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Apple cries foul over adult advertising

updated 02:20 pm EDT, Wed May 23, 2007

Apple vs. sex toy ad

Apple has threatened adult retailer Ann Summers with legal action if the company doesn't pull an advertisement for its $60 'iGasm' sex toy. The iGasm is a small vibrator designed to pulse to the time of any track played on an iPod, and the advertisement in question resembles Apple's silhouette iPod ads with an erotic twist: The darkened image of a female clad only in undergarments is shown against a pink background holding a white oval-shaped device, with cords leading to earbuds as well as her underwear. Apple is demanding that Ann Summers remove all posters or face legal action in court, according to Macworld UK, but thus far the adult-oriented store has left its posters in place.

by MacNN Staff

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climacs
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2001

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05/23, 03:04pm | report spam | close Reply |
hahaha that's great

c** on, Apple, don't be such prudes! Think how many iPods could be sold with this new way to use it!

testudo
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Joined: Aug 2001

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05/23, 03:13pm | report spam | close Reply |
Great

Does this mean Apple is claiming copyright on anything with shadows?

trevj
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Joined: Dec 1999

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05/23, 03:20pm | report spam | close Reply |
re. great

Heck no! Only on any product with a pleasurable user experience. ;-)

nativeNYer
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Joined: Apr 2005

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05/23, 03:36pm | report spam | close Reply |
not just about shadows

This isn't just about the use of a shadow image. The ads look exactly like an iPod ad, and Apple does have a right to stop ads like this if the product being advertised is NOT an iPod or an authorized device. Even if it wasn't a s** toy. The fact it IS a s** toy is probably more concerning to Apple. Even though I see this as no big deal, I don't think Apple wants to have that kind of image associated with them. And like it or not, this is America, the land of prudes and religious freaks who seem to think that s** is the work of the devil. So I can kind of understand Apple's concern here.

tindrum
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Joined: Apr 2004

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05/23, 04:14pm | report spam | close Reply |
s** is ok for christians

in fact, in the covenant of marriage, it's encouraged. but outside of marriage, s** is a sin, according to christians. perhaps nativenyer should take the anti-christian invective somewhere else.

cgkaide
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Joined: Jan 2001

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05/23, 04:16pm | report spam | close Reply |
Cool!

Where can I get one for my girlfriend. I'll have to make a special playlist!!

cgkaide
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Joined: Jan 2001

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05/23, 04:31pm | report spam | close Reply |
Sounds like a prude to me

Are you still in high-school or something...?

"in fact, in the covenant of marriage, it's encouraged. but outside of marriage, s** is a sin, according to christians. perhaps nativenyer should take the anti-christian invective somewhere else."

Sondjata
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Joined: Oct 2000

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05/23, 04:41pm | report spam | close Reply |
yawn

If the issue is that of "likeness" then I understand. If it's about s** then..yaaawn.

tindrum
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Joined: Apr 2004

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05/23, 04:42pm | report spam | close Reply |
i'm 41

years old, cgkaide.

ZinkDifferent
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05/23, 04:47pm | report spam | close Reply |
tindrum

How unfortunate, tindrum - 41 years old with the mind of a 12 year old choir boy. Please leave your proselitizing at home, and away from this forum - most of all, you really ought to *understand* your scripture, instead of rote-repeating how your pastor interprets it, moron!

wonderllama
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Joined: May 2007

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05/23, 05:00pm | report spam | close Reply |
assumptions abound

How did this thread get so far off topic? Copyright law, intellectual property rights and protecting a company's brand have nothing to do with the religious preferences of the United States, much less those held by other MacNN readers. Can we dispense with the name calling and personal attacks or are we no better than the members of Congress?

newadam
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05/23, 05:17pm | report spam | close Reply |
christian bashing...

Why is it that the second a Christian challenges a prejudice against Christianity, in this case the misconception that Christians hate s**, the immediate response is to challenge his intelligence and insult his faith. I am happily married man to a beautiful wife, have a masters degree, and am fully committed to my Christian faith. Just because you are not willing or refuse to examine your own life and study Christianity with an open and intellectual mind and heart, does not mean others have to be an idiot to. I have studied every religion and made a choice to believe that Jesus is the answer to our deepest questions. If you choose to reject it, then it is your choice. By the way, I had great s** with my wife last night - with no fear of disease or unwanted pregnancy. I did this without coercion or drugs and can do it practically any night we want. Man I hate my life - sarcasm implied.

