back to article Apple pulls smartphone slavery app

An iPhone game that documents the process of creating a smartphone has been removed from the App store, after its content proved too excessive for Apple's guidelines. Molleindustria's Phone Story takes a humorous stab at the controversial process of smartphone manufacture, from mining in the Congo to the abysmal factory …

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  1. Jemma
    Trollface

    ROFLMAO

    This is sooooo good it just has to be fattening...

    "....So, do children do *all* the work?..."

    "Not the whipping.."

    *lash* *lash* *LASH*. - Futurama

  2. Wang N Staines

    tbf

    Is this app on Android too?

    1. Ilgaz

      Perhaps...

      Well, say anything about Nokia but they had perfect work and environment policy so far, it didn't matter to consumers of course.

      Perhaps there are Android vendors "less cool" but better policies about how they treat (or get treated) the workers and environmental aspects. Not really knowing the Android vendor scene so, I am just guessing.

    2. M Gale

      It seems it is.

      At 63p. I'd buy it if Google's retarded payment scheme allowed Maestro users to buy stuff. Ho hum, suppose it's time to go get one of those prepaid Mastercards or something, if they'll even work.

      Just search for Phone Story. It's a little way down, listed in the "Arcade and Action" category.

  3. Dazed and Confused

    funny how they got on in the first place

    I guess the truth hurts

  4. banjomike
    FAIL

    all revenue made from sales ...

    Well, there is your problem. All revenue must go to Apple.

  5. Tim Almond
    FAIL

    What the Dickens?

    I presume they'll be pulling Oliver Twist from the iBook store because of the parts where he's in a workhouse?

    1. Ilgaz

      Mr. Dickens was lucky

      If he wrote that marvellous novel today talking about today's work conditions in China, perhaps he couldn't find a publisher since all of them must get along with Apple, Google etc.

  6. Ru
    Trollface

    Publicity++

    Excellent work all round.

  7. Ilgaz

    Absurd

    People buying the device already knows the work conditions and the devices draconian end user/developer agreement.

    People who doesn't buy the device because of these reasons have already gave up trying to educate people.

    So, app could be banned for "waste of cpu cycles and bandwidth" reasons too... Doesn't matter.

    1. Santa from Exeter
      Devil

      Here's a Title! Shock Horror

      I suspect that you give too much credence to the average (smart) phone user. Most of them aren't aware of the conditions in which their new toy is produced, and probably don't give a damn anyway.

    2. sabroni Silver badge
      Stop

      People buying the device already knows the work conditions

      no they don't. Some may, but the majority do not. You don't really believe that people research the ethics of every company they buy things from do you? If only....

    3. Kristian Walsh Silver badge

      "People buying the device already knows the work conditions and the devices draconian end user/developer agreement."

      Not at all. They probably think that buying the most expensive phone is a guarantee that it's made in an ethical manner. After all, sweatshops only make *cheap* toys and clothes, right?

      This isn't a margin-squeezed product; customers are paying a lot of money for iPhones and those margins deny Apple many of the normal excuses, so how come these stories keep hanging around? Sure, Apple are hugely successful and everyone wants a shot at them, but that can't be all of it. Nokia used to pretty much own the mobile business, but never attracted this kind of consistent bad press.

      Apple has always had a pretty "right-on" left-leaning culture and their direct hires were always treated well, so it's hard to imagine them deliberately seeking out sweatshop manufacturers. But... they don't refuse business from suppliers they know are engaged in these practices. The stock defence of "our supply chain is complex - we can't know every step" is a bit disingenuous, because they're able to police that supply chain when it comes to preventing leaks.

  8. Adam T
    Childcatcher

    See Icon*

    I take we'll never see John's Not Mad on an Apple branded television service then.

  9. M Gale

    They should stick to their guns

    Make a version that "depicts the violence and abuse of children involved in the electronic manufacturing supply chain in a non-crude and non-objectionable way" - by completely and utterly taking the piss even more. Specifically out of Apple.

    If the fruit company spits its dummy out and throws a tantrum over it, then market the game to the Droids, make a touch-friendly adwords-supported Flash version for the web, and label it as "THE GAME THAT APPLE TRIED TO BAN." Or "TOO FUNNY FOR YOUR IPHONE", or similar. Pepper the game and any adverts with sarcastic remarks about how you used to be able to get it in the App Store. Apple's tantrum could have given this game some much needed publicity. After all, how many people had heard of it before this article?

    Maybe their next game could be called "Phone Developer Story"?

    1. Kristian Walsh Silver badge
      Happy

      Maybe their next game could be called "Phone Developer Story"?

      Oooh, that's got promise.

      How about "Wheel of Approval"? Click "Play", then the screen whirls around for a random number of days, before finally displaying "Sorry, you lose. Play again". In the meantime it generates angry emails from your client asking where the f_ck their promotional app is because they're supposed to be going live tomorrow with the campaign that its a critical part of. If you win, they only dispute half your invoice.

      If you get past that level, you can play "Customer Support: Idiot Extreme", where you get random messages of spite and abuse because the free software someone got doesn't make them breakfast every morning.

      Or, how about that "Negative Review Bingo" mini-game, where you get assaulted by hostile reviews from people who can't read product descriptions, and/or have no concept of how much time and effort goes into a piece of software, and therefore can't understand why you want more than $0.00 per download.

      Android editions could include three bonus levels: "Where the F_ck's my Money You Big Green Metal Bastard?" where you chase your distributor for payment; "You sold it for WHAT?", where you have to guess when one of the storefronts is going to decide to give your app away for free, landing you with thousands of whinging freeloaders and no income to pay for the time their incessant support costs will suck away from you, and "Pugwash Whitewash", where your distributor stonewalls you when you complain about rampant piracy.

      On Nokia version could have a bonus round of "Installer Roulette", where you never know if what you're selling to the customer will get onto their phone, and "Simian Signing", where you throw balls of money at a gang of monkeys until they reveal the secret power-up that lets you do what you wanted to do in the first place.

      Still, it beats writing middleware...

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