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Apple OKs first porn star apps for the iPhone

You might not be able to view the Kama Sutra via your iPhone, but now you can keep tabs on a pair of adult entertainers.

Jim Dalrymple Special to CNET News
Jim Dalrymple has followed Apple and the Mac industry for the last 15 years, first as part of MacCentral and then in various positions at Macworld. Jim also writes about the professional audio market, examining the best ways to record music using a Macintosh. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. He currently runs The Loop.
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Jim Dalrymple
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Apple has approved the first two iPhone apps dedicated to the careers of popular (or, ahem, so we're told) porn stars.

Developed by GrindHouse Mobile and the stars, the two apps mark the first time that Apple has allowed the porn industry into the store in such an obvious way.

GrindHouse Mobile

While these apps may be more in-your-face than some of the apps showing bikini-clad women that are already on the App Store, the content of these apps is relatively tame. They appear to show no more than suggestive photos--the same as the apps that preceded them.

In other words, there is no nudity.

The apps, which feature adult actress Sunny Leone and Penthouse Pet Aria Giovanni, seem to be more of a way for fans to keep up with the latest from their favorite starlets. Leone's app features a blog, various sets of photos, and personal videos, along with a Premium section through which updates are pushed to your phone. Giovanni's app doesn't appear to be much different.

While the apps are probably tamer than what some may have expected, GrindHouse did admit that in the first round they were "a little too 'hot' for Apple's compliance department." GrindHouse went back to the drawing board to redo the apps so they would be accepted on the App Store.

"We worked closely with Apple to meet all of their guidelines while developing an offering that is compelling and user friendly," GrindHouse said in a statement. There was no word from Apple directly on its assessment.

Apple has run into some controversy with its App Store approval process, pretty much since it began accepting submissions from third-party developers. For instance, e-book reader Eucalyptus was rejected because it could allow access to the Kama Sutra, an ancient text known for its description of sexual encounters. And an app from the band Nine Inch Nails was rejected because of sexually "objectionable content" in a song.

For the time being, at least, you can get Sunny Leone's free app and Aria Giovanni's 99 cent app from the App Store.