The forthcoming Palm Pre smartphone is skipping a two-step so tricky, it'd defeat Steve-O on Dancing with the Stars: to position itself as a valid competitor against the monster that is iPhone, while confirming iTunes' status as the dominant music app. Isn't that like wearing your wife's ex-husband's boxers?

Maybe it's just smart business. At any rate, Paul Cousino of Palm confirmed yesterday at the All Things Digital conference that the Pre will sync with iTunes (on  PC and Mac), and with iPhoto (on Macs only), though users will have the option to forego the app and simply use the Pre as a mass storage device. 

John Rubenstein, Palm's CEO, also noted that his years at Apple affected the design of the Pre -- and claimed, via a video, that the Pre "eats iPhones for breakfast." We'll see who's eating whose shorts on June 6, when the Pre hits stores.

Via Electronista, Information Week