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Apple Flip-Flopping on Adult Content by Adding Explicit Category?

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When the story is written about Apple’s App Store several things will stand out. One is the flip-flopping that seems to happen with some of the Apps that are rejected. What often appears as high handed and high minded reasons get questioned by the blogosphere and developers and then a reversal takes place.

This doesn’t happen in every instance but it is happening again when it comes to what many view as the confusing and hypocritical removal of some, but not all, sexually explicit (in Apple’s view) apps. The latest is that developers are seeing the inclusion of an Explicit category when it comes to submitting apps. This hasn’t shown up for customers on the App Store yet, but the speculation is that Apple is once again considering reversing course. It would seem logical to me that if such and Explicit category is added that apps previously removed would be restored. That said, I’m guessing that ongoing debates will develop about what is explicit and what is not and as anyone knows, those debates are never clear.

As I’ve said before Apple is in a lose-lose situation here and it appears that damage control is going to have to be a key component of how it operates its App Store as it continues to find some sort of solution to its haphazard approach.

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. sbtablet

    02/24/2010 at 4:48 pm

    What upsets me about this whole thing is that the big guys (Playboy) got treated one way and everybody else got treated differently. Patently unfair. I’d just as soon they ban them all, but that’s me.

    There should be a way that keeps kids out of this stuff. If that’s what the Explicit category will do, creating some sort of back room or something, that’s great. I think it’s not so hard to draw lines on what’s explicit, but Apple needs to define its understanding. Personally, I would draw the line where the bathing suit areas of the body are uncovered.

  2. Mike

    02/25/2010 at 12:52 am

    @sbtablet: Since when does a business need to be fair? They only need to abide by the law, and their is no law forcing them to put anything on the iPhone. If they want to treat one smut better than another, they are free to do so.

  3. sbtablet

    02/25/2010 at 5:58 pm

    And I don’t have to be happy with their ethics, and can take my business elsewhere.

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