Apple Updates iTunes, Ends Pre's iPod Charade

Apple has released an iTunes update that prevents Palm's Pre smartphone from appearing to be an iPod when connected to a Mac or PC.

According to Apple, iTunes 8.2.1 is a free software update that provides a number of important bug fixes.

What the update also does is disables devices "falsely pretending" to be iPods - including the Palm Pre.

The result is that the newer version of iTunes software will no longer provide syncing functionality with unsupported digital media players such as the Pre.
Apple has taken this step beause the Pre plugged a Pre into your Mac or PC (and running a version of iTunes earlier than 8.2.1) was able to pass itself off as an iPod to iTunes.

While Pre users will still be able to drag music onto the device - making it a less seamless process.

Pre owners can obviously choose to stick to the older version of iTunes or consider another music applications.

Whether Apple's move will put people off buying the Pre remains to be seen.

In a separate development, Palm is making its Mojo Software Development Kit available to developers interested in building applications for the Pre.

While the SDK is now officially available, submissions won't be accepted until this fall.

Palm said more than 1.8 million apps have been downloaded since the Pre went on sale six weeks ago.