Apple’s New ‘Overtly Sexual’ Policy Becomes Butt Of Joke [Comic]

For the past week, there’s been a lot of media coverage regarding Apple’s war on smut and the removal of over 5,000 “overtly sexual” applications from the App Store. We thought it’s time to lighten the mood and get a breath of fresh air by sharing this comic from The Joy Of Tech. LOL … enjoy!

Apple-Cartoon-FINAL

February 27, 2010 | Filed Under News | 5 Comments 

Wobble iBoobs Back On Sale For Your Jiggling Pleasures!

Yesterday in our “The Comedy Of Errors – Starring Apple” article, we reported that after realizing their mistakes, Apple reinstated two previously banned apps … Simply Beach and Daisey Mae’s Alien Buffet. These two apps were originally collateral damage in Apple’s war against smut apps.

Well it looks like Apple has corrected a couple of other OOOPS-ies. Yesterday Apple reinstated six previously banned Hooters apps, including the Hooters Calendar Screen Wash app we highlighted by publisher On The Go Girls.

hooters-all  HootersWashiPhone

And just now, we received word, that the once banned Wobble iBoobs and Wobble iBoobs (Premium) apps are now available for sale on the App Store. Well sort of … looks like there was a slight tweak in the app’s title … no iBoobs. Guess it’s less “overtly sexual” this way.

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wobble-no-iboobs

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Stay tuned to KRAPPS as we’ll keep you abreast (see what we did there?) to any further developments in iSexGate 2010.

February 25, 2010 | Filed Under Entertainment, Lifestyle, News | 5 Comments 

The Comedy Of Errors – Starring Apple

As previously reported, Apple finally broke their silence regarding last weekend’s  massive removal of “overtly sexual” apps … “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,” Philip W. Schiller said in an interview with The New York Times.

Uh, ok. But what about apps like Playboy, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, FHM, Maxim and others … these definitely contain “overtly sexual” content which kids should not view … why did Apple look the other way and not ban these apps? … “The difference is this is a well-known company with previously published material available broadly in a well-accepted format,” Schiller said. ERROR … translation – although these magazine apps contain titillating content, they will provide Apple a significant revenue stream from magazine subscriptions via the iPad once it arrives.

Uh, ok. But why did Apple ban a legitimate retailer’s online shopping application … Simply Beach … which sells bathing suits and rated 4+? ERROR … Apple made a mistake and they realized it. So without a word, not even to the publisher, Simply Beach mysteriously reappeared back on the App Store.

Simply-Beach-1  Simply-Beach-2

Uh, ok. But what about the 12+ rated game, Daisey Mae’s Alien Buffet … why was it pulled from the App Store? ERROR … once again, realizing their mistake, Apple  reinstated Daisey Mae. Oh, and of course no word from Apple to the developer that their game was once again live (seems to be a common theme with Apple, this no communication thing).  

Daisy-Mae

Uh, ok. But yesterday, after Apple’s new “no smut apps allowed” policy … why did they approve the Girls Of Break.com app with its dental floss bikinis and bare asses images? ERROR … unless we missed the memo, Break.com is not “a well-known company with previously published material available broadly in a well-accepted format.”

GOB-Title

GOB-1  GOB-2

Uh, ok. So Apple is cleaning up the App Store ahead of the iPad’s launch, which they are hoping to promote as a device for families and schools … yet the following Five Secrets app iTunes preview screenshot is approved for all ages to view? ERROR … trust us, it doesn’t matter how “well-known” the company is, no school will allow their students to read such a graphic description.

LOL …. Shakespeare could not have written it better.

Five-Secrets-FINAL

February 24, 2010 | Filed Under Entertainment, Lifestyle, News | 14 Comments 

Apple Finally Speaks Out – Sexy Apps From Well-Known Companies Ok

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Last Friday we reported that Apple dropped another bomb in their war on smut apps.  Numerous developers received email notices from Apple announcing a revision in guidelines and the removal of any “overtly sexual” content from the App Store. At that time, it was our notion that this round of banishments would be considered the most significant day in Apple’s war on smut.

And indeed our inkling came true. Within 72 hours, over 5,000 “overtly sexual” apps were pulled from the App Store, representing about 3% of the total number of apps in the Store.

5000-appsremoved

Not only was Apple removing smut apps, but also wiping out entire publishing companies. One such company is On The Go Girls … as of Monday, all 50 of their applications were no HootersWashiPhoneFINAL longer available for sale, thus putting an end to their sole source of income. 

Until today, Apple has been silent about this latest round of take downs. The New York Times reports that Philip W. Schiller, head of worldwide product marketing at Apple, said they were responding to complaints from App Store users.

“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,” Schiller said.

Schiller continued saying Apple had to prioritize its customers. “We obviously care about developers, but in the end have to put the needs of the kids and parents first,” he said.

