It is a sad day for that cross section of both Apple and porn fans who have been hoping for ways around Apple’s ban on porn. In an e-mail to a customer, Jobs confirms that he believes Apple has a “moral responsibility” to keep porn off the iPhone. He does offer an alternative though: Buy an Android phone.
In a copy of an email sent to TechCrunch, the Apple CEO responded to a customer named Matthew Browning, who was concerned with Apple’s seeming trend towards blocking content that the company decided was inappropriate. Browning told Jobs, “It appears that more and more Apple is determining for it’s consumers what content they should be able to receive. For instance, the blocking of Mark Fiore’s comic app (due to being political satire) or blocking of what Apple considers to be porn.”
The reference to Mark Fiore is in response to Apple’s decision to reject the application of the Pulitzer-prize-winning political cartoon satirist, on the grounds that it violated Apple’s license policy that forbids content it deems “may be found objectionable, for example, materials that may be considered obscene, pornographic, or defamatory.” Apple has since asked Fiore to resubmit his app.
“Fiore’s app will be in the store shortly.” Jobs told Browning, “That was a mistake. However, we do believe we have a moral responsibility to keep porn off the iPhone. Folks who want porn can buy and Android phone.”
This isn’t the first time that Jobs has suggested that the Android is a better fit for porn aficionados. During a Q&A session following the announcement of the iPhone 4.0 OS earlier this month:
“You know, there’s a porn store for Android. You can download nothing but porn. You can download porn, your kids can download porn. That’s a place we don’t want to go – so we’re not going to go there.”
Sorry iPad users, this includes you too.
If you want porn apps, JB your iDevice and there you go.
Porn is everywhere. Free. You don't need an app for that. What galls me about Jobs comment is that he is hiding behind a moral argument when this is really about running the apps you want to run on the hardware YOU OWN. 1984 is here folks, and Jobs/Apple are Big Brother.
Apple is a company; not the government. They can decide what to give customers and that would be picking products. People need to realize that just because a company is large; it does not and should not HAVE to follow the orders of its customers if it doesn't want to.
The managed-info world Apple proffers on everyone is what their value-add is: Controlled technological ecosystem that is well executed and functional. You look at the 'typical' Apple customer and I don't see a whole lot of pr0n in that demographic to begin with.
Jobs isn't stupid. In the modern info-world, there is no way – for instance a parent with a child – to reliably manage or filter information and still have a life. You're going to have to count on the information infrastructure you pay to plug into being compatible with your lifestyle. Apple offers that, and since they do what they do well – even if not everyone is on board – their customers trust Apple.
That's a critical difference between Apple and Microsoft, which like Apple wants to completely manage the user experience but cannot execute like Apple with their General Motors-ish approach to products and lack of hardware control.
I'm not a smartphone owner – I can't abide the two-year contract for a subsidized widget that's outdated half-way through said contract – but I'm happy there are companies like Apple doing this. because it pre-emplaces market alternatives to personal filtering of smut-net and therefore pre-empts the government sticking its heavy-handed, corrupt nose into internet content, which seems it is always anxious to do.
Unfortunately, this will will not ever work it never has… Why do Apple fanboys think this is new?
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However, we are talking about Apple…the company that had a vision of opening up the resources of the net…..the company that had a vision of home computers…the company that developed the IPhone for on the go communicating.
Wrong wrong and WRONG *where have these people been hiding
Hell I thought about it TOO..
All of these things apple has followed in the footsteps of others
Every Company that has taken this approach has failed
Apple already has with the jailbroken phones
I have no use for such apps but I acknowledge others "pursuit of happiness" (ie personal freedom to choose)
Maybe the American dream is just that
I agree with Apple's position on this. It's much better having a clean app store. If anyone wants porn, they can open their web browser.
This is not about censorship. There are plenty of other phones and ways to get porn. It is great to have a platform where porn is not being shoved in your face all the time and you don't have to constantly work to keep it away from your kids.
Bottom line is people vote with their wallets. If you need porn, buy it but don't force others to accommodate you the way you want.
Apple invented and developed the iPhone and its iOS so they have the right to manage it the way they see best.
booooooooo
It is about censorship. Its not like porn would be shoved in your face as you describe it. Its about it being there as a CHOICE. Not haveing that choice is censorship.
It's just another one of iJobs' masterful marketing ploys. He had to do something to stem the tide of Android phones which are rapidly gaining ground against the iPhone. How to do that? …. Associate Android with Porn and all matter of nastiness then remind everyone that kids with Android phones can get access to porn. Oh My!!!!! How do you protect your kids (and yourself?) buy an iPhone and you're safe. Bravo iJobs. Yet another brilliant marketing gimmick. Between iJobs telling us what we should like and News Corp telling us what we should think, welcome to the Borg.
When I heard that Steve wants nothing to do with "Flash", I didn't know it was the naked part he was against. I like how he wants the entire computer world to bow to him too. ie no "Flash" support for OS X 10.7 rumors. I own a mac and have gotten many people to make the jump. All I have to say to those people now is, "I'm Sorry." I didn't know Adolph junior had entered the building. Let us all NOT take a bow, but stand in front of him naked. I wonder if he's against public breastfeeding too? We should be happy for he supports the chinese economy by having all his gadgets made over their and for us to buy them. Steve~ if you wanna invest in us then give us "real" jobs, and get out of the morals business!
And why exactly is ITunes full of songs with explicit lyrics. Take those down Steve. And put some blocks on mac computers and iPads so that people only see the morally acceptable content. In fact iTunes should only carry Classical Music. Of composers who were married. Married only once. Go Steve, go.
You must be a bible thumper… Morals and values are the only good thing that comes from some religions. The rest just causes conflict, like pushing your morals onto others. Everyone currently has the fredom to chose, if corporations decide what is good for us then we loose all the fredoms our parents/grandparents fought for.
You need to learn to read sarcasm.
Mr. Jobs, you have my respect and thanks – and that of a million girlfriends, boyfriends, wives, and husbands. I'm an Android and Windows user who has not appreciated Apple's contributions to our culture until now.
Thankfully Bill Clinton had it right~ A Blow Job isn't sex so we should still be able able to watch em' on the iPhone!