14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has refreshed the line of rejected apps with the addition of an iPhone-based version of a book called Knife Music. Rolled out by David Carnoy, the app hasn't been approved in the App Store as it contains “objectionable content,” according to Apple.
According to Apple's SDK, “Applications must not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive, or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.), or other content or materials that in Apple’s reasonable judgment (sic) may be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod touch users.”
Without fail, the company rejected Knife Music, providing a sample of one particularly graphic section. However, Apple's definition of “objectionable” has been questioned before.
Alex Brie, the developer of Knife Music, believes that the company is checking to ban non-appropriate content using word-matching software. This is plausible, since Apple isn't likely to check manually for explicit content, Brie asserts.
“Apple’s staff shouldn’t be allowed to refuse to publish works of literature based only on word matching. Even more, what would happen if I (a Romanian) would publish an ebook filled with Romanian obscenities? - would Apple’s staff need to learn Romanian... and read the entire ebook... to make sure this doesn’t happen?” Brie says.
The rejection of Knife Music merely adds to the pile of banned iPhone / iPod touch apps, once again proving that Apple simply can't handle the vast amounts of applications being released each day. Furthermore, if the company sets some priorities when checking app's for “questionable” content, ebooks don't seem to be part of them. It is also worth noting that Apple offers movies, as well as music, on the iTunes Store, besides iPhone apps, yet movie content (for instance) is already given the go by MPAA’s movie ratings, before making it in the iTunes Store.
Apple wasn't available to comment on the matter, Cnet reports, pointing out that the company has never commented on the App Store approval process, six months into the App Store's launch.