Playboy Gets A Sexy iPhone App. Sorry Guys, No Nudity.

IMG_0817Playboy is a magazine that actually does have really good content, I swear. But yes, most people know it as the magazine that each month features nude pictures of their Playmates. And now the magazine has an iPhone app in the App Store. But those concerned that this might ruin Apple’s prude stance with the store, fear not: There is no nudity.

Instead, the app features easy access to some of the main articles in the magazine each month. And it does so in a very slick and sexy way, the app is among the fastest I’ve seen in terms of transition between the different areas. The app also shows you who the featured Playmate of the month is, but all you get is the introduction, the data sheet (which I’m actually kind of surprised Apple even let through), and a series of sexy, but clothed photos. Each Playmate also has a video about their shoot, but again, no nudity.

The plan is for the app to use in-app purchasing so that you can easily buy hard copies of older issues. But that apparently won’t be available until the next version of the app hits next week on the same day that the next issue of Playboy goes on sale. Humorously, to buy other things from Playboy, the app makes you go to the web, with a warning that you’ll be entering a page that contains content which may not be appropriate for children under 17. Of course, anyone with an iPhone can browse to that site directly without the warning from Apple.

Despite apps like this, Apple continues to straddle a difficult line of hypocrisy with regard to the App Store approval process. For example, apps that do satire are rejected, while apps that allow you to see up the skirts of asian girls are just fine. Also fine: Apps that simply showcase Asian Boobs, which is the name of the app. Oh, and Mein Kampf is also fine. But there can be no nudity in an app for a magazine known for its nudity. That kind of stuff which you see today in PG-13 movies is just too much for a device which has built-in parental controls.

The app is $1.99 in the App Store. You can find it here.

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