A buddy pinged me tonight with the video below. It’s of an iPhone app called Puff! that basically allows you to blow into the iPhone microphone or push your finger up the screen in order to get a Japanese girl’s skirt to blow up into the air, revealing her underwear. I’m watching this video, and thinking of my headline for this story. Here’s what I had: Well, Here’s An App You’ll Never See In The App Store.
The only problem? This app is in the App Store. As in it is right now, live. In the U.S. too! What the hell, Apple?
Let me just get this straight: A hilarious satirical app made by the Someecards guys cannot get approved because it contains cards that, for example, mock Hitler. But an upskirt app is just fine? That is so ridiculous.
Now, to be clear, this Puff! app contains no nudity, but I think we all know what this type of app is implying, and who this type of app specifically appeals to (hint: some may be found in this app). This app is rated 17+ for “frequent/intense sexual content or nudity.” The Someecards app was also submitted with the same rating, but just for satire (so basically, language), and it was rejected.
Apple is either extremely hypocritical, asleep at the wheel again (remember Baby Shaker?), or both.
Look, I’m all for all kinds of apps getting into the App Store, including porn apps as long as they’re correctly rated. What I’m not for is Apple’s totally uneven rules for what apps get in and what don’t. And today has brought two perfect examples of that.
I still think it’s time to tear down the App Store wall. I just wonder how long it will take Apple to realize that they have to because the approval situation is untenable and ridiculous. Maybe when they hit a million apps in the App Store? 2 million? Until then we’ll just have to deal with this BS, I guess.
[thanks Sean]
That is hilarious.
why is it all asian woman? needs more variety.
Personally, I like Indian women, all done up in their Hindu attire.
It’s a Japanese application, but it’s available in the U.S. They said that in the article above.
Irony is that liberals like MG want more censoring, anti-sexist, and protection of “modesty” of women. My earlier comment moderated that is very rare event on TC, that suppression of dissent.
Apple will learn their lesson sometime, let’s just hope it’s a lot sooner than MSFT. Wait, they still haven’t learned theirs.
Your right, I get so mad when Microsoft kicks an app out of their apps store… oh hold it… what?
Oh, I forgot, it’s “Apple Fanboy bash Microsoft in any way even if it has nothing to do with the conversation in any way shape and or form” day.
Carry on.
Really Dustin? You think that MS limits what can be run on any of its platforms?
Hmmm – they don’t limit on what hardware you can run Windows (while Apple limits what hardware you can run OSX)
Hmmm – they don’t limit what apps can be run on WinMo (even though it does suck. . .you can still run whatever you can find for it)
Hmmm – they don’t limit what players can connect to WinMedia (we don’t need to mention iTunes and Pre – oops.)
could continue. . . but don’t really need to.
Really SoCalBoom? You think that anyone on this comment board gives a crap about ANY MS platform?
Hmmm – can ANY MS platform run OSX like OSX can run Windows?
Hmmm – do you think anyone here cares what apps can be run on WinMo (and if it does suck so bad…then why would you want to run any?) – By the way, how many sucky apps CAN you find for it? Nowhere near the # of apps available for the iPhone? – Hmmm.
Hmmm – do you think anyone here cares what players can connect to WinMedia? Hint: Anything with “Win” in its title is for “Losers.”
could continue. . . but don’t really need to since this article is about an app you’ll never get to own. – Hmmm.
Go back to Zunesville, you two were made for each other.
-@ALLthingsPORN
Tap Tap RAWRvenge
Wondering why people even download these kind of useless apps.
@amitbhawani doesn’t have a penis
Can’t you see how much Siegler is enjoying playing with this app?
@amit bha waa waa waani is gay
If you were a 13-year-old, you would.
