April 23rd, 2009 at 8:41 AM

Yet the major news networks have been openly attributing the app as one of Apple’s, NOT made by a third party. No mention of Sikalosoft.

The state of journalism today is awful.

As for the app incident, it was dumb, it slipped under the radar, but then again, so much slips under peoples radar these days. It’s information overload. Fortunately, removing it was quick and easy.

April 23rd, 2009 at 9:19 AM

Because a private sector decision is the same as government censorship?

April 23rd, 2009 at 11:24 AM

Oh, right. My son’s high school has red as one of its colors. Maybe I should report them to the McCarthy Society.

April 23rd, 2009 at 11:58 AM

I wonder how the Jerry Falwell wannabes at Apple feel about the fact that the company offers domestic partner benefits and contributed money to the No on Prop 8 campaign. Also, Al Gore sits on the board of directors, which must be tough for anyone who aspires to be like Falwell.

I think everyone agrees that the app was in bad taste. The question was, how did it slip through the approvals process, since Apple says it is vetting apps according to certain criteria?

April 23rd, 2009 at 12:22 PM

I agree that Apple should never have let this into the App store. What I disagree with is the inability to load software any other way. If someone wants to make a tasteless game (GTA anyone?) their customers should be able to play it without tainting Apple’s image.

I can add songs to my iPod that I didn’t buy on iTunes. Why can’t I download crap from a web site and then import it into my iPhone or iPod Touch?

April 23rd, 2009 at 2:03 PM

I have to agree with Bosco.

From Apple’s perspective, I understand it completely. Rightly or wrongly, THEY are the ones who have to deal with bad press. THEY are the ones who are held responsible for every little thing. They’re the ones who will be boycotted by this or that humorless closed-minded group if something is deemed offensive.

That doesn’t change anything about the user’s perspective, which is that an open system is better than a closed system. We don’t want everything that is not 100% normal and mainstream to be categorically banned. We don’t need Apple to play nanny for us. We’re big boys and girls.

What kind of effect does this have on developers of bigger games? Do they shy away from developing games with any kind of political message or dark humor for fear of having their work rejected after they’ve already invested thousands of hours into it? I know I would. Is that the kind of culture that benefits the users or the platform (or if you want to be big-picture about it, society at large)? I think not.

I hope Apple changes their policy, and I actually expect them to at some point. Ever since the iPhone was first released, Apple has been slowly repurposing it. At first no third-party apps were available. I’m pretty sure Apple intended to change that right from the get-go, but they didn’t want that to be what people (and the press) focused on. But until Apple actually DOES change the policy, it’s something that should be criticized.

April 23rd, 2009 at 4:41 PM

With a few exceptions here and there, Apple has decided on a calculated risk to take the high road and limit offensive material. Call it a family friendly environment. A Disney like atmosphere. The cold, harsh world is filled with enough violence, filth, and negativity. So, if as a company, they choose a policy for their image that shies away from that, that is their choice and the service they offer to the customer.

As the customer or a developer, I can choose to live within that realm since I know the rules going in. While some may call it Draconian, it’s a misuse of the term. Apple is not the only game in town. In fact, as RIMM, Motorola, Samsung, Nokia, etc., like to point out, they have LOTS of options to the iPhone and seem very willing to open up their devices to all sorts of apps that run the gamut.

So, it in fact is the opposite of a cultural abrogation of responsibility. Apple is offering the customer a responsible choice in the marketplace. Not every company has to pander to those who live their life in the red light district. In fact, since that’s a minority of the populace, Apple’s decision seems all the more intelligent!