Quick App Update: PCalc RPN for iPhone 1.8… With Censorship?!
UPDATE: Just so everyone is clear, the developer did this as a parody, Apple didn’t censor anything. B’okay? Read the full 8008135 story on Three Letter Acronym…
PCalc RPN Calculator [$9.99 - iTunes link] for iPhone has just updated to version 1.8, and the update is… rather unique:
Have you, or somebody close to you, ever turned your calculator upside down and accidentally seen a mildly suggestive word? Have you ever been in a maths class, and had to put up with groups of giggling boys performing elaborate calculations that are not part of the lesson?
Yes, it’s one of the main problems affecting the calculator industry today, the so-called “calculator words”. These otherwise harmless devices can be made to display smut at the press of a few buttons. Added to that, the iPhone App Store is very strict about having inappropriate content in apps. Nobody wants their app to get a 17+ rating, or worse, to be rejected entirely.
Which is why we are happy to announce that the latest version of our PCalc scientific calculator for the iPhone contains a new patent-worthy profanity filter.
Simply enter a number such as “5318008″, turn the calculator upside down, and the offending word will be discreetly censored. Many common calculator words have been included as standard, and we plan to increase this over time via software updates.
The new version also comes, you know, calculator features, and a $9 off coupon for the Mac version (which doesn’t seem to change when you turn your Mac upside down… hmmm… feature parity?!)
September 30th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
Lol, is this ceral?
September 30th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
That’s hilarious. I’m surprised Apple didn’t mandate this censorship.
September 30th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Why didn’t I think of that.. Man, that’s crazy..
September 30th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Seriously?
September 30th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
It should send a text to you mom telling her. “you son just made me say boobies”
this 2 funny.
September 30th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Will they censor 7145 also!?
October 1st, 2009 at 1:53 am
Ok, now is this serious or are they just doing this in jest of apples ludicrous censorship??
October 1st, 2009 at 2:58 am
I have to say this is probably the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. Thank god that Apple are not in government or we would be in a ‘demolition man’ era. It is just not cricket.
October 1st, 2009 at 3:56 am
this is hilarious, and I think it’s a brilliant comedic take on Apple’s censorship problems.
October 1st, 2009 at 6:29 am
Awesomeness. I would really be ROFLing if apple pulled their app for critiquing the process
October 1st, 2009 at 6:51 am
Well done! Good bit of fun, and some free publicity for them!
October 1st, 2009 at 7:02 am
The free PCalc Lite version also has this, so you can see it for yourself without spending $10 on it.
October 1st, 2009 at 7:20 am
these are just petty little words, are they serious?[obviously they are] this is soo stupid..its not like you could spell some worse words …Apple,apple,apple
October 1st, 2009 at 7:34 am
When apple sees this, could it possibly start a whole ordeal with apple rejecting any and every calculator update until every math app on the AppStore has censorship???
October 1st, 2009 at 8:10 am
Kids don’t have to turn their calculators upside down, they can just turn them around horizontally.
October 1st, 2009 at 8:32 am
Is the word boobless really profanity? Really no more than pee or po op.
October 1st, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Is everyone in this thread retarded? The company did this as an obvious poke at the rejection process, and Apple, being able to laugh at themselves, let it through. I applaud both the PCalc for making the joke, and Apple for being jovial enough to let this update go through. Kudos to both sides!
October 2nd, 2009 at 2:16 pm
You morons! It’s for fun, and a brilliant use of the technology. And you coulda given me props for sending this to you
October 2nd, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Chances are that Apple and it’s reviewers never saw this during the app approval process.
October 2nd, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Yes, of course it was intended as a joke! Rene played along. The line in the original story which says “some people might say that this is just a humourous attempt to drum up some publicity” seems to have been overlooked by many…
But I should say that the reviewers probably did see it – all easter eggs have to be disclosed and documented when an app submitting to the store, and this one certainly was.