Our question has always been … if Apple is removing “overtly sexual” apps, why do apps from Playboy, Sports Illustrated (Swimsuit), Maxim, FHM, Victoria Secret or Cosmopolitan (Sex Positions) still remain? Although it appears Schiller was not questioned about most of the apps we mentioned, he did speak specifically about the Sports Illustrated application.

SportsIllustratediPhone  PlayboyiPhone

“The difference is this is a well-known company with previously published material available broadly in a well-accepted format,” Schiller said.

So let’s get this straight … although Apple cares about developers, priority was given to the needs of kids and parents. HOWEVER … “overtly sexual” content from well-known companies (Playboy, SI, Maxim, etc.) take priority over kids and parents. Or another way of looking at Apple’s logic … if the boobs are well-known (Playboy, SI, Maxim, etc.) and available broadly in a well-accepted format, then it’s ok for kids and parents.

Sound logic? Debatable (not) … but one thing is clear, Playboy certainly benefits from Apple’s logic. Prior to the removal of 5,000+ smut applications, the Playboy app was in the #111 position for Top Overall Paid Apps. Four days later, Playboy sits comfortably in the #32 position … $$ KaChing $$

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LOL @ Apple! While we realize it’s Apple’s business and they can do whatever the hell they want … let’s call a spade a spade. Apple is cleaning up the App Store ahead of the iPad’s launch, which they are hoping to promote as a device for families and schools. Large, well-known companies with titillating content like Playboy, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, Maxim, etc. remain because they should provide significant revenue for Apple through magazine subscriptions via the iPad.

Sorry for being blunt … we would suck at being a public relations spin doctor.  

February 23, 2010 | Filed Under Entertainment, Lifestyle, News | 11 Comments 

NASA Releases First-Ever iPhone Game, Complete With Wiseass Remarks

Space geeks rejoice! In follow-up to NASA’s widely popular debut iPhone app … the cleverly named – NASA App [iTunes Free] … the NASA Lunar Electric Rover Simulator [iTunes Free] iPhone game landed on the App Store today (ouch, that doesn’t sound right)! 

NASA-Game-Title

Both armchair astronauts and common folks alike will love this simulated joy ride on the moon and being tasked with various missions to complete. While gameplay controls resemble Pac-Man … left, right, forward and reverse … the game presents plenty of unique challenges before the words “Mission Accomplished” are awarded. Just like real-life astronauts, proper navigation and attention to power consumption are the keys to success while driving in space.

NASA-Game-1

NASA-Game-5

NASA Lunar Electric Rover Simulator is not only a mouthful to say, but filled to the brim with extra goodies. The Gallery section of the app features 14 images of various Lunar Electric Rovers with facts about each. The interactive Learn section takes a closer look at the rover, complete with informational call-outs. Couple all this with groovy spacey in-app music, the NASA Lunar Electric Rover Simulator app should quickly makes its way into the Overall Top 50 Free apps.    

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But aside from all these killer features, for us, the best asset of NASA’s first-fever iPhone game is its wiseass remarks. For example, if you happen to crash the rover, you’ll receive a sarcastic mocking … “you’re the reason we had to remove that annoying reverse beeper!” LOL … there are plenty of more zingers available to discover, so rather than be a spoiler … just download the free rover simulator app immediate fun.

February 22, 2010 | Filed Under Games, News | 7 Comments 

Apple Drops The Final Bomb On Smut – All ‘Overtly Sexual’ Apps Removed

In case you missed our previous coverage, Apple has reversed their policy and is in the process of removing once approved smut applications from the App Store. Below is an overview of Apple’s efforts:

Friday, January 29: As detailed in our “Apple Reverses Policy, Begins Removing Smut” article, Apple sends developers a short email explaining their app(s) have been removed from sale due to customer complaints of inappropriate content … showing too much skin. While the exact criteria for “too much skin” is unknown, it seems only the most extreme apps were pulled … pasties and hand bras.

Thursday, February 11: Reported in our “Apple Continues War On Smut” article, Apple begins rejecting apps for displaying objectionable preview screenshots. Apple informs developers that … “the application screenshots must meet the requirements for a 4+ rating since these images are visible on the App Store by all users even when purchasing is restricted by the application’s rating.”

iPasties-BANNED

Yesterday, in what probably will be considered the most significant day in Apple’s war on smut, developers received the following email from the iPhone App Review team …

From: appreview@apple.com
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 x:xx PM
To: <COMPANY NAME>
Subject: <APP NAME> Removed from Sale

 

Dear <COMPANY NAME>,

The App Store continues to evolve, and as such, we are constantly refining our guidelines. Your application, <APP NAME>, contains content that we had originally believed to be suitable for distribution. However, we have recently received numerous complaints from our customers about this type of content, and have changed our guidelines appropriately.

 

We have decided to remove any overtly sexual content from the App Store, which includes your application.

 

Thank you for your understanding in this matter. If you believe you can make the necessary changes so that <APP NAME> complies with our recent changes, we encourage you to do so and resubmit for review.

