Apple Puts "Third Intifada" App on iPhone
Remember when Facebook was obliged by a storm of outrage to remove a page called "The Third Intifada," which urged Muslims across the Arab world to descend on Israel together to crush her once and for all?
Well, who needs Facebook?
If you go to iTunes, you'll discover that there is now an iPhone app called The Third Palestinian Intifada, which updates users in Arabic on upcoming protests, streams Israel-bashing articles and editorials, provides links to nationalistic pro-Palestinian videos and songs, and displays photos of "martyrs".
Israeli Public Diplomacy Minister Yuli-Yoel Edelstein has sent a letter of protest to Steve Jobs. Good luck with that.
I am typing this on my Mac, of course. And next to me is my beloved iPod. I forbid my kids from touching my computer because God forbid a peanut-butter fingerprint should soil its aluminum perfection. I'm recalling the swooning encomia I've delivered to all and sundry about the exquisiteness and effortless superiority of Apple's products. This is depressing.
The feeling I have right now is distinctly similar to the feeling I had when I heard that Elvis Costello, whom I've revered for decades, was canceling his concert in Israel because his "conscience" couldn't allow him to sing songs to the people who "visit intimidation, humiliation or much worse on Palestinian civilians." That felt as though he'd shown up at my apartment, rung my doorbell, and spat in my face.
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May '10
Re: Apple Puts "Third Intifada" App on iPhone
Unbelievable. Barry Rubin posted at Pajamas Media the other day, "Never Forget the Power of Mass Media to Distort Reality." Steve Jobs and his employees have consumed this media. Didn't citizens of the former Soviet Union describe the utter frustration and/or disorientation of living in a world where up is down and down is up; I'm starting to have an appreciation for that feeling.
Aug '10
Re: Apple Puts "Third Intifada" App on iPhone
Apple opened a can of worms when they prohibited the distribution of iPhone apps other than through their store, and entirely prohibited certain apps based on interest group protests. Now, they're going to have to do it again, or they'll be branded Politically Correct.
In general, I prefer a free market in software, because I don't want to trust that the maker of my hardware will "allow" the apps I want, or will respond to protests from people like me if they don't.
Jun '10
Re: Apple Puts "Third Intifada" App on iPhone
I remember the "third intifida" was set for May 15th. How did that turn out? I heard nothing about it around that date.
Jun '10
Re: Apple Puts "Third Intifada" App on iPhone
How sick......and I am sorry to hear about Elvis Costello.....like his music.
Aug '10
Re: Apple Puts "Third Intifada" App on iPhone
As I type this on my desk-top iMac, across the room from my studio production iMac, while my wife reads on her Macbook, and checks texts on her iPhone - this news totally depresses me.
Re: Apple Puts "Third Intifada" App on iPhone
I never understood your enthusiasm for Elvis Costello.
Jan '11
Re: Apple Puts "Third Intifada" App on iPhone
Want to annihilate an ancient race and religious culture that was one of the foundations of Western civilization and push it into the sea?
Theres an app for that!
Edited on Jun 22, 2011 at 7:32amMay '10
Re: Apple Puts "Third Intifada" App on iPhone
Disgusting.
Typed on my HP, Window's driven computer, using an Intel Pentium 4 processor developed in....where? Here
I'll stick with Microsoft. No iphone, no ipod, no ipad, no apple products other than the ones that grow on trees.
Apr '11
Re: Apple Puts "Third Intifada" App on iPhone
Its worth a reminder that while Apple offers a curated app store, it is hardly honest to claim that this app in some way represents the views of Apple as a corporation any more than the multitude of flatulation apps somehow represent Apple culture. No one seems to think Steve Jobs has suddenly become a conservative because there is a National Review app for the iPad, so lets not go too far with our disappointment here. Feel free to make it known to Apple what the content of this app really is and it will most likely get pulled.
Edited on Jun 22, 2011 at 8:37amJul '10
Re: Apple Puts "Third Intifada" App on iPhone
Claire Berlinski, Ed.: I never understood your enthusiasm for Elvis Costello. · Jun 22 at 6:16am
The angels want to wear her red shoes while she's watching the detectives.
