Is Apple Really Taking a Stand on Sexy IPhone Apps?

Recently, Apple has made the announcement that it will be shutting down, as well as not distributing, applications (Apps) that contain inappropriate and/or sexual content, especially pornography (1). This will include Apps that can be purchased and downloaded from the iPhone and iTunes Apps store for the iPhone, the iPod Touch, and the soon to be released iPad. The news comes as a reaction to Apple product users, in particular parents, who have expressed concern over what their children are downloading and using. Female Apple product users have also complained about the lewd and degrading content that is available via Apple's iPhone and iTunes Apps store.

Apple develops and offers its own iPhone and other Apps for users to download. It also allows third-party developers to post their own Apps. One example a third-party App is Wobble, which allows users to alter specific portions of a photo so that they appear to jiggle. Apple recently banned this App due to advertisements that hinted that it could be used on photos of breasts.

What exactly is Apple deeming to be inappropriate and/or sexual? The following disallowed App list has been compiled, based on an interview conducted by the New York Times with Apple executive Phil Schiller (2). Disallowed Apple Apps will be any Apps that contain the following:

Images of men or women in bikinis.

Sexy/suggestive silhouettes.

Sexual connotations and/or innuendo.

Interestingly, Phil Schiller did defend the continued availability of the Sports Illustrated App, saying that the difference between this App and other third-party Apps is that Sports Illustrated is "a well-known company with previously published material available broadly in a well-accepted format." Sports Illustrated regularly publishes images of bikini-clad men and women, including its well-known bikini issue.

Playboy also offers an App through the iPhone Apps store on Apple, and this App was not removed during Apple's purge of more than 5,000 other sexually-orientated Apps. Since Playboy also falls under the classification of being "a well-known company with previously published material", it may remain on Apple's iPhone and iTunes web site, despite being obviously associated with inappropriate and/or sexual material.

Meanwhile, other App developers have been unfairly shut down in the process of Apple's "clean sweep". Simply Beach sells a line of swimwear, including maternity swimwear and swimsuits designed for individuals who have undergone mastectomies. Simply Beach received its shut-down notice from Apple last week and has been unable to negotiate with the company since that time (3). However, the swimwear provider can still display and sell its wares from Amazon's iPhone App.

Apple's iPhone and iTunes Apps store has always offered parents the option of enabling the store's parental controls. So, the question remains: why did Apple decide to ban Apps containing what the company deemed as "inappropriate"? Even more poignant is the question of why certain "established brands" were able to survive the sexual App ban, while other companies had their Apps removed.

References:

1. Can Apple keep the iPhone app store clean?http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/07/06/explicit.iphone.apps/index.html

2. Apple bans most (but not all) sexy apps http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2010/02/23/apple-bans-most-but-not-all-sexy-apps/

3. Swimwear seller hit by Apple's removal of 'sexual" apps. http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/02/23/swimwear_seller_hit_by_apples_removal_of_sexual_apps.html