Fap Fap Revenge
LOL! Good one!
stupid
tear down the techcrunch wall. tc is no better than apple on posts or approvals. what goes on tc does not always hold water. nice picture of a girl in a red dress. tc has an eye for what “looks good” and not what changes the game or telling the truth about the demise of tech startups. ipone apps in general are the biggest farce in digital media. 80,000 apps are great to occupy the kids but alot of ipone users dont play games. guesstimate is most people navigate to less than 10 websites 95% of the time. it will be no different on the ipone.
I find this so hypocritical of Apple’s so-called policies on “objectionable content”. I’m certainly no prude, and I would never consider censoring this kind of app – it’s horses for courses and it’s some peoples cup of tea – but what I don’t like is the double standards that Apple are using for app approval. My first ever app was an iPhone version of http://www.thre...alertjesus.com/ – a satirical take on the Homeland Security color coded threat alert system that I originally created back in 2003. All my app did was read the RSS feed of the current threat level and change the color of Jesus’ halo accordingly. It got rejected for “objectionable content”. So how is some crass piece of bottom-feeder “entertainment” like this app any different from mine? It’s because in our society sex/porn is considered “harmless fun”, but religious satire is dangerous and subversive. You can put an NC17 rating on sex but you can’t put one on religion. Heaven forbid we offend anyone by satirizing their belief system, but promoting the act of being a peeping-tom by simulating blowing up girls’ skirts to see their panties is A-OK. Hypocrisy Rules. [self endRant: true];
+1
dude. i am clapping because this comment is so true. i’m glad people are getting pissed of by the way apple is doing things because maybe hopefully they will get it that they need to write their rules down somewhere and show a clear process of why something makes it and why others don’t because this bs is definately shittacular and it’s redundant and very very very annoying. it’s depressing. you would think they would know better, but i guess not. i mean this is beyond hilarious this hypocrisy.
I think you should create an app that shows the nuclear bomb hidden in Mohammed’s turban getting bigger and more radioactive as the threat level get’s higher. When the threat level get to it’s highest, you should just have Mohammed’s nuclear head exploding in an endless loop until the threat level is lowered. I’d buy it.
As someone else said this is hilarious and preposterous all in the same sentence.
Out of curiosity are there porn apps for Andriod? Is that a more open app system?
Im getting tired of Apples iPhone shenanigans, at this point I am pushing for Google to give me an awesome phone on Verizon and I will dump AT&T like an elephant at the circus.
lol. an elephant huh? i wonder if you could email at&fail and tell them how shitty they are, and don’t forget to email apple too for spreading their bs and thinking everyone will buy it. really? you guys rejected the google voice app because it’s too much like the iphones own apps/interface/features and it confuses already dumb people even more? give me a break.
Damn, Siegler you seem to be really upset with Apple for some reason. I’m sure they have reasons for doing this, which is beyond human intelligence or reasoning. Let’s see if we grow up to them
i just find it ludicrous that apple bans certain things from the store while accepting much worse ones.
I’m just guessing here, but I’m sure that the “Ridiculing public figures” restriction (along with many other silly apple restrictions) is intended to reduce lawsuits over apps.
Because Apple directly benefits from the sale of apps, legal sharks smell cash and swim after it.
http://news.cne...0241309-37.html
http://www.macn...rights.lawsuit/
Though I think Apple is applying a ridiculous rule in this case, it would make sense from Apple’s standpoint to limit it’s liability.
While this up-skirt app is borderline porn, it never actually shows anything and assuming the models are contracted, nobody will ever get sued over this app.
And a couple of direct examples of what might better connect the dots:
http://www.film...-and-publisher/
http://www.ipho...uck-norris.html
I had an hour long conversation with an actual real live app reviewer about “prominently erect nipples visible through a t-shirt”. First I pointed out that contrary to their claim that this constituted “obscene or pornographic material” that there are actually legal standards for those definitions and they don’t seem to understand those. I also pointed out that their rating system indicates that “frequent/intense nudity or sexual content” is permitted in 17+ rated apps, which mine was. But the main thing I talked to him about was what’s happening in the app store because of their policies.
