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Biting the Apple to avoid sin

The players:
Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computers
Ryan Tate, writer for gawker.com

The position
Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computers, says his company will not be a party to the pornography industry and hopes that the iPad and iPhone revolution will help lead to a porn-free world.

The Argument
Does the iPad represent a revolution? That's perhaps too lofty a term suggests Ryan. "Revolutions are about Freedom" Tate writes in an email to Jobs.

Jobs: “Yep, freedom from programs that steal your private data. Freedom from programs that trash your battery. Freedom from porn. Yep, freedom,” responded Jobs. “The times they are a changin’, and some traditional PC folks feel like their world is slipping away. It is.”

Tate accused Jobs of "imposing" his "morality" by having Apple forbid pornographic applications for iPad. “I don’t want ‘freedom from porn.’ Porn is just fine! And I think my wife would agree,” fired back Tate

Jobs shot back, “You might care more about porn when you have kids.”

In an exchange with customer Matthew Browning posted by Techcrunch.com in April, Jobs had defended Apple’s crusade to keep pornography off its products.

“We do believe we have a moral responsibility to keep porn off the iPhone. Folks who want porn can buy [an] Android phone,” he said, referring to the product of competitor Google, which has permitted a pornography store app for its smartphone.

Apple might be "imposing it's morality" but no-one is forced to take a bite of the Apple. Good on Steve Jobs.  Interestingly, Ryan thought "revolution" was too strong a term for essentially a computer.  I note though that many would read the sentence Jobs had defended Apple’s crusade to keep pornography off its products. and not think twice about the reference to this "crusade" of Jobs.  A crusade, or just a preference?  Vive la revolution.


This content found at Lifesite News: Jobs on the Job

Comments

  1. Never knew this about Apple. Might have to make my next purchase an apple!!!

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  2. I have have been using the Apple iPhone since late last year and I really like it. Certainly the sexiest computer I've ever owned...

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  3. Ryan Tate is full of nonsense. Jobs has a perfect right to say no to pornograpic apps if he wishes - it's his company. And Tate knows perfectly well that the iPhone and the iPad have very competent browsers that can access all the pornography one wishes, if one is so inclined.

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  4. More importantly MacDoctor, I'm not sure his wife did agree with him.

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  5. There is currently a storm over porn at Wikipedia. Reports are that Jimmy Wales, one of the co-founders, has been forced to give up top level control over the site. He was trying to clean up the porn content after big time donors questioned some of that content.

    This is Wikipedia! Where we send our children to look up things. Pick the any porn subject you want and you'll find it described at Wikipedia - with pictures.

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  6. I read about this is February. I think they removed about 5000 sexy apps.
    I think they still have Playboy and Sports Illustrated though. Perhaps they make a lot of money off those brands.

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  7. Indeed, Mr Jobs is rightly applying property rights to the business. Those who agree may buy his products, those who don't are free to go elsewhere or produce their own.

    It is important for those who talk about freedom to realise that includes the right of anyone to exclude what they don't want from their property or products. My right to free speech is not a right to use someone else's platform to expound my views, but a right to create my own or seek permission of another's to do so.

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