Ernest Nagel
is old
Posted without further comment. 
:doh:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/23/BUT1177G2N.DTL&tsp=1
Apple gets rid of 'Baby Shaker' app after complaints
Apple has apparently rethought its decision to allow an iPhone application that allows you to shake a baby to death to quiet its crying.
"Baby Shaker," a simple app from Sikalosoft, was first released Monday for 99 cents. It shows pictures of babies with the sound of them crying and a stop watch. To stop the crying, you shake the iPhone hard and then little Xs appear on the eyes of the baby, who will presumably never cry again.
Apple apparently pulled the app sometime Wednesday afternoon after blogs and sites such as TechCrunch and Cnet caught on to the story. It's hard to believe that this got through the iPhone app certification process in the first place.
Patrick Donohue, founder of the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation, which fights pediatric brain injuries, took Apple to task in a letter, saying, "As the father of a 3-year-old who was shaken by her baby nurse when she was only 5 days old, breaking three ribs, both collarbones and causing a severe brain injury, words cannot describe my reaction."
Apple has had a pretty strict policy on screening apps for content, which has not always been popular with developers. Apple has approved apps like "Beer Goggles" and a raft of farting apps. But the company has also denied apps that dealt with sexual themes, drug use or violence, even in apps designed as games.
While you can debate some of Apple's previous choices, allowing this one looks hard to defend. I doubt Apple will be looking to ease up on its restrictions on apps anytime soon. With the bad publicity from "Baby Shaker," Apple will have more incentive to be even more conservative - not less - going forward.
This article appeared on page C - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle
:doh:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/23/BUT1177G2N.DTL&tsp=1
Apple gets rid of 'Baby Shaker' app after complaints
Apple has apparently rethought its decision to allow an iPhone application that allows you to shake a baby to death to quiet its crying.
"Baby Shaker," a simple app from Sikalosoft, was first released Monday for 99 cents. It shows pictures of babies with the sound of them crying and a stop watch. To stop the crying, you shake the iPhone hard and then little Xs appear on the eyes of the baby, who will presumably never cry again.
Apple apparently pulled the app sometime Wednesday afternoon after blogs and sites such as TechCrunch and Cnet caught on to the story. It's hard to believe that this got through the iPhone app certification process in the first place.
Patrick Donohue, founder of the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation, which fights pediatric brain injuries, took Apple to task in a letter, saying, "As the father of a 3-year-old who was shaken by her baby nurse when she was only 5 days old, breaking three ribs, both collarbones and causing a severe brain injury, words cannot describe my reaction."
Apple has had a pretty strict policy on screening apps for content, which has not always been popular with developers. Apple has approved apps like "Beer Goggles" and a raft of farting apps. But the company has also denied apps that dealt with sexual themes, drug use or violence, even in apps designed as games.
While you can debate some of Apple's previous choices, allowing this one looks hard to defend. I doubt Apple will be looking to ease up on its restrictions on apps anytime soon. With the bad publicity from "Baby Shaker," Apple will have more incentive to be even more conservative - not less - going forward.
This article appeared on page C - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle
