No sooner had the first-ever iPhone application containing nudity been put on sale on the App Store than it was pulled down, no longer on sale. This was not a case of Apple being prudish, but apparently the developer’s own decision.
While there was furore over Apple supposedly pulling the Hottest Girls app containing topless nudity, all other 17+ apps are still on sale in the App Store following the OS 3.0 update, which provided parental control over apps, music and video.
The developer, known as ‘Allen the Geek’, claimed in a note on his site (now removed) that the application was taken down due to over-demand and subsequent strain on the server.
Whatever the reason, it appears that Apple is allowing 17+ apps onto the App Store, but the short-lived Hottest Girls is no more.
Test-driving the app, Wired said: “The application itself is terrible. Four photos are shown on screen at once and tapping one will pull a full-sized version from the server … this first foray is quite awful, but you can be sure that there will be more, and better, very soon.”
One of the questions that the new parental controls for the iPhone OS 3.0 throws up is the future top-selling applications for the iPhone. Will adult content see a shift in best-selling apps, or will social apps such as Tweetie, Pandora and last.fm continue to reign?
By Marie Boran
