Apple kills Palm Pre iTunes sync

Apple has struck a blow against Palm and its flagship Pre device, which some have heralded as stiff competition to the iPhone, by removing the Pre’s ability to masquerade as an iPod.

Palm had made a big deal of the Pre’s ability to interface with iTunes, allowing consumers to transfer and manage their music using the popular program. The Palm website still claims users can “use the Palm media sync feature to transfer your DRM-free iTunes music, podcasts, photos, and more to your Pre.”

However and iTunes update released Wednesday, taking the application to version 8.2.1, addresses an “issue with the verification of Apple devices.” In a nutshell, this means its puts a stop to the Pre’s pretending to be an iPod.

Earlier versions of iTunes still work with the Pre as Palm advertises, and users can still transfer music by treating the device as a USB drive, but it’s unsurprisingly clear that Apple is keen to protect its own innovation and new-found market share in the mobile space.