According to Fortune’s proper Apple 2.0 blog, the Palm Pre has a quite underhanded ruse up its sleeve. Foremost, a mnemonic of the chief justification for the iPod ’s initial good: iTunes. The “vertical integration” of iTunes (for organizing and the iPod (for playback) was a murderer combo.

In arrange to labour as admirably, the Pre needs something like iTunes. So what round iTunes itself? That’s the Pre’s ruse — it desire sync with Apple ’s own software. Fortune:

Stopper a Pre into a Mac and it syncs, seamlessly, with Apple ’s (AAPL) iTunes.

It won’t pick up iPhone applications , of path, or older, Fairplay DRM’ed music , but all else should fair labour. The Pre side is filled of ex-Apple engineers, so they should certainly understand the strings that require to be pulled interior iTunes to obtain this working.

It does it near faking outside iTunes, making the jukebox software believe that it is connected to a genuine iPod . Hanger it up and you’ll be stated three options: USB pile storage contrivance, charging sole or iTunes sync.

This is a ballsy shift from Palm , and we completely feel affection for it: a large obese central digit be at Apple . Apple desire, we are certain, be readying its lawful assail dogs as I pen, and don’t be at all surprised if an iTunes update pops up about June 6th. This contend with-to fair got a collection more interesting.

UPDATE: Here’s the authorized mark from Palm :

Palm media sync is a characteristic of webOS that synchronizes seamlessly with iTunes, giving you a uncomplicated and simple route to move DRM-free music , photos and videos to your Palm Pre.(2) Merely join Pre to your PC or Mac via the USB wire, choose “media sync” on the phone, and iTunes desire start off on your computer desktop. You can then select which DRM-free media files to transfer.

Scooplet: the Palm Pre syncs with iTunes Position Apple 2.0]

Photoshop work: Charlie Sorrel