Things just got a lot more wholesome in Apple’s app store as a boat load of apps were just banned, and new rules for future apps have been put into place. Bring on the lynch mob!
Just the other day an Apple developer was ticked when his app, Wobble iBoobs, was pulled from the app store without warning. The app didn’t contain any questionable content; all it did was modify potentially salacious images and that was enough for Apple to cut it loose.
The makers of the app spoke with Apple, and although the latter is notorious for doing things on a whim without an explanation, it actually laid down some new rules for third-party applications (and some that applied specifically to Wobble).
- No images of women in bikinis (Ice skating tights are not OK either)
- No images of men in bikinis! (I didn’t ask about Ice Skating tights for men)
- No skin (he seriously said this) (I asked if a Burqa was OK, and the Apple guy got angry)
- No silhouettes that indicate that Wobble can be used for wobbling boobs (yes – I am serious, we have to remove the silhouette in this pic)
- No sexual connotations or innuendo: boobs, babes, booty, sex – all banned
- Nothing that can be sexually arousing!! (I doubt many people could get aroused with the pic above but those puritanical guys at Apple must get off on pretty mundane things to find Wobble “overtly sexual!)
- No apps will be approved that in any way imply sexual content (not sure how Playboy is still in the store, but …)
There you have it. Apple is coming out and saying, “We’ll have none of this, that, this and that and some more of that.” It’s too bad we all can’t be adults about this, or enjoy somewhat adult content on our iPhones, but there’s always the jailbreaking route.
[via Chillfresh]
I could care less about looking at swimsuits or skin on my iPhone. But I’m outraged by Apple’s censorship as well as its arbitrary application of unclear rules, especially for Apps it already approved. Will it censor books for iPad in a similar fashion?
This may be a bigger threat to intellectual freedom and to a new industry than the Communications Decency Act of 1996 was. Then, we sued the government and won (and I was happy to play a small part). How do we fight this one and win?
It’s time to free not just the iPhone but to guarantee freedom of expression to users and developers across all mobile handsets and carriers with the same protection we are now entitled to for the Internet.
Ah, apple is starting to drop the ban hammer for everyone.,. It started on a jailbreak, then now, adult induced apps..
I think this move is an iFail! especially when you see android users enjoying adult-related contents like mikandi
Ironically, if you’ll kiss someone else’s hand, you’re app might get a shot. Let this story be a sample: http://bit.ly/mr-ifart-didnt-fart-but-plead-to-iphone
@nina
Mikandi.. you mean this? http://bit.ly/mikandi-porn-application-best-or-worst
Mikandi is so hot right now on Android.. Its garnering thousands of downloads everyday.
With that I concur with your feedback: http://bit.ly/mikandi-porn-application-best-or-worst
Mikandi is so hot right now on Android.. Its garnering thousands of downloads everyday.
Take another “peek” with the latest adult craze on the android store
We start to see the true color of Steve Jobs, a control freak with too much power. Nobody can decide what should we do because we are adults. Apple just went too far and Steve Jobs just repeated his mistakes again and again. Remember his NeXT computer ? He obviously didn’t learn the lesson from his own history.
Android will overtake iPhone shortly and we will have our freedom back in no time.
Uh, you could always just use Safari to get to the endless amount of adult web content out there.
Really, is there any need to be concerned about this at all? Walmart doesn’t allow adult-only content in their store either, and they’re doing just fine last I checked. It is THEIR store, after all.
Well, without Flash, it’s kinda hard, isn’t it ?? Adobe had driven the point home…
I would be half surprised if Apple chooses to put some image filtering on its web browser to prevent you to see nude pictures. They know better was is right for you…
“but there’s always the jailbreaking route.”
Why should you go out of your way to get features that should be in there in the first place?
What if Apple tomorrow comes up with a mechanism that bricks every jail broken iPhone out there? They certainly are thinking about it.
Plus, the jail breaking route is not for the average user. The only route out of Apple’s walled garden for the average consumer is to move to another platform.
Apple has a monopoly in App Stores which probably exceeds what Microsoft had in operating systems, so moving to another platform is also not an option for the average consumer. (And it would mean giving up most of the best apps, giving up the most usable interface, etc.)
The gap between the Android Market and the App Store is quickly closing, aside from games you can find the equivalent to most apps in the Android Market. And if you’re Google Apps user there’s not question which one is better.
