There’s been lots of hype over Apple Inc.’s recent removal of an application that featured nudity.
But now that the so-called “Hottest Girls” app is gone, are iPhone (News - Alert) and iPod Touch users who like that kind of eye candy all out of options? The answer appears to be “No.”
While Apple (News - Alert) continues its strong stance against offering applications that featuring anything close to resembling pornography, there are still plenty of material in the iTunes App Store for people who like that kind of thing.
Apple is still making headlines for pulling Hottest Girls from its virtual store. The download was removed because it violated its terms for showing full frontal nudity. The app, which people could download for $1.99, originally featured photographs of scantily clad girls that were regularly updated from a remote server. But last week, developer Allen Leung reportedly added photos of topless women to the app, according to ABC News.
The company issued a statement last week saying apps with inappropriate content have no place in its store.
“Apple will not distribute applications that contain inappropriate content, such as pornography,” the statement said, according to CNN.com. “The developer of this application added inappropriate content directly from their server after the application had been approved and distributed, and after the developer had subsequently been asked to remove some offensive content. This was a direct violation of the terms of the iPhone Developer Program. The application is no longer available on the App Store.”
It’s not the first time Apple removed an app from its store. The company also dropped the “Baby Shaker” game application, which was developed by Sikalosoft. The game showed a crying baby that would quiet down only after users violently shook their smartphone. Players had to shake their mobile device until red X marks covered the baby’s eyes.
Sikalosoft later apologized for the app and said it lacked in taste. The company’s Web site recommends other iPhone applications worthy of the download.
While Hottest Girls has disappeared from the store, Apple still sells plenty of apps that leave little to the imagination. A recent search on Apple iTunes found more than two dozen applications from Apple’s 50,000 available downloads.
For example, developer Crown Tech launched its “Baberoo” app this month (pictured right) and is selling it on iTunes for 99 cents. The app, which is rated 12-and-older, offers daily images of bikini-clad babes via RSS. Users can build their own collection or create a slideshow on their iPhone or iTouch device. The app features “only the hottest babes with as little clothing as Apple will allow,” the site said. Crown Tech said it plans soon to let users e-mail pictures to friends and will release a “boobs section.”
If that’s not enough, McApps rolled out its “Coed Spring Break” app (pictured left). Just think girls in very skimpy versions of bikinis. Or in the developer’s words, “This is as close to porn as you can get on the app store.” The app, available for 99 cent, has a rating of 17+.
Then there’s “Naughty Nurses” (pictured right) also from McApps. The app, which is pretty self-explanatory, shows a collection of “nurses” in uniform. The photos are something right out of one of VH1’s reality shows. “Rock of Love” ring any bells?
Is this a sign of more racy apps to come? My guess is more will soon by on their way. After all, there is a demand and a market. I can only imagine what might come next. One thing is for sure, Apple will likely be keeping a closer watch on its apps?
The apps aren’t the only thing keeping Apple in the news lately. The company, which recently announced it sold more than 1 million iPhone 3Gs units, has come under fire for selling devices that appear to overheat. As TMCnet reported yesterday, some users of the popular smartphone reported problems with their smartphones overheating.
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Amy Tierney is a Web editor for TMCnet, covering unified communications, telepresence, IP communications industry trends and mobile technologies. To read more of Amy's articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by
Michael Dinan