Apple pulls 5,000 sexy apps from store

Posted on 23 Feb 2010 at 16:25

Apple has recently pulled over 5000 apps from the iPhone App Store. All the apps contained adult-themed content. It's a surprising move given that Apple vets all the applications that go onto the App Store on a case-by-case, so it previous approved all the removed Apps for sale.

Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of product marketing, told the New York Times: "It came to the point where we were getting customer complaints from women who found the content getting too degrading and objectionable, as well as parents who were upset with what their kids were able to see."

However, some adult content has remained on the Store, including content from big-brand names like Playboy. This leaves us wondering if Apple has a double standard on such content, with recognised big business partners being allowed to continue, while smaller developers are cut out.

App developer Jon Atherton told BBC News: "On Friday evening we got an e-mail out of the blue which basically said, thanks very much but we don't want you any more. Apple said it was removing all overtly sexual apps," he continued, "I'm now worried the eco-system is run by puritans and is not fair to all players."

One possible explanation for the change of heart is the forthcoming release of the iPad. While a mobile phone is a personal device for a single user, the iPad can be expected to be used by all the family. With all current apps being fully compatible with the iPad, this could have put Apple in a potential PR nightmare - one that has now been largely avoided.

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