Apple removes controversial 'Baby Shaker' app

Apple's arcane App Store approval policies are again the subject of scrutiny after the computing giant removed the controversial "Baby Shaker" application from its virtual storefront, posing the question of how such a reprehensible app was ever greenlighted in the first place. The 99-cent iPhone and iPod touch application, developed by firm Sikalosoft, simulates the shaking of an infant, and features the tagline "On a plane, on the bus, in a theater. Babies are everywhere you don't want them to be! They're always distracting you from preparing for that big presentation at work with their incessant crying. Before ‘Baby Shaker' there was nothing you could do about it. See how long you can endure his or her adorable cries before you just have to find a way to quiet the baby down!" Vigorous iPhone shaking ultimately results in red "x" marks appearing over the animated infant's eyes.

Apple spokesperson Natalie Kerris confirmed in a phone interview with the Wall Street Journal that the "Baby Shaker" application is no longer available for download from the App Store as of Wednesday. Kerris declined further comment on Apple's standards or procedures for approving new applications. It is not known how many consumers downloaded the application prior to its ouster.

For more on the "Baby Shaker" controversy:
- read this Wall Street Journal article

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