Whilst I can understand Apple’s right – and it is a right – to grant access to whatever devices they want it does seem a little odd that they are, in a sense, forcing (not only) Pre owners to either look elsewhere in terms of purchasing music/video downloads or to use third party apps to get around the issue. I say this as, at the end of the day, they are inevitably loosing iTunes customers to the likes of Amazon – and are thus loosing the associated profits from that lost customer’s potential future download purchases.

In a sense then, certainly from my perspective, they could be seen as shooting themselves in the foot.

Obviously, as stated above, Apple can grant and deny access to whichever devices they want, but that’s hardly in question here. Loosing iTunes customers to other download portals must, surely, however, hardly be for the long-term good and, for me at least, seems to make very little business sense.

I suppose the thinking is that a number of uses, in seeing their Pre’s (et al) blocked, may decide to turn to Apple devices but I suggest that for ever end-user that indeed opts for availing themselves of an Apple device significantly more are lost (some of which will simply not return).

The profit associated with those turning to Apple devices is fixed where as the profit from costumers sticking with iTunes to gain their music downloads must, surely outweigh that sum in not an especially lengthy term.

To me it’s a no-brainer. Give access to keep people with iTunes and let the repeated business roll in, year upon year.

But then I’m not Apple.