AppleInsider Staff
HBO began offering the Max Go app late last week, providing U.S.-based Cinemax subscribers with streaming access to the network's feature films, documentaries and late night programming. The free app works with the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
iTunes rates the app as +17, its highest rating, because of frequent/intense violence; sexual content or nudity; profanity or crude humor; and alcohol, tobacco or drug use references.
The application has quickly gained attention because of the inclusion of Max After Dark adult programming, which includes the "soft core" erotic films and explicit television shows that earned the network its nickname of "Skinemax." Critics have questioned Apple's decision to approve the app, given its ban on pornographic content in the App Store.
Apple's App Store Review Guidelines specifically state that "Apps containing pornographic material, defined by Webster's Dictionary as "explicit descriptions or displays of sexual organs or activities intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings," will be rejected."
The Cinemax controversy comes months after adult magazine Playboy decided to make its back catalog available on the iPad via an HTML5 web app. The publication's official App Store app does not contain nudity.
Last year, Apple CEO Steve Jobs specifically called out pornography as a reason for curating apps on the iPhone, citing a pornography store for the rival Google Android operating system.
"You can download it, your kids can download it," Jobs said. "That's a place we don't want to go, so we're not going to."
Amber Neely
Andrew O'Hara
Malcolm Owen
49 Comments
I guess it is a fine line between Skinemax and HBOGO's Real Sex series and other fine Adult content shows such as "Katie Morgan's Sex Tips 2" where the screencap promoting the vid has to be censored (just looked at the choices in HBO Go )
Apple's Safari browser in iOS also allows to stream adult content, regardless of daytime.
Honestly, this is a non-issue.
Most people don't care and many actually want content which is NOT censored but the computer company making the hardware/OS.
Personally i think this is much ado about nothing and honestly, Apple needs to stop censoring.
People need to be able to use their computer devices for whatever legal purposes they have. Shouldn't be up to a computer company to censor.
I have both Cinemax and HBO on cable, but can't use any of their iOS apps on my iPad, because of the retards over at Time Warner Cable.
The cable companies should be afraid, because more and more content is being delivered over the net.
Honestly, this is a non-issue.
Most people don't care and many actually want content which is NOT censored but the computer company making the hardware/OS.
Personally i think this is much ado about nothing and honestly, Apple needs to stop censoring.
People need to be able to use their computer devices for whatever legal purposes they have. Shouldn't be up to a computer company to censor.
To me the non-issue is let it be unrestricted on web browsers for iOS, but no porn through apps. If nothing else I don't want the App Store to start getting cluttered with porn apps and massive amounts of borderline-porn apps that you just know will flourish. Web browsing gives you enough free porn anyway, more than you could ever see in a lifetime or two, not sure who actually would pay for porn. Even all the niche fetishes have "enough" free galleries. Then there's always Usenet for the really deviant.
Also, it will take up a lot of resources for Apple employees and developers to compete with, screen, etc. all the porn apps. The App Stores have enough junk in it already.
Plus "think about the children". I don't have any and don't intend to, but this is one case where that phrase is a reasonable argument. Apple has a very strong education focus and I think is one of the greatest gifts kids can have.
Don't think I'm a prude, it's very annoying where I am... in a non-Middle Eastern country where I have to deal with my HBO, Cinemax and Star Movies from legal satellite TV all censored to PG-13 levels. Movies in a theatre are not that bad, but still chopped up to PG-15 levels. Thank goodness the Internet is uncensored and I can access iTunes Store US without any annoying geolocation blocks.