Apple under fire over Palm iTunes block, Google Voice apps removal

Apple is under fire this week.

Palm has filed a complaint with the non-profit industry group USB Implementers Forum, charging that Apple is stifling trade by blocking the Palm Pre smartphone's access to the iTunes digital media storefront. And the Federal Communications Commission is now looking into why Apple recently removed a pair of previously approved third-party Google Voice applications from the iPhone App Store and rejected Google's own client. Apple's reasoning was that Google's GV Mobile application duplicates features that the iPhone already comes with, such as a dialer and SMS.

Palm believes Apple is enabling just its own devices to connect directly to the iTunes software and thus is abusing the standards created to facilitate interoperability between computers and devices that use a USB connection.

The USB-IF is an organization that promotes and markets USB, wireless USB and USB on-the-go standards, and members include Microsoft, Intel, Hewlett-Packard and Apple.

The Palm vs. Apple saga began in May, when Palm first confirmed that the new Pre would allow users to synchronize with iTunes. Jon Rubinstein, Palm's executive chairman, had touted the ability for Pre users to plug the device into their computer and use it as a USB drive that would also enable it to sync with iTunes but not download DRM-protected music or applications made for the iPhone and iPod touch.

By the middle of July, Apple released a newer version of iTunes, the iTunes 8.2.1 update, that doesn't enable syncing functionality with non-Apple media players. "iTunes 8.2.1 is a free software update that provides a number of important bug fixes," an Apple spokesperson told BusinessWeek. "It also disables devices falsely pretending to be iPods, including the Palm Pre. As we've said before, newer versions of Apple's iTunes software may no longer provide syncing functionality with unsupported digital media players."

Palm has subsequently released its own webOS 1.1 update that re-enables the media sync feature and added new enterprise features. "That's right--you once again can have seamless access to your music, photos and videos from the current version of iTunes (8.2.1)," wrote John Traynor, Palm's vice president of business products, on The Official Palm Blog.

When it comes to Apple's removal of Google's GV app, the FCC wants to know, among other things, why that app was rejected, what other related apps have been rejected along with it and what role AT&T may have played in the decision. The FCC said it is questioning these companies in light of pending proceedings over wireless open access and handset exclusivity deals.

For more:
- see this New York Times article
- check out this FierceDeveloper article

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An enterprise look at the iPhone 3.0