In what appears to be a direct shot towards the Palm Pre, Apple has posted a Knowledge Base article stating: "Apple is aware that some third-parties claim that their digital media players are able to sync with Apple software. However, Apple does not provide support for, or test for compatibility with, non-Apple digital media players and, because software changes over time, newer versions of Apple's iTunes software may no longer provide syncing functionality with non-Apple digital media players." Palm responded when Palm representative Lynn Fox told AllThingsD, "If Apple chooses to disable media sync in a future version of iTunes, it will be a direct blow to their users who will be deprived of a seamless synchronization experience. However, people will have options. They can stay with the iTunes version that works to sync their music on their Pre, they can transfer the music via USB, and there are other third-party applications we could consider."

Considering how many former Apple employees currently work at Palm, it's hard to believe that the company is oblivious to the fact that Apple could care less about supporting iTunes syncing in non-Apple devices. Something about this entire situation, given the strong connections between the two companies, smells strongly of a carefully orchestrated Palm publicity stunt to keep the Palm Pre in the news and to try to position Palm to Apple in the smartphone arena in the same David-to-Goliath way that Apple has often been positioned in comparison to Microsoft when it comes to computers.

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