iPhone Purity Test Means No Selling Bathing Suits To Women

from the that's-obscene! dept

Tue, Feb 23rd 2010 3:03pm — Mike Masnick

Lots of folks have been submitting the story of how iPhone developers are reasonably pissed off about Apple's new edict barring "adult-themed applications" in the iPhone app store, though it has continued to allow big brand name adult apps, such as those from Playboy. But what has it banned? Well, don't try selling bathing suits to women. Apparently, that's considered an adult app.

While this is certainly Apple's right to do, this is one of the reasons why, in the long run, Apple's rather arbitrary app store policies are going to backfire. Developers are increasingly getting pissed off, or worried that Apple might suddenly pull the rug out from under them, with little explanation and barely any recourse. That's not an environment that appeals to developers in the long run. Yes, given the size of the iPhone (and soon iPad) market, plenty of development will continue. But in the long run, some of the more innovative and valuable apps will appear on other, more open platforms first, and make those platforms more appealing.

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Filed Under: adult content, app store, developers, iphone, swimsuits
Companies: apple

26 Comments

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Brian (profile), 23 Feb 2010 @ 2:13pm

Simply Beach possibly reinstated
A couple articles I have read on this whole thing put an update out recently that mentions the Simply Beach app was reinstated although no mention was given to developers.
http://www.appleinsider.com/blogs/iphone/10/02/23/apple_quietly_reinstates_swimwear_iphone_applica tion.html
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John Doe, 23 Feb 2010 @ 3:13pm

HTML 5 to the rescue...
Soon, phone specific apps will be a thing of the past. The sooner the better too.
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- Anonymous Coward, 23 Feb 2010 @ 3:31pm
  
  Re: HTML 5 to the rescue...
  That's why they'll probably HTML5 capable browsers.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 23 Feb 2010 @ 3:33pm
    
    Re: Re: HTML 5 to the rescue...
    I meant, that's why they'll probably *ban* HTML5 capable browsers.
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drelbs, 23 Feb 2010 @ 3:22pm

Another app returned...
Daisy Mae's Alien Buffet came back without any notice as well.

Apple may have swept with too big a brush the first time, and is now doing some fine cleanup...
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Modplan (profile), 23 Feb 2010 @ 3:26pm

I don't get why it's so hard to be able to give users the ability to set alternative sources for apps. You wouldn't need to provide a completely different store front, just do what Linux distros do - simple sources.list file or similar and GPG keys for security :/

Oh wait, apparently viruses would kill iPhones the world over, not to mention the whole issue with exploding from using 2 apps at once.
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Beefcake (profile), 23 Feb 2010 @ 3:30pm

Free the Cupertino Two!
Unless they also pulled apps selling men's swimwear, as a developer I'd start to wonder if I'd get any traction with Apple with a sexism claim.
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Feb 2010 @ 3:33pm

I feel bad for Mike's Dog
"Apple's rather arbitrary app store policies are going to backfire. "

I bet you're one of those types of people that beats your dog whenever she does something wrong. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, what I am saying is that it's mean and if you take enjoyment out of it (Streisand Effect, anybody?) It's just a little weird.
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- Anonymous Coward, 23 Feb 2010 @ 3:45pm
  
  Re: I feel bad for Mike's Dog
  I too, feel bad for Mike's Dog. That's why I'm inviting his slightly kidnapped dog to the First annual CFW-(RTB) party "Trollin' Time".
  
  Secondly, it seems that Mike's wife has in iPhone (Last paragraph of the article, in "Full Disclosure") and is trying to pick out a swimsuit for the First annual CFW-(RTB) party "Trollin' Time"! Will you be there?
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Dan, 23 Feb 2010 @ 3:34pm

"But in the long run, some of the more innovative and valuable apps will appear on other, more open platforms first, and make those platforms more appealing."

Not meaning to be ctitical of Mike.....sometimes it seems like 'the long run' of de-throning Apple as a platform provider is getting longer all the time. By the time it happens, Jobs will no longer care.
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Matt Bennett, 23 Feb 2010 @ 3:41pm

Uh.......I have a Suicide Girls app on my iPhone. Kinda cute, shows the girls clothed, and when you turn it upside down it shows them in their underwear. Strictly PG, but still.....if that was allowed, why wouldn't swimwear be?
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- Anonymous Coward, 23 Feb 2010 @ 3:58pm
  
  Re:
  Strictly PG, but still.....if that was allowed, why wouldn't swimwear be?
  
