iTunes Updated to 9.0.2, Pre Sync is Dead. Again.
Here we go again. Apple has updated iTunes to version 9.0.2 and Palm Pre sync is dead again using webOS 1.2.1, despite Palm's Hurculean efforts to spoof nearly every aspect of USB identification known to mankind.
Context & Ripple Effects
Palm had already turned iTunes compatibility into a public interoperability fight: Apple blocked the Pre from syncing in July, and Palm restored it by making the handset identify itself like an Apple device. The 9.0.2 break shows that workaround depended on Apple’s software continuing to accept that identity.
Palm had also begun to reduce its dependence on iTunes, outlining a wireless Amazon-download strategy in September. Losing sync again gives that alternative more strategic weight than a supplementary music option.
First-order effects
- Palm Pre owners using webOS 1.2.1 lose iTunes syncing with iTunes 9.0.2, while Palm’s USB-identification workaround no longer delivers compatibility.
- Apple retains control over which devices can use iTunes sync, without needing Palm to change its handset hardware.
Second-order effects
- Palm has greater incentive to steer Pre buyers toward wireless Amazon downloads rather than repeatedly maintain a fragile iTunes workaround.
- For Pre users, music management becomes less predictable across iTunes updates, weakening iTunes compatibility as a dependable Palm selling point.
Third-order effects
- The repeated break-and-restore cycle points to mobile-device interoperability being set by platform-owner software decisions rather than by a stable shared interface.
- If Palm’s alternative download strategy gains priority, handset makers may compete by building substitute content paths instead of relying on a rival’s desktop ecosystem.
The trend: Mobile platforms are becoming gatekeepers of media sync and distribution, pushing rival devices toward independent content channels when unofficial compatibility proves brittle.