[ALUmnus]

Anyone concerned that Apple is bending to this group's will concerning apps? Doesn't seem to mesh with the company's spirit.

http://macdailynews.com/2011/03/23/appl ... app-store/

Apple has pulled the Exodus International app from their iTunes App Store.

Recently, Jeff Buchanan, Exodus International’s Senior Director of Church Equipping & Student Ministries, told The Christian Post, “In no way shape or form is our message about trying to cure or do we try to promote that type of methodology or message… This is a label (gay cure app) that has been put forth by opponents to the application to serve as propaganda in order to stigmatize and really label the application in a false way and provoking a response such as you are seeing with the application.”

Katherine T. Phan reports for The Christian Post, “Over 107,477 people have petitioned Apple to remove the Exodus app from the iTunes store. The petition, launched by Truth Wins Out, a LGBT rights group, calls Exodus’ message ‘hateful’ and ‘bigoted.’ On Monday, Truth Wins Out, whose name is a play on words of Exodus’ Love Won Out conferences, urged more people to sign its petition.”

In addition to releasing a video on why Apple should remove the app, the LGBT rights group also pledged to continue pressuring Apple until the app is removed, even promising to hold a press conference featuring victims of ‘ex-gay’ programs in front of the company’s offices if their demands are not met,” Phan reports. “We are disheartened at the fact that there are activists who are rising up to silence our voice on the Exodus iTunes platform,” said Buchanan. “We want to ask that there would be fair and equal representation of religious belief on this platform as is already existing. We would like the spirit of diversity and tolerance that is so valued within the LGBT community.”

This screencap accompanied the story, showing that the app is gone. Hmmm. Maybe we should start a petition to get "BoyAhoy" pulled.

[Sly Fox]

Apple & censorship go hand in hand. To their credit, Jobs & Co. keep a ton of junk out of their world. To our detriment, we now have yet another 1984-esque Big Brother looming over millions. Ironic considering the company's most famous Super Bowl ad that launched the Mac.

[RubberMallet]

if that app was curing people of the gays, who would be apple products?

[RubberMallet]

are there other apps available that give medical tips that help cure other diseases?

[jbock13]

This all is stupid. Everytime you disagree with radical gays, they want to jump all over you and cram their agenda down their throat. They're just like far-left wackos.

Of course, having said this, I realize that 90% of gays could care less. But it's the 10% fringe who cause all the problems.

And, I think they are "hateful" and "bigoted" with those who disagree with them. Isn't that ironic?

[Sly Fox]

if that app was curing people of the gays, who would be apple products?

[thepostman]

This all is stupid. Everytime you disagree with radical gays, they want to jump all over you and cram their agenda down their throat. They're just like far-left wackos.

Of course, having said this, I realize that 90% of gays could care less. But it's the 10% fringe who cause all the problems.

And, I think they are "hateful" and "bigoted" with those who disagree with them. Isn't that ironic?

and the right doesn't do this?? I agree with you, but right wing wackos are just as bad....

[jbock13]

This all is stupid. Everytime you disagree with radical gays, they want to jump all over you and cram their agenda down their throat. They're just like far-left wackos.

Of course, having said this, I realize that 90% of gays could care less. But it's the 10% fringe who cause all the problems.

And, I think they are "hateful" and "bigoted" with those who disagree with them. Isn't that ironic?

and the right doesn't do this?? I agree with you, but right wing wackos are just as bad....

I thought about adding that to my rant, and I should have. You are correct.

[El Scorcho]

Anyone concerned that Apple is bending to this group's will concerning apps?

No. It's their store and they can do what they want.

No one calls Walmart big brother for refusing to sell items that offend their corporate sensibilities. We're all too happy that they don't sell CDs and movies with content they deem offensive.

Apple is doing the same thing. The iTunes App Store is not the open web, despite people thinking it should be. It's a commercial storefront on the Internet. Imagine 8 years ago Best Buy not wanting to sell a CD-ROM version of the same application for Windows. No one would call it censorship. Because it's not.

[jbock13]

Anyone concerned that Apple is bending to this group's will concerning apps?

No. It's their store and they can do what they want.

No one calls Walmart big brother for refusing to sell items that offend their corporate sensibilities. We're all too happy that they don't sell CDs and movies with content they deem offensive.

Apple is doing the same thing. The iTunes App Store is not the open web, despite people thinking it should be. It's a commercial storefront on the Internet. Imagine 8 years ago Best Buy not wanting to sell a CD-ROM version of the same application for Windows. No one would call it censorship. Because it's not.

You have to love Scorcho's pure brilliance

Sure, I'm dissapointed in Apple bending over to these people. But as he said, it's their company. If we don't like what they do, we are more than free to shop elsewhere instead of Apple. That's the power of the free market

[thepostman]

Very good point about wal-mart

[ALUmnus]

Anyone concerned that Apple is bending to this group's will concerning apps?

