Apple bans local developer's 'strip poker' iPhone app
SEATTLE - Apple is cracking down on racy apps for its iPhone, banning them from its App Store in response to complaints from parents, the company says.
But now a local developer is wondering why his app got the boot while others are still showing skin.
Michael Burford of Headlight Software says he made "Poker vs. Girls" as an app for iPhones. It started as just regular poker.
"And we thought, 'How can we sell a few more copies?'" he explains. "Sex sells, so we thought, 'We can do strip poker from that.'"
But don't look for it in Apple's App Store - it's been banned.
"We just got an e-mail late Friday night last week that our pair had been pulled out of the App Store," Burford says.
Burford developed the game and says for the last couple of months it was 25 percent of his business.
"It was strip poker, but it never really got to nudity or anything like that," he explains.
A male version of Burford's strip poker game also was banned by Apple.
Those two Burford games are among thousands deleted from iPhones for not meeting Apple's new standards.
But Burford and others complain that Apple's new policy against racy apps appears to be inconsistent. While "Poker vs. Girls" has been deleted, several apps by Hooters are still available - including one to play "Crazy Eights."
"Sports Illustrated is still there, Playboy is still there - and both show more skin then we ever could," Burford says.
Apple didn't return calls from KOMO News for an interview. But they have said in past interviews the change is in response to complaints from parents.
Burford says a ban wasn't the only way to protect kids.
"I think they could have done it differently - added some more parental controls," he says.
But Burford is not crying on his iPhone. His latest game app, "Knife Dance," just hit No. 1 on Friday.
But now a local developer is wondering why his app got the boot while others are still showing skin.
Michael Burford of Headlight Software says he made "Poker vs. Girls" as an app for iPhones. It started as just regular poker.
"And we thought, 'How can we sell a few more copies?'" he explains. "Sex sells, so we thought, 'We can do strip poker from that.'"
But don't look for it in Apple's App Store - it's been banned.
"We just got an e-mail late Friday night last week that our pair had been pulled out of the App Store," Burford says.
Burford developed the game and says for the last couple of months it was 25 percent of his business.
"It was strip poker, but it never really got to nudity or anything like that," he explains.
A male version of Burford's strip poker game also was banned by Apple.
Those two Burford games are among thousands deleted from iPhones for not meeting Apple's new standards.
But Burford and others complain that Apple's new policy against racy apps appears to be inconsistent. While "Poker vs. Girls" has been deleted, several apps by Hooters are still available - including one to play "Crazy Eights."
"Sports Illustrated is still there, Playboy is still there - and both show more skin then we ever could," Burford says.
Apple didn't return calls from KOMO News for an interview. But they have said in past interviews the change is in response to complaints from parents.
Burford says a ban wasn't the only way to protect kids.
"I think they could have done it differently - added some more parental controls," he says.
But Burford is not crying on his iPhone. His latest game app, "Knife Dance," just hit No. 1 on Friday.