Apple removing risque iPhone apps: reports

Apple has begun removing risque iPhone and iPod Touch applications from its online App Store, including some which had previously been approved for sale, according to reports on Saturday.

Technology blog TechCrunch and The Wall Street Journal said the new policy towards adult-themed contents had resulted, for example, in the deletion of applications featuring bikini models.

TechCrunch said Apple had begun notifying application developers earlier this week that apps with "overtly sexual content" were being removed.

"If we find these apps contain inappropriate material, we remove them and request the developer make any necessary changes in order to be distributed by Apple," the Journal quoted an Apple statement as saying.

The Journal said the move appeared to be part of an effort by Apple to clean up the App Store ahead of the shipping late next month of its new iPad tablet computer.

The newspaper said the App Store, which offers more than 140,000 programs, will be an important part of the marketing of the iPad, which Apple intends to promote as a device for families and schools.