Apple rejects NIN app

Apple has rejected an update to a pre-existing iPhone app, according to the lead of the industrial band Nine Inch Nails. In a video (see below), Trent Reznor describes the app as a companion to the NIN website, making it simpler to access hosted music, photos, videos and forums. But the NIN Access 1.0.3 update has been tossed out as a result of what Apple is calling "objectionable content," in the form of The Downward Spiral.

While Apple has not specified the form of the content, Reznor notes that the Downward Spiral album, which has an ample amount of swearing, is not available directly through app. The closest thing is said to be the album's title song, which can only be heard through NIN Access when streaming a podcast. Ironically, Reznor observes, Apple has long sold the uncensored Downward Spiral through iTunes.

The musician calls Apple inconsistent in this regard, and points out that potentially offensive material can pass through many Apple apps, including the mobile versions of Mail and Safari. The company's approval personnel are also said to have missed a more obvious area of concern, that being the NIN forums. Posts on the site are generally uncensored, outside of normal moderation concerns.

It is not known if or when the new NIN Access app might be approved, and if the app's developers intend to make any changes to meet guidelines.

by MacNN Staff