No. It's their store and they can do what they want.

No one calls Walmart big brother for refusing to sell items that offend their corporate sensibilities. We're all too happy that they don't sell CDs and movies with content they deem offensive.

Apple is doing the same thing. The iTunes App Store is not the open web, despite people thinking it should be. It's a commercial storefront on the Internet. Imagine 8 years ago Best Buy not wanting to sell a CD-ROM version of the same application for Windows. No one would call it censorship. Because it's not.

Okay, I understand this, although I don't think it's really the best comparison. No one's more free-market than me. But didn't Apple approve this in the first place? It met THEIR standards, but because it didn't meet someone else's, they pulled it. I don't know if it was a free app or not, but if it wasn't, sucks for the guy who now can't make any money from it because a third party was able to convince Apple that their politics are more acceptable than his. Does Apple do this with iTunes? Seems like a bad precedant to set this early in the game, and risky considering apps are the key to market share.

[Green Monkey]

This really isn't much different than when Christians put pressure on stores to not sell pornography or contraception.

[ALUmnus]

Honestly, pornography is a whole different animal, I don't think it really fits. And never once did I compare this to anything that Christians try to do, so I don't know why people go there.

[RubberMallet]

its simple deflection that allows them to not have to explain their position.

[ATrain]

Apple has a fiduciary duty to their stakeholders to listen to customers in the interest of protecting their brand and making a profit. If over 100,000 of my customers were offended by something, I would at least take a look at it and see if it were something that needs to be removed.

Furthermore, was it a correct decision when it obtained Apple's seal of approval in the first place? With over 300,000 Apps, and human analysts screening for content, could it have been possible an error allowed it at all to begin with?

For the record, I did not sign the petition.

[ALUmnus]

1. Apple has a fiduciary duty to their stakeholders to listen to customers in the interest of protecting their brand and making a profit.

2. Furthermore, was it a correct decision when it obtained Apple's seal of approval in the first place? With over 300,000 Apps, and human analysts screening for content, could it have been possible an error allowed it at all to begin with?

3. For the record, I did not sign the petition.

1. Stop with all the fancy-talk. From what I gather, listening to customers is not at the top of Apple's priority list. And their duty is to their shareholders, no one else. This app would not have hurt their profit. Nobody even knew about it until this group decided they were important.

2. That's quite an assumption.

3. Got lost in the mail? I can't believe that a petition actually accomplished something.

[ATrain]

1. Apple has a fiduciary duty to their stakeholders to listen to customers in the interest of protecting their brand and making a profit.

2. Furthermore, was it a correct decision when it obtained Apple's seal of approval in the first place? With over 300,000 Apps, and human analysts screening for content, could it have been possible an error allowed it at all to begin with?

3. For the record, I did not sign the petition.

1. Stop with all the fancy-talk. From what I gather, listening to customers is not at the top of Apple's priority list. And their duty is to their shareholders, no one else. This app would not have hurt their profit. Nobody even knew about it until this group decided they were important.

2. That's quite an assumption.

3. Got lost in the mail? I can't believe that a petition actually accomplished something.

1. Once it becomes a public issue, it becomes something to consider. May not have immediately hurt their profit, but they also have to protect their brand and image. Would not removing an app providing information on the location of check points hurt their profit? Probably not, but it would hurt their image, whatever image it is they're trying to project.

2. Not an assumption, just raising the possibility. There are over 300,000 apps to choose from, you cannot tell me there aren't errors in the screening process. Find and post the iTune app store regarding products for sale, and then make the call.

3. Never even signed up with that group.

[Green Monkey]

2. Not an assumption, just raising the possibility. There are over 300,000 apps to choose from, you cannot tell me there aren't errors in the screening process. Find and post the iTune app store regarding products for sale, and then make the call.

Not unlikely. Anybody recall this story? http://articles.nydailynews.com/2009-04 ... cal-father

[El Scorcho]

But didn't Apple approve this in the first place? It met THEIR standards, but because it didn't meet someone else's, they pulled it. I don't know if it was a free app or not, but if it wasn't, sucks for the guy who now can't make any money from it because a third party was able to convince Apple that their politics are more acceptable than his.

I get this and I honestly think the initial approval of the app was an oversight on their part. That does seem to happen from time to time with the App Store. I have no idea how many people they have working on approvals and things like that, but they've rejected and pulled other apps of a similar nature in the past. Apple is an extremely friendly company to the LGBT community.

I could be wrong. They could have just done it in response to customer feedback. If that's the case it was probably not worth the press to them to let the app exist. Considering the demographics of their customer base, I'd imagine it would be in their best interest to pull it.

And again, that's their prerogative. Private business. Private store.

[Purple Haize]

Sly Fox = Steve Jobs