Mave a blessed day and night.

juxtapose
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Joined: Oct 2006

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05/23, 05:26pm | report spam | close Reply |
nativenyer

So Apple has a right to protect their system of corporate beliefs as it relates to public perception et al. but anyone who is as you say a "religious freak or prude" does not deserve the same right?

suhail
Senior User

Joined: Nov 1999

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05/23, 07:08pm | report spam | close Reply |
GUYS STOP!

"�the land of prudes and religious freaks who seem to think that s** is the work of the devil."

nativenyer did not even mention the name Christians, how in the world you connected his statement to Christianity is beyond me!

PBG4 User
Senior User

Joined: Feb 2001

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05/23, 08:26pm | report spam | close Reply |
Wow

Considering the ads in question have been released in the UK, it really doesn't or shouldn't matter what people in the US think. The people across the pond are a bit more open about sexuality than people here in the US.

newadam
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Joined: May 2007

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05/23, 09:22pm | report spam | close Reply |
Implication...

One does not have to name it. Implication is the word. Who else would he be referring to that are: a. Prevalent religion which is largest in America b. Religious c. Believe in the Devil d. Has scripture e. Has a Pastor "And like it or not, this is America, the land of prudes and religious freaks who seem to think that s** is the work of the devil."

"*understand* your scripture, instead of rote-repeating how your pastor interprets it, moron!"

hezekiahb
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Joined: Jun 2006

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05/23, 11:13pm | report spam | close Reply |
image matters

You may not like that someone disagrees with your view about s** but calling them a 12 year old for expressing their views is a bit hipocritical. Afterall Tindrum's views were the first to be attacked here.

Look, whether you agree or not with the view that anyone should be up in arms over being associated with adult material the fact is Apple's target audience is (whether you like it or not) teenage kids. As a parent the last thing I would want for my kids to do is be purchasing from a company that associates itself with such a lucrative business.

Apple is smart to quickly seperate themselves from this publicly & I imagine as a father Steve Jobs also feels some fatherly responsibility to respond they way they have to this add.

I personaly don't believe in a world where absolutes only exist in the mind & are different for every person. I'd hate to see the day when murder becomes acceptable because it is just "natrual selection" working itself out.

Disagree with my views if you like, I welcome it, but please give a more intelligent response than calling me or others that disagree with you a 12 year old.

-HB

chucker
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Joined: Mar 2007

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05/24, 08:35am | report spam | close Reply |
america

Jeez, what's happening in America these days? With this and the Al Gore story, people seem to be really uptight about something these days over there.

I would suggest you all go home to your "wives" and give her the best iGasm of her life.

nativeNYer
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Joined: Apr 2005

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05/24, 08:58am | report spam | close Reply |
re: christians

"perhaps nativenyer should take the anti-christian invective somewhere else."

Hmmm, let me go back and read my post. *scrolls up and reads it* Yep, just what I thought. Never mentioned Christians in my original post, so why I wonder does tindrum automatically assume I'm referring to Christians? Martyr syndrome perhaps? Honestly, I never mention any specific religion and was not singling any one out. For all you know tindrum I could have meant the Jewish religion or Muslim or something else entirely. Y'know, there ARE other religions outside of Christianity! I know, I know, hard to believe, but it's true, I swear.

hezekiahb
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Joined: Jun 2006

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05/29, 12:02am | report spam | close Reply |
very true

Very true nativenyer, which is why I said views were attacked & not religion. Though I would point out that it doesn't take away from the insult of what was said, it just increases it 3 fold.

By the way chucker, if more people acted upon your last sentence maybe divorce wouldn't be so high in this country. ;)

As to comments that this discussion has gotten off topic, isn't the article about a conflict of morals? I don't see Apple getting off about other products that use the "i" symbolism in their name.

My opinion, the more heated & deep the discussion gets the better; this country was founded on great debate!

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Apple cries foul over adult advertising

updated 02:20 pm EDT, Wed May 23, 2007

Apple vs. sex toy ad

hahaha that's great

Great

re. great

not just about shadows

s** is ok for christians

Cool!

Sounds like a prude to me

yawn

i'm 41

tindrum

assumptions abound

christian bashing...

nativenyer

GUYS STOP!

Wow

Implication...

image matters

america

re: christians

very true

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Apple cries foul over adult advertising

updated 02:20 pm EDT, Wed May 23, 2007

Apple vs. sex toy ad

Related Articles

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hahaha that's great

Great

re. great

not just about shadows

s** is ok for christians

Cool!

Sounds like a prude to me

yawn

i'm 41

tindrum

assumptions abound

christian bashing...

nativenyer

GUYS STOP!

Wow

Implication...

image matters

america

re: christians

very true

Login Here

Register for our weekly email newsletter:

Connect tools:

Subscribe

to our RSS

Follow us

on Twitter

10 Most Read

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MacNN Marketplace