I followed-up with screenshots showing how their strictly quantitative policies allow in trash, while excluding, in some cases, higher quality apps. For example, in my case, it was professional photography in which in some instances had models where the outline of a nipple was visible through a shirt. The result: rejection, unless they were airbrushed to the point where the women appeared not to have nipples.
I sent them examples though of multiple apps featuring asian schoolgirls featuring supposedly underage asian women in schoolgirl outfits in upskirt shots–but because they couldn’t see a nipple or any of their checklist of quantified objectionable content, the apps were approved–even though they claimed to portray underage girls in sexualized poses. In other cases there were apps focused on adult listings in craigslist where even the marketing screenshots in the app store included ads for prostitutes.
These apps met their quantitative standards but contain content that if viewed qualitatively would be seen to exploit potentially underage girls.
Assessing content using both qualitative and quantitative standards isn’t new. A playboy magazine has to be wrapped and covered on a magazine rack. A National Geographic, which often does contain nudity, does not, because it’s understood that the photographs are non-sexual in nature.
So while my app has languished for months, I’ve watched apps featuring underage girls (or at least represented to), prostitutes and porn stars climb up the rankings in the app store.
Here are some examples:
Need a hooker? There’s an app for that: http://itunes.a...482992&mt=8
What to watch an asian schoolgirl undress? There’s an app for that too, http://itunes.a...148540&mt=8
just for this comment alone, “I’m sure they have reasons for doing this, which is beyond human intelligence or reasoning,” i think apple should look at employing you to be on their apple legal team.
i mean if they are going to say people are stupid by saying we are confused with how things work and we do not know what we load onto our smartphones…why dont they just come out and say it instead of implying stupid. say it.
so… what’s more ridiculous… Apple’s proprietary iPhone… or the fact that there was only one company on earth that made a cell phone for the US market that didn’t suck, and that it took years and years for it to finally happen?
Apple could force a Hello Kitty wall paper on everyone tomorrow, and most users would have to just suck it up and deal with it because of the lack of alternatives. Now *that’s* ridiculous.
Apple has become the IT consumer’s Multivac in the Asimov story “The Life and Times of Multivac”… a short story about a benevolent computer that relieves humanity of the burden of choosing it’s own destiny.
i agree that the iphone is hands down the best phone out there. apple’s judgement calls on some of these apps however…
Lack of alternative smartphone operating systems that by default disallow users to install apps outside of a walled garden? Yeah. And only someone out of their gourd would want an operating system that gives the users the power to choose for themselves what to install.
Bottom line is comments (and mindsets) like “Until then we’ll just have to deal with this BS, I guess.” are the reason why Apple fans deserve every thrust of Cupertino’s phallus.
“Want to see the underwear of a Japanese woman? Yeah, there’s an app for that.” – LOL.
John
mobile porn
Ok, what’s with all the whining? Are you that offended by underwear???? There’s no nudity, but everyone acts like this is porn. Actually I find this less offensive than the THOUSANDS of useless crap apps that are on the app store. 9 of every 10 apps on there =garbage. Everything from farting to a billion flashlight apps, or battery meters when there’s one in the top corner already. I don’t think the world is mature enough to be able to handle porn on the iPod but cmon, underwear is a topic worth complaining about???
you’re missing the point here. if apple wants to include these apps, more power to em, but how do you have these and not satirical ones that might use a bad word or two?
this is just as dumb as saying users will be too confused by an app like google voice instead of just flat out saying that people are stupid and that is why we apple need to give them a controlled user experience that is the best. it is okay for apple to include this dumb dummy app with a chicks undies on display but they find other stupid reasons to deny apps just cause…i mean for real. read that guy niilo tippers comment above. this is complete bs and if in the write up mg sounded pissed about it, it’s because he and many many many other’s are, but you can’t do shit about it because they are apple. they are untouchable.
