The current buzz is that Apple has apparently begun removing sexual content apps from The App Store and is sending notices to their developers about those application removals. At the same time, Apple has added SDK terms to the App Store that allow promotional sweepstakes or contests (read: lotteries).
According to TechCrunch, which published a copy of an email sent to the developer of Wobble iBoobs, the decision is due to numerous complaints about sexually-based content. This despite the fact that the App Store labels these apps with a “17+” and requires users to affirm that they are over 17 years of age before download.
As PCWorld points out, this new decision doesn’t have to make sense, since Apple has a track record of making tweaks and decisions that leave developers wondering what the hell is going on. Even applications such as Wobble iBoobs, which merely allows users to select a portion of a photo and make it “wobble” on the screen when the phone is shaken. That’s not nearly as racy as other apps, such as Tera Patrick’s SlideHer. CNet has done a long search of sexual apps to see what has and hasn’t been removed.
In the mean time, AppAdvice has discovered that Apple’s iPhone SDK terms are extremely tolerant of developers who wish to include contests, sweepstakes, lotteries, etc. in their apps. These lottery-style applications are allowed in the App Store and one of the first apps to take advantage of this is Ka-Ching, a lottery wherein users can load the app, hit a button, and win a monthly contest worth $1,000.
So it appears that the puritans at Apple are worried about sexually-oriented apps, but have no problem with gambling. Anyone see any hypocrisy there?
