iPorn?

There are times when you think of something, wonder if you should share it, and then think better and are glad you did not. This does not appear to be one of those times.

Yesterday Apple’s Steve Jobs announced online movie rentals. He also proudly announced that 27% of the US smartphone traffic travels through an Apple device. Finally, he announced the release of a shiny new laptop, small enough to fit inside and A4 envelope, with scaled down hardware capabilities and scaled up wireless capabilities. It seems clear that Apple is hedging their bets on their ability to channel large shares of the consumer market through an Apple device. So . . . since large portions of the internets are devoted to “adult content,” and since (arguably) that cozy little room behind the closed door is the lifeblood of the neighborhood video store . . . will Apple’s thirst for market dominance tempt them to offer adult content through iTunes?

The Apple image, to me, is essentially the image portrayed by Steve Jobs in his advertisements – trendy, clean, neutral, yuppie-ish, etc. I do not think it is unrealistic to picture someone like Jobs when you try to conjure up a face for that mysterious term, “liberal elite.” That’s why, say, conservative fundamentalist mothers (and their various pastors) might freak out if they perceive iTunes to be pipelining pornography into their teenage son’s bedroom, and associate Apple with something from Revelations, and Jobs with, well, the devil. That’s a tad extreme, but you get the point. And that's all to say nothing about the radical (dare I say 'hysterical'?) left . . .

On the other hand, there is a lot of money lurking out there to be made. It does not take a genius to realize that “one click ordering” of adult content (through a service like iPorn?) could be a big, big money maker. Is that more or less money than the way-right and way-left bring in, such that alienating them would be worth it? Would the Assorted Outraged be likely to use the services anyway? Would anyone even care? Am I making a mountain from a mole hill?

My gut tells me that they will do it, but not until after iTunes movie rentals become more established. I couldn’t seem to get to sleep last night, and I used the service to rent “The Italian Job” (don’t bother). It worked very, and I think that market establishment will not take long at all.