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Johansen says that Palm gets the the Prē to sync with iTunes by mimicking the identity of an iPod. All Apple has to do is get its hands on the new smartphone, which is released this coming weekend, and analyse the data that the Prē is sending to iTunes.

“In this case, there’s two implementations of a proprietary standard and it’s almost guaranteed that there will be differences,” <

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Johansen says. “Apple will analyze the Pre and find out what those are. They will then be able to update iTunes to tell a real iPod apart from the ‘PrePod’.”

He adds that Palm likely knows this.

“The following is worth noting in Palm’s press release: ‘Compatible with iTunes 8.1.1 on Windows XP/Vista and Mac OS X version 10.3.9-10.5.7’. That’s called covering your rear. Translated from PR-speak we get: ‘Don’t expect this to necessarily work with iTunes 8.1.2’.”

Palm has declined to comment on the technicalities or the legality of its iTunes hook-up.J

Johansen is better known as DVD Jon, having made his name by reverse engineering the CSS technology designed to prevent the copying of DVDs. He currently works on the doubleTwist app, a media player and organiser designed to work with devices and platforms, soon to include the Palm Prē.