Just days after Apple removed nearly 5,000 apps from the iTunes App Store because of "overtly sexual" content, Mashable reports that they may be making plans to bring them back--but under more controlled circumstances.
For at least a brief time today (though it has since disappeared), developers going to iTunes Connect to upload applications for approval review had the option of selecting a new "Explicit" category for their apps. The implication is that Apple may be considering allowing previously banned material, but restricting access in the store through some age-verification mechanism.
Response was split to Apple's decision to remove "objectionable" content from the store. Some applauded Apple's conservative stance, while others wondered why Apple decided to be the world's parent. Some have questioned Apple's consistency in keeping the highly profitable Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and Playboy on the site, while removing other apps that were less revealing.
For the moment it appears to be something under consideration, but not an imminent change. Gizmodo reports that a developer just spoke with Apple who confirmed that the category had been quickly removed, saying they were thinking about it but "it's not going to happen anytime soon."
