Should Palm have access to iTunes?

When the Palm Pre was launched it instantly became a competitor to the iPhone with its clever design and impressive software. It could even access your iTunes music library and transfer your favourite tracks to the device so that you can listen on the move.

Apple clearly didn't want a competitor using its iTunes software and it recently updated it so that it no longer worked with unauthorised non-Apple devices - the Palm Pre specifically. Palm has updated its software and users once again have access to iTunes on their mobile. It would not be surprising if Apple changed iTunes again and for Palm to respond with another update. An irritating side effect of this is that you will be nagged into updating iTunes with an 80Mb download or whatever it is these days every time Apple changes it. It's bad enough when it adds features for the iPhone when you don't even have one and you're bugged to update without this Palm vs Apple battle.

Apple is clearly annoyed that Palm is using its iTunes software. After all, Apple spent a lot of time and effort developing iTunes for iPod owners (PC and Mac). If iTunes was specifically created for owners of Apple iPods/iPhones and was bundled with it and it didn't work if you didn't have one, it would be an understandable position, but Apple makes iTunes available for free for anyone that wants it. You don't have to own any Apple device or computer.

If a program is free for everyone and anyone to use in whatever way they want, as iTunes is, you can't then complain if people use it in ways that you don't like. Apple can't make iTunes free for everyone except Palm Pre owners. Instead of trying to block Palm devices it should enhance the features for iPod/iPhone users so they have a better experience.