Analysts: Cupertino Will Sue the People Selling the Apple Peel 520

Analysts quoted by China’s Guangzhou Daily say the people behind the Apple Peel 520 are likely to face a legal challenge, as the device interfaces with the iPod touch using Apple's proprietary 30-pin dock connector without a license. The Apple Peel 520 is a slide-on case that contains the necessary hardware to effectively turn an iPod touch into a cell phone.

What more is that GoSolarUSA and Yosion, the two companies that shook hands to start selling the Apple Peel 520 in China and the US, are offering up a gizmo that requires iPod touch users to jailbreak their devices.

GoSolarUSA even hands the appropriate tools to those interested in getting their device to support the Apple Peel, a move that may be regarded as an encouragement to hack the iPod touch.

Although jailbreaking has been deemed legal in the US, Apple is known to stick to its policies in that the company does not condone the practice.

In fact, it forbids it, should the customer ever need to pull out their warranty to get a problem fixed by Apple technicians.

However, as noted above, the jailbreak nature of the Apple Peel 520 is not at the heart of this potential lawsuit. The 30-pin connector is.

Apple collects royalties from every iPod, iPhone, or iPad accessory vendor, should their products need to connect to the iDevice via the proprietary plug. It’s a requirement if you want to turn a profit by selling add-ons for Apple portables.

According to a report by DigiTimes, analysts quoted by Guangzhou Daily say “the [Apple Peel 520] interfaces with the iPod touch using Apple's 30-pin dock connector, but does not have the necessary licenses from Apple to do so.”

What’s interesting is that China's respected analysts say nothing about the accessory containing the word “Apple” in its dubbing, which should also constitute a felony of some kind.

The product is basically advertised as an Apple-product, as noted by Softpedia on several occasions in the past.

Before the device was even properly introduced to the world, our website also signaled that the makers of the Peel would undoubtedly need “made-for-iPod” certification from Apple.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/iPod-touch-Becoming-a-3G-Phone-Soon-FCC-Filings-Suggest-149881.shtml

Finally, the paper said that the Apple Peel 520 has problems with unstable voice communications and, by its nature, is difficult to operate.

Adding insult to injury, the Peel is also unable to access the Internet via GPRS or 3G, therefore is likely to face a market that’s tough to break, the paper said.

For more information on the Apple Peel 520, including a video preview of the product, hit the related links.