Playboy releases iPad app - but no nudity

Apple and Playboy are rather unlikely bedfellows. Hugh Hefner, who runs America's sauciest publishing house, has made billions from selling sex and - up until January at least - continued to enjoy the company of three live-in lovers whose combined ages were still two decades younger than his 84 years.

Other than being exceedingly rich, Apple's founder Steve Jobs couldn't be more different. The 55-year-old rarely dresses in anything more outrageous than a black polo neck, and has been married to his wife Laurene since 1991. He is vehemently anti-porn and insists his iPhone and iPads be free of any applications that could be deemed remotely amoral.

Yet Playboy is about to release a high definition edition of its magazine for the iPad where readers can flick through the pages of the latest edition with a swish of their finger.

But don't expect any of the nudity for which Playboy magazine is renowned.

Playboy is censoring its output, and has promised to cover up its cover girls for the iPad edition to comply with Apple's strict no-nudity policy. The decision has led to an outcry on web forums and renewed the debate over how much editorial control Apple wields through its App Store.


THE INDEPENDENT, By Jerome Taylor