing software? No.

 

[spillproof]

Apple owns it, they can do as they please with it. In my opinion, however, I don't think they should have stopped it. Why is apple so against it - because the Pre is actually a worthy iPhone competitor? If people want the Pre, they will get it and iTunes 8.2. Plus, it would be better for their music and video sales. But hey, thats just my thinking.

 

[jzuena]

Apple owns it, they can do as they please with it. In my opinion, however, I don't think they should have stopped it. Why is apple so against it - because the Pre is actually a worthy iPhone competitor? If people want the Pre, they will get it and iTunes 8.2. Plus, it would be better for their music and video sales. But hey, thats just my thinking.

Sure, let's make it easier for our competitors to get us to miss out on that $600 phone sale so we can sell that new non-iPhone owner 5, maybe 10 99¢ songs instead.

Not to mention that Pre owners can still buy songs on iTunes and sync them to their Pre, just not through iTunes itself.