  Check and see if it still is. Several thousand apps have recently banned.
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  - Matt Bennett, 23 Feb 2010 @ 4:21pm
    
    Re: Re:
    I don't see it, but I do see a "seduce a Suicde Girl" app that is a similar sort of PG thing. Might just be the reasonable follow on to the former.
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Apple's Store, 23 Feb 2010 @ 4:50pm

Apple's Store
It's there store and their decision. As a parent I'm actually glad. Feel bad for the developers, though, that Apple even flirted with it. But end of the day, it's their call. You don't want risk getting your App yanked, don't develop for a closed platform controlled by a single corporation.
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- Anonymous Coward, 23 Feb 2010 @ 5:05pm
  
  Re: Apple's Store
  For sale! Chastity belts! Can be opened only by the husband/wife only after marriage.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 23 Feb 2010 @ 5:20pm
    
    Re: Re: Apple's Store
    Didn't Google have to pull a few hundred Rogue Android Smartphone apps from the Android market a few months back because they were actually phishing attacks?
    
    It's good that Google is on top of these things and tests the apps. Oh wait, it's actually the community.
    
    Bank Account scams? Sorry, there's no app for that.
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    - Anonymous Coward, 23 Feb 2010 @ 5:24pm
      
      Re: Re: Re: Apple's Store
      It was actually around 50 rogue apps on Android Market. Not "a few hundred"
      
      http://www.crn.com/security/222300674;jsessionid=WF3JIXFFU2MGJQE1GHOSKH4ATMY32JVN
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- Hephaestus (profile), 23 Feb 2010 @ 5:24pm
  
  Re: Apple's Store
  "You don't want risk getting your App yanked, don't develop for a closed platform controlled by a single corporation"
  
  Actually dont develop apps for closed platform, and a corporation that is constantly changing the rules, and doesnt tell you what the rules are until after the fact.
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- Anonymous Coward, 23 Feb 2010 @ 6:20pm
  
  Re: Apple's Store
  "As a parent I'm actually glad."
  
  Hey, maybe we could pass a law to let Apple to censor the whole internet! Like the Apple app store, everything would have to be OK for 4-year-olds (Apple's official yardstick). Wouldn't that be great for your kids? As a parent, wouldn't you be glad?
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- martyburns (profile), 24 Feb 2010 @ 5:31am
  
  Re: Apple's Store
  "As a parent I'm actually glad."
  
  WTF? You're glad you can't by swimwear via an iphone app because you're a parent? You do know that they haven't banned dirty hardcore cum face websites don't you? Or are your children so spoilt that they snub the web and only use purpose built apps now? Jesus.
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telnetdoogie (profile), 23 Feb 2010 @ 6:18pm

Seriously... What was the point in that whole "restrictions" feature they added to the iPhone is OS 3.0 or whatever it was?

Yes, let me set my phone to allow "over 17" app content... oh... wait... there is none.
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Feb 2010 @ 6:52pm

Depends on who your are.
Apple's head of worldwide product marketing, Phillip Schiller, told the Times on Monday that the source and intent of apps were taken into consideration when the ban was applied. Well-established companies with "previously published material available broadly in a well-accepted format" (e.g. magazines like Playboy, FHM, and Sports Illustrated) are not held to the same rigorous constraints...
http://www.pcworld.com/article/190105/apple_explains_sexy_app_double_standard.html

So they seem to be using "it's for the children" as a bullet-proof excuse for protecting their business relations with other big companies.
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- Anonymous Coward, 23 Feb 2010 @ 6:54pm
  
  Re: Depends on who your are.
  I meant "Depends on who you are."
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Feb 2010 @ 8:04pm

No Selling Bathing Suits To Women
for once i agree, they need to swim naked
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Jimr (profile), 24 Feb 2010 @ 5:33am

They needed a rating system. And rate each application. Then on a maintenance screen the user could opt-in or opt-out from viewing certain applications based upon this rating.

As a parent, right now, I sit beside my kid as we scroll through the apps. I do not look forward to the day when the top 25 apps are all bikini apps. I for one would like the option to restrict the results returned based upon some rating. The key here is MY OPTION.
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Tiffany Aleman, 13 Oct 2010 @ 9:21am

Iphone apps Caliban's comment is spot on. The workflow to see which iphone apps you've already downloaded should be: 1. Go to Store > View My Account 2. Login 3. Click on "Purchase History"
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