That’s quite amusing, couldn’t resist and ended up buying it.
naturally i did too. for um, historical purposes.
you meant for research purposes…for your job and to actually validate if indeed she is wearing undies and not flashing everyone. interesting whoever made this app and the person the chose and the entire aesthetic. it is fun and it works and lots of little boys will be doing this app.
i dont own an iphone, but can’t you just visit a porn site with the browser?
can you blow in a browser?
What about this app, how does this make it to the store?
http://itunes.a...187335&mt=8
There are many more like it. Makes no sense….
Hang on….where the hell’s the girl in the orange with the hoo-hoos?
Refund!
oh yeah, bad apple, etc
oh wait … there she is
phew, keeper
“Until then we’ll just have to deal with this BS, I guess.”
Actually no one has to deal with anything. Anyone who doesn’t like the App Store is perfectly free to not to use it, or not to use the iphone. I think the real indicator of the App Store’s consumer approval is the number of people using it, and the number of developers seeking approval.
Looks like a cool app… I want an iPhone now
I think you confuse hypocrisy with a random confusing internal app approval process. Some apps are denied because of certain standards. Others are allowed despite violating these same standards. Google AdWords runs the same way. I’ve seen ads that were absolute clear violations of Google’s own written policy. But because they have so much stuff to approve and no clear direction, it just becomes a cluster.
Yet another example of the “objectification” of women.
— I’m sure David Letterman already had this App.
This will go perfect with my iFart and Wobble apps! Thanks!!!
Well it is truly interesting that some apps get approved.
Apple did approve a GREAT app though this week:) it is called ITIM
http://www.appt...free-sms-or-mms
It lets you send and receive PHOTOS and TEXT messages all in ONE app. Seems like they are doing something right:)
Looking forward to your review of this app cause I love it:)
Wow, that’s pretty pathetic.
Ocarina-her-Skirt
I was kind of surprised when I was building my iPhone alphabet (http://www.flic...ars/3978316556/) how many soft core apps there were in the AppStore.
Was I so foolish to believe that Apple had banned them?
Apple really needs to create a separate category for these apps. I don’t like that my app is constantly getting pushed down the Top Entertainment list by the likes of Naughty Hotties, Peekaboo, Asian Boobs and now PUFF! Grrrrr.
you people have never been to Japan..
this is will be an instant hit here
and don’t get me wrong. this is ridiculous.
Ohh (O.O)
\H/
JL
Now that is an app I’d pay for.
uh… stop building apps for the iphone you morons. There are other phones out there (Android-based for instance) that don’t have these problems.
I don’t get it. Everybody knows about the ridiculous apple app store approval process. Yet, people keep spending time & money on building apps only to have them rejected. Then they act all surprised and upset. The only thing more ridiculous than the app store approval process is actually building an app for it and getting all pissy when it doesn’t get approved. Read the news, blogs, etc. It’s no secret.
Good ol’ Apple…
i just downloaded it..seems fun..but where is the sound???
sound would make it more fun…am i missing some settings??
wish my app could have been approved by Apple..
I have created iBlood.Net an app where needy people can find blood donors..what’s wrong in that??? Apple has rejected this…
I will put that in Cydia now..but it really hurts…
I created a really useful app which has been rejected and all kind of nonsense apps are getting approved..
Apple, come on..iPhone is just not a time killer..it can be useful too…
Same thing was accomplished in iGirl back in February….
I think what you are failing to realize is that there are many people involved in the app approval process and therefore the process is somewhat subjective. People naturally have different grasps of humor, and this upskirt app may have been submitted multiple times before finally finding someone who was either asleep at the job or found it hilarious.
1) implying that guys that want to see up girls skirts are sex offenders, lol. I guess pretty much 100% of guys are sex offenders.
2) the real story here- apple’s inconsistent treatment of apps in the approval process is older than dirt.. there are 12 billion examples of this have popped up since the app store went live. Good to see you’ve been paying attention- welcome to the party.
and then there is “Nude It” for the iPhone:
http://www.yout...yer_profilepage
Comparing people that like legal scantily clad women to sex offenders is pretty sketchy.