Apple Pulls "Baby Shaker" from iPhone App Store

By David Goguen on April 24, 2009 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

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Apple has pulled the controversial Baby Shaker application from its iPhone App store, after a wave of backlash over the program, which sought to liven up the tedium of down time by making virtual infanticide fit neatly into the palm of your hand.

The 99-cent Baby Shaker app, created by a company called Sikalosoft, let iPhone users try to stop a virtual infant from crying by violently shaking their iPhone until two red "x"s appeared over the baby's eyes.

The Baby Shaker app outraged many consumers and spurred an uproar from advocates for the prevention of "shaken baby syndrome" and child abuse. Less significantly, the controversial app has also raised questions over how Apple -- which this week saw the one billionth download from its iPhone App store -- handles the huge amount of mobile applications it receives, specifically how approvals and rejections are decided, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

So, if you've ever found yourself waiting in line at the grocery store, thinking "This is boring. I wish I could pretend to shake an infant until it dies," your iPhone will no longer be able to help you, although that old-fashioned do-it-yourself application iNeed Therapy might.

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