Back on topic, here's the latest in the Palm vs Apple thing:
Palm Reports Apple to USB Compliance Organization Over iTunes Syncing Issues
Quote:
As PreCentral points out, the move is a bold statement by Palm given the company's apparent misuse of Apple's USB Vendor ID in order to permit iTunes media syncing.
I just plugged my 1.1 Pre into my Mac in Media Sync mode and sure enough, it's identifying itself with an Apple USB Vendor ID:
Product ID: 0x8002
Vendor ID: 0x05ac (Apple Inc.)
Version: 0.16
Manufacturer: Palm Inc.
Such use of another manufacturer's Vendor ID is "strictly prohibited" by the USB Implementers Forum:
When you apply for a USB Vendor ID, you sign a form that explicitly states that:
"Unauthorized use of assigned or unassigned USB Vendor ID Numbers and associated Product ID Numbers are strictly prohibited."
Based on Palm's actions, it appears that the company believes that Apple's refusal to allow open access to iTunes via USB is a severe enough violation of the relatively open nature of the USB standards that it is willing to violate standards itself in order to work around Apple's restrictions.
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