Wired: Apple has no sense of satire

This comes as no surprise: Apple has rejected an iPhone app submitted by SomeEcards, a website that hosts egregiously satiric e-cards.
In its rejection letter, Apple said it could not accept the SomeEcards app because it “contains objectionable content and content that ridicules public figures.” What’s actually surprising is that the screenshots Apple attached with the rejection letter, pointing out which content was objectionable, were all related to poking fun at famous people, including Adolf Hitler (above).Oddly, Apple didn’t attach any examples of SomeEcards’ non-celebrity-related e-cards that some could consider pretty offensive. Several of the cards on the site are satirically racist or sexist (see image below the jump).
Apple has come under scrutiny for its questionable and unclear approval policies regarding the iPhone’s App Store. In the past, the company has rejected politically satiric apps such as MyShoe, a game that involved throwing shoes at a cartoon George W. Bush. However, Apple approved Baby Shaker, a game that involved shaking a baby to death, which sparked parental outrage. Apple later pulled Baby Shaker, admitting its approval was a mistake. In a response to Apple’s letter, SomeEcards co-founder Duncan Mitchell said the rejected cards were clearly satiric. He requested clarification on the rejection, adding that other apps contain similarly satiric material.

For Mitchell’s e-mail response, check out SomeEcards’ blog.