Palm Releases WebOS 1.3.1 – No iTunes Syncing Hack This Time

It was only a few months back that Palm Pre used to be counted as a potential iPhone killer. 

A lot of things have changed since then. However, one thing that has kept Palm in the news has been its cat and mouse game with Apple in letting Pre users sync their phones with iTunes. 

This has been the story so far: Palm, in order to let Pre users sync their phones with iTunes had been spoofing its USB vendor ID that made Pre be seen as an Apple device by iTunes. Apple had responded by announcing an update that prevented Pre from syncing with iTunes. Palm responded with updates to Pre that reenabled iTunes syncing. This race to outdo the other has now continued for quite sometime, despite the USB Implementors Forum criticizing Palm for its policies. 

Late last month, Apple announced iTunes 9.0.2 that sought to break Pre syncing with iTunes once again. While we might have expected Palm to continue flouting USB-IF norms by announcing yet another update to reenable syncing, the company has surprised us with a new WebOS update that does not address the iTunes syncing issue. 

We are not sure if this has been as a result of a changed stance from Palm or if there is yet another impending update to help Pre sync with iTunes again. We hope it is the former. As a responsible player in the smartphone market, Palm needs to think of long term strategies to counter the iPhone threat. Quick fix solutions like spoofing Apple's USB Vendor IDs cannot go a long way. A better strategy would be for Palm to partner with companies like DoubleTwist that are competent iTunes alternatives that will offer Pre users a good experience without compromising on the company's reputation. 

Do you think Palm will reenable iTunes syncing for its users or has Palm finally started to look ahead? Drop your comments to tell us what you think. 

[via Network World]