Isn't this reminiscent of the blame MoveOn.org received for the Hitler ad submitted for a competition in 2004?

People who are offended should really just ignore it. Instead, they've opted to make if famous. Good job.

I drive three high school boys to school every morning. When this story came on NPR, my reaction was "who would write such an app." All three immediately responded -- high school boys. They explained (no idea as to accuracy) that Apple made its source code available so that anyone can write and submit an app for the iphone. This, according to these boys (again no idea as to accuracy) has spawned a frenzy among so inclined high school kids to write apps and have them accepted by Apple. High school kids, while intelligent and competent, may not have the best judgment in the world when it comes to things like shaking baby games.

It's an app that can be run on an Apple product -- it's kind of like blaming your iPod (or iTunes) because 2 Live Crew's music is raunchy. I'm glad Apple is being less restrictive -- this app is perhaps reprehensible, but I'd rather have a free market than have Apple decide what I can do with an iPhone.

By the way, any thought that this app might not be that reprehensible after all? If nothing else, it gets across the message that shaking babies can kill them. Frankly, most shaken babies aren't shaken out of an intent to kill, but out of anger, frustration, etc., mixed with ignorance of the harmful effects that shaking can have. Driving home the message that "shaking will KILL your baby" . . . maybe that's not the worst thing ever.

...and if Apple is really monitoring apps they should never have let this one slip by. I can understand why people affected by shaken baby syndrome and those who are active in associated organizations are really horrified. But still, I think it's stretching to say that this encourages baby-shaking. My son plays an iphone app that smushes a stick figure guy with a giant ball, but I don't worry that my son is going to start dropping large heavy balls on skinny people. Anyone who is learning how to interact with the world around them through iphone apps has problems that aren't going to be solved by even the most careful monitoring of those apps.

I agree that this is not Apple's "fault" (but it's a good lesson for Apple to learn about vetting anything with their name on it).

As to any silver lining for the app itself? Ummm.... no. It's reprehensible. It looks like the goal is to kill the baby as fast as possible. There are a million other ways to get the message out about shaken baby syndrome.

You describe this as an "Apple app". It isn't. Apple does create and publish a lot of software, but this one was put on the App Store by Sikilasoft--a result of, as you note near the end of your post, "relaxed requirements for [[Apple's]App store." The distinction is important for the same reason that you wouldn't want to have a letter, written by someone who believes that women should be limited to domestic servitude, childbearing, and sexual slavery, identified as a "Broadsheet post."

Almost since the App Store was launched, Apple has been lambasted by hacker types for keeping a tight rein on the App Store, disallowing such priceless examples of programming as "iBoobs", which used the same accelerometer function as Baby Shaker to shake something else. Supposedly, they were somehow infringing on programmers' First Amendment rights by doing so, and changed their policy. I think we can see how well that worked out.

... i.e., anything the least bit controversial will be censored. I don't think the baby shaker app is funny either, but I would rather have free speech.

Apple didn't create this app, as your headline states. Although it's obviously offensive to most people, it is still a joke app, and unlikely to actually harm any babies (reminder, all jokes are offensive to someone. And indeed, this one is particularly egregious.) Most of the criticism I've seen has been that Apple is too restrictive in approving apps for sale in iTMS. I think what's happened, as you allude to in the story, is that they've possibly over-corrected in response to these criticisms, but it's also possible it inadvertently slipped through due to the fact that Apple has been overwhelmed by the number of apps being developed, and they are the only official outlet for supplying apps to users. I've seen stories suggesting that they are receiving hundreds of new apps vying for approval every day, in addition to updates to existing apps. I'm inclined to give Apple a break on this one, especially since it was pulled so quickly.

I agree with halloweenjack. This article is misleading. It is not Apple's app. Its an app that was indeed approved by the system Apple put in place, but it was created and submitted by someone who has nothing to do with Apple.

If someone makes a video game that runs on Windows machines that depicts acts such as baby shaking, do you blame Microsoft? No, you blame the developer.

Please fix your article. Or in the very least, fix your headline.

It's a dumb, stupid application, but activist outrage is understandable? Really? It's easier to watch more offensive material on basic network television. More offensive material has won a Peabody. The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation founder's email to Jobs was grossly misdirected. You don't send an email to a CEO (who's on health leave) to complain about something he had anything to do with.

Do you know how I respond to an app that I don't like or approve of? I don't buy it.

It's a line drawing that cries. Its not even a 3D model or remotely life-like. Red "X"s appear over the eyes like its a poorly drawn Wil E. Coyote. If they made it into a "Precious Moments" look-alike and it said "I wuv you" I'd buy it and shake the hell out of it!!!

Ah, Broadsheet: proving once again that if something is even the least bit offensive, somewhere there's a woman gnashing her teeth and wailing in horror, trying to wring just a bit more sympathy from their own personal tragedy...

And yes, I do have a kid.