New iPods Try, Fail to Block Linux Sep 17, 2007, 14 :00 UTC (1 Talkback[s]) (6919 reads)
BoingBoing: New iPods Reengineered to Block Synching with Linux
"The latest iPods have a cryptographic 'checksum' in their song databases that prevents third-party applications from synching with the portable music players. This means that iPods can no longer be used with operating systems where iTunes doesn't exist--like Linux, where gtkpod and Amarok are common free tools used by iPod owners to load their players.
"Notice that this has nothing to do with piracy--this is about Apple limiting the choices available to people who buy their iPod hardware..."