 

Sincerely,

iPhone App Review

As noted, in January, Apple only removed the most extreme smut apps. This time around … in a rather apologetic tone … Apple is removing “any overtly sexual content from the App Store.” KRAPPS received numerous emails from developers stating their apps were  removed. Most were tame … you’d see more titillating content in a Maxim magazine.

asian-bikini-fart-FINAL The Asian Bikini Fart app, along with its Sexy, Black and Latina counterparts, have all been removed. These apps showed no excessive skin … they were simply still images of farting girls in bikinis.

The Dirty Fingers Screen Wash app has been removed. As detailed in our review, this app is a virtual iPhone screen cleaner … a girl, in a bikini, spraying and cleaning the screen.

Launched 13 months ago, the Wobble iBoobs app has also been removed. This app contains no sexual content. It’s photo manipulation software that lets you jiggle selected areas of images uploaded to the application. Static pictures become dynamic … jiggling Jell-O, swaying bridges and of course, bouncing boobs.

So it appears Apple is not just targeting photo smut apps. Sexy slider puzzles, sex positions, sexy scratch offs and many more … all have been removed. What remains to be seen is how consistent Apple will be with their new “overtly sexual content” policy. Will removals be arbitrary and subjective … or will Apple have the balls to remove such big name apps like Playboy, Sports Illustrated, Maxim and FHM … these apps certainly contain overt sexual content, yet still remain for sale (and considering the iPad, probably will always remain for sale).

Sports-Illustrated-iPhone  Playboy-iPhone

Or better yet, developer On The Go Girls published both the Dirty Fingers Screen Wash and Hooters Calendar Sexy Screen Wash apps … Dirty Fingers pulled, Hooters remains – huh? Stay tuned for further developments.

Dirty-Fingers-iPhone-FINAL  Hooters-Wash-iPhone

February 19, 2010 | Filed Under Entertainment, Lifestyle, News | 32 Comments 

Successful Developer Does A 180, Attempts Publishing A Crap App

minisquadron-logo Meet Tak Fung. Besides being a good guy, he’s an independent iPhone app developer and creator of the successful MiniSquadron arcade shooter game. 2009 was a good year for Mister Fung. Besides the launch of MiniSquadron, he secured various industry awards such as being listed in PocketGamer’s Top 50 iPhone Developers of 2009 and securing the No. 3 application in AppAdvice’s Top 100 Games of 2009. If you haven’t checked out MiniSquadron, you’re blowing it … it’s a kick ass game from a hard working indie developer. For more information, read The APPera’s thorough review … or just download MiniSquadron for immediate entertainment. [Full Version, $2.99] [Lite Version, Free]

Now if you look closely at Mister Fung’s portfolio of apps, you’ll notice something really strange. Listed in the App Store, right next to MiniSquadron, is the BikiniButts app. Not a typo … Mister Fung really did create and publish the BikiniButts application. Why – read on …

mrfungfung

Back in December, we were cruising Twitter, minding our own business … when suddenly we see a tweet from Mister Fung … “OMG I have a new goal in life I must make an app that makes it onto KRAPPS.com.” We thought Mister Fung was busting our balls (or drunk), so we tweeted a retort … “Careful Fung. Many apply, but few are chosen.” Well Mister Fung is a funny guy. He threw right back at us saying … “Challenge ACCEPTED! Feel the full might of 10 years of hardcore coding coming to KRAPPS in 2010!” LOL, well ok then … if dude wants to make KRAPPS, so be it.

mister-fung-twitter

Well a month goes by and we get an email from Fung … “Hello Mister KRAPPS! I have not backed down from your challenge. Enclosed for your consideration is a preview video of the crap app I have just submitted to Apple for approval … BoogieButts.”

 

LMAO! Pretty impressive crap … especially considering it came from the dude who published the high quality MiniSquadron game. So judging by the video, Mister Fung accomplished his goal … make crap and have it featured on KRAPPS. Only thing left was to make it official with Apple’s approval.

And therein lies the ultimate challenge … Apple’s arbitrary standards … especially for those “less than stellar” applications. Typically if a developer pushes the envelope too far, Apple rejects the app. Mister Fung found this out firsthand … BoogieButts was rejected by Apple. Apparently there is a rule which states you are not allowed to have any deformable body parts in the application graphically. You are only allowed if the pictures are user taken ones and not part of the app binary (like Wobble and iJiggles).

Yeah, sucks for Mister Fung and a lesson to all … it ain’t easy making crap. BoogieButts was heavily tweaked, resubmitted and approved by Apple. Below is a video of Mister Fung’s approved app, with new name … BikiniButts. As you’ll see, it really blows … so crappy that we would never feature it on KRAPPS (yes, there are plenty of apps that are so freaking stupid, they simply lose any “KRAPPS appeal”). But fear not … Mister Fung has indicated he will not give up. He has vowed to capture the one honor missing from his repertoire … developing an app worthy enough to be featured on KRAPPS. Fair enough Mister Fung … we’ll be waiting!

 

February 17, 2010 | Filed Under Entertainment, News | 16 Comments 

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