Apple's screening process for apps is imperfect. Engineering life will easily detect malware and porn given their tools and predilections, it would not surprise me if many folks at One Infinite Loop are not real clear on what Intifada is about. I think this will turn out to be something they stepped in, not a reflection of corporate policy.
Jul '10
Re: Apple Puts "Third Intifada" App on iPhone
Paul DeRocco: Apple opened a can of worms when they prohibited the distribution of iPhone apps other than through their store, and entirely prohibited certain apps based on interest group protests. Now, they're going to have to do it again, or they'll be branded Politically Correct.
In general, I prefer a free market in software, because I don't want to trust that the maker of my hardware will "allow" the apps I want, or will respond to protests from people like me if they don't.
I appreciate the sentiment. The flip side of this is the absence of a screening service on other platforms, resulting in a greater risk of filched credit card and address book data, and even pharmed devices. My phone is full of client data requiring protection, if I were on an open platform I would just pass on most apps and lose much of the benefits of the device.
On the developer side, if we want an app on our phone that isn't in the app store for whatever reason, we can build it from source and install it ourselves. Not that I have felt the urge, yet.
Jul '10
Re: Apple Puts "Third Intifada" App on iPhone
Released on June 15th and now no longer available "in the US store." That's according to the App Store if you search for the app.
Edited on Jun 22, 2011 at 3:04pmRe: Apple Puts "Third Intifada" App on iPhone
Sisyphus: Released on June 15th and now no longer available "in the US store." That's according to the App Store if you search for the app. · Jun 22 at 3:02pm
Edited on Jun 22 at 03:04 pm
You're right!
I suspect your assessment above was spot-on: that Apple waded into this without realizing what it really is.
Re: Apple Puts "Third Intifada" App on iPhone
Oh, man...just reading that gives me such a pang.
Aug '10
Re: Apple Puts "Third Intifada" App on iPhone
I've read that the next version of OS X is modeled closely on the iPad's iOS.
Not a good omen for Macintosh users. Until now, OS X has been the highest example of a commercial computer company providing customers with a balance between proprietary software and open source software.
If they make OS X more of a closed system, like iOS, I personally won't have much incentive to buy a Mac when the time comes to replace my current machine. They will have chased me into the arms of Linux, and they will no longer receive any of the revenue I send them when I buy content on iTunes.
Jul '10
Re: Apple Puts "Third Intifada" App on iPhone
Misthiocracy: I've read that the next version of OS X is modeled closely on the iPad's iOS.
Not a good omen for Macintosh users. Until now, OS X has been the highest example of a commercial computer company providing customers with a balance between proprietary software and open source software.
...
They have been migrating some of the interface concepts into the Mac, though apps have to be written to support them. The touchpad on my MacBook Pro was very annoying with factory settings that had all of that stuff turned on. Drag two fingers to scroll and fail to keep them perfectly the same distance apart and you are suddenly doing iPhone/iPad magnification/demagnification on your Mac. I turned a lot of it off in Preferences to get a usable set of features.
I have seen no signs that the recent Mac Store launch means a later OS will only recognize Mac Store apps. I use two major open source packagers for FreeBSD/GNU stuff. XCode, Apple's developer environment for Mac & iOS, is $5 from the Mac Store. The Microsoft equivalent is over 100 times more than that.
Aug '10
Re: Apple Puts "Third Intifada" App on iPhone
Well, call me paranoid, but I simply don't trust what Steve Jobs has become when it comes to protecting the open spirit of OS X.
Of course, I'll be overjoyed if I'm proven wrong.
(XCode costs $5 now? It came free with my Mac Mini.)
Edited on Jun 24, 2011 at 4:22pmJul '10
Re: Apple Puts "Third Intifada" App on iPhone
Misthiocracy: Well, call me paranoid, but I simply don't trust what Steve Jobs has become when it comes to protecting the open spirit of OS X.
Of course, I'll be overjoyed if I'm proven wrong.
(XCode costs $5 now? It came free with my Mac Mini.) · Jun 24 at 4:20pm
Edited on Jun 24 at 04:22 pm
The first dose is free!