Why do Android users flash their phones with cooked ROMs? Why does anyone hack their phones?
I’m not sure what you mean by “average user.” Jailbreaking is a piece of cake. Most of my non-tech-geek friends were able to jailbreak their phones with relative ease.
Android and iPhone enthusiasts might overlap on reasons why the hack their phones, like customizing it with themes, but the similarity stops there.
First of all, Google doesn’t treat its OS hackers like they’re a disease, much like Apple does. On the contrary, they encourage and support hacking.
In this case we’re talking about installing third-party apps, like Wobble iBoobs. If Apple bans an app, you’d then need to jailbreak and go around Apple to Cydia, to get that app. This issue is nonexistent on Android. In the rare case Google bans an app from the Market, you could simply get it from the devs directly.
Put simply:
People jailbreak their iPhone out of necessity, to be able to do stuff Steve Jobs deems prohibited, like porn.
Hackers flash their Android phones for the same reason hackers do everything else, they want to push the limits of the phone and just because they like doing it.
Oops I forgot this:
Your “non-tech-geek friends” are way above the average user. In a world where most people don’t know which browser they use, I think jail breaking is right up there with the rest of the stuff they don’t understand or are just not interested in.
It seems Apple is now in the habit of playing god. A trend started by google. lol!
Interestingly when you search for “sex” in the AppStore there’s still a ton of apps with the words “sex”, “kamasutra”, “sex positions”, “porn”, etc. in their title and in the description.
Same when I search for other “explicit” terms.
I really don’t mind if apple removes all of that crap. I can find much better content using Safari :-p
But I’m very curious to understand WHY Apple does this.
Don’t they have already regional filters in place to restrict the access to apps that aren’t welcome? (eg sex apps in China)
go apple nothing wrong with a clean phone
you want dirty go windows
simple
HYPOCRITES! Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Application: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/si-swimsuit-2010/id344251827?mt=8 — STILL FOR SALE —
If you want to go dirty FollowTheDice…
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/followthedice/id341695238?mt=8
Now, the Jesus phone became the Pope phone.
Apple telling me what I should or shouldn’t have on my computing device is incredible insult. Perhaps they believe the female body shouldn’t be seen in anything but a burka. This is a small step away from apple censoring and telling us what apps and content we can have on our desktop or laptop. This is a bad decision bases on a vocal minority of prudes are afraid of the human body and is unfair to subject the majority of us to such censorship. I personally don’t think shooter games are the healthiest thing either but its not my right to tell others what they are allowed to enjoy. Why is it that conservative purists always seem to find violence to be much more acceptable then anything deemed mildly “sexual”.
Everyone up in arms when mass consumers don’t give a shit..
Is there a publicly-accessible Apple site that lists this (and other) app store rules? These rule changes have been posted all over various sites, but how did this news get announced/released by Apple?
I really think that the customers are able to decide on their own which apps they wan’t and which they don’t. A notification that an app includes sexual content is more than enough. Censorship just isn’t justified in my opinon.
It’s not Apples job to decide what Apps I can or cannot purchase. What happened to open source?
Steve Ligor
Regardless of which side of the argument you’re on, the fact is that this isn’t a control issue. What we’re seeing with Apple’s decision is that the company has decided to stand for something – and they choose not to do business with certain customers or companies. It happens all the time.
i think its a good step by apple.
There is no need for spam apps.
i´ll hope they stop every picture who assosiate to war…naked people?…dead people?…what do you want in your screen?
Hey Marc, good post summarizing what Apple announced last week. We’re glad to see in the comments that many folks have heard about MiKandi, which has a much different approach to the mobile marketplace.
It seems to us that consumers and developers are asking for more transparency, more options on their mobile phones and really, the understanding that the phone is theirs. Google’s approach with their Android platform supports this a lot better than Apple does, at the moment. We wrote more about this on our blog, discussing our approach to mobile adult apps, mobile marketplaces and consumer choice:
http://www.blog.mikandi.com/2010/02/apple-says-no-to-sexy-our-official-pov/
WHAT ABOUT VIOLENCE? WAR?
Is violence also prohibited in any shape or form? Not even a tiny little kick to the groin?
This must be the most hypocritical thing I’ve read about so far. I feel disgusted.