Apple recently pulled a game that somehow slipped under the App Store’s radar centered on shaking a virtual baby. Apple apologized for the flub, but not before controversy about the app (which if nothing else is in pretty questionable taste) spread far and wide across the web. But thanks to the work of Vancouver Sun technology reporter (and Twitter obsessive) Gillian Shaw, a Vancouver connection has been discovered.
It turns out that one of the leading advocates against the game, Marilyn Barr, is located in the Lower Mainland and serves as a executive director of the US National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, as well as the director of Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC.
Not only did Apple have to pull the app, she said, but they should now advocate for prevention.
But another question emerges from the controversy as well....how could ANYONE at Apple think that this app was a good idea? And the answer is likely that no-one did. Apple recently celebrated the billionth app downloaded for the iPhone, and there’s clearly not enough manpower at Cupertino to handle the endless influx of new and potentially embarrassing apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch. And with rival systems like Android and the Blackberry adopting app stores of their own, this problem will just get worse before it gets better.
Warren Frey
Warren Frey is a writer, editor, blogger and podcaster based out of Vancouver, BC. After working for six years in the Canadian broadcasting industry, he switched to print and has since covered varied assignments from plumbing conferences to star-studded film galas. But he’s never lost his love for the internet and interactive media, from his teens...[more]
