Industry group backs Apple, they are allowed to block the Pre from syncing with iTunes

The latest in the cat and mouse game with Palm, the Pre, and iTunes now has Apple in the lead. If you remember back, the last we heard was that iTunes 9 broke the Pre’s ability to sync with iTunes over a USB connection, at which Palm quickly followed up by filing a complaint. Of course, that complaint stated that Apple was misusing its USB vendor code and in turn was not treating Palm nicely.

Ultimately though, it seems that Apple is not doing anything wrong, that is at least what the industry group has determined. It looks like it is back to the drawing board for Palm and this time they may have their work cut out for them. In addition to siding with Apple, the group also let Palm know that they were not allowed to update the software on the Pre to include Apple’s USB vendor code.

Given that, a spokesman for Palm stated that they are still reviewing the letter and will respond if they deem it appropriate. As far as Apple is concerned, as you may have expected, they have not released any comment or statement.

The sad part here is that this little spat between Apple and Palm is ultimately going to hurt the customers. Granted the Pre can handle quite a bit over-the-air, however Palm touted the ability to sync with iTunes. It looks like it may be time to throw in the iTunes towel and begin some work on alternative methods.

Via [PreThinking]