In a series of tweets made yesterday, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner says Playboy fans would be able to download the magazine’s uncensored iPad app in March.
“The iPad Version of Playboy will include the whole magazine from the first issue to the latest,” Hefner said. “Playboy on iPad will be uncensored,” he continued.
Apple is famous for its strict policy when it comes to nudity, and has stated on numerous occasions that its iOS devices are no place for porn. As TechCrunch reports, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been a vocal opponent of allowing adult content on iOS devices, saying, “We do believe we have a moral responsibility to keep porn off the iPhone. Folks who want porn can buy an Android phone.”
With Heffner now claiming an uncensored Playboy will come to the iPad, it’s unclear if Apple has reversed its decision on adult content or if Hefner is speaking ahead of actual confirmation.
When asked for comment, an Apple spokesperson would not provide any more detail to confirm or deny the tweets, telling Digital Journal simply, “We will decline to comment.”
Opening the doors to nudity with a Playboy app could start a snowball effect for Apple, as other publishers and companies who produce adult content would surely line-up to get their apps on iOS devices.
But as Mashable notes, “When you’re a publication as big as Playboy, you can try to persuade Apple to place additional measures of protecting minors from accessing adult material, and it’s quite possible that we’ll see something along these lines in March.”
