At 01 Jul 2009 11:58:03 -0500 Jon Ribbens wrote:

> Not much of an interest - there's no way they could prevent Palm
> (or anyone) providing some trivial tiny app that syncs the iTunes
> music library with any device they want to, given that the iTunes
> music files are just unprotected files on the computer.


Arguably, the "value" of iTunes syncing is notthe use of the library- on my
PC, iTunes, WMP and Zune all point to the same set of files- but working
within the bulk of the iTunes feature set- smart playlists, etc.

For people who exploit iTunes' features to their fullest, upgrading from
one iPod to another or to an iPhone is a no-brainer to preserve that
desired functionality. Enter the Pre, that will sync with iTunes, and be
compatible with not only your music files, but playlists as well, and
you've potentially got an alternate upgrade path for users wanting to
graduate from an iPod to n "iPod phone." Sure the "true believers"
probably won't consider a third-party device, but it might convince a few
in the US to stick with Sprint and a Pre as their MP3 phone rather than
jump to AT&T for an iPhone.