Before I dive into this, let’s get one thing straight: I do not use my phone for porn. I know that some people are into this gray area, whether that’s “sexting,” MMSing racy stuff or something else. And hey — I’m not judging. Whatever grown-ups do in the (semi) privacy of their own mobile space is entirely up to them. But I don’t engage in this, and that may be why I missed this item a few weeks ago.
When the iPhone 4 debuted, some pundits predicted that FaceTime’s video chat would herald the dawn of a new age of “sexviding” (pronounced “vid-ding,” not “vie-ding”). Some people scoffed, noting that phone-based video calling has been around prior to the iPhone 4, and no mobile vid chat niche “industry” had yet to really make a dent.
Yeah, but we’re not talking about “nerds in heat” here, equipped with spectastic, but less popular devices from the past. In fact, the iPhone may sort of be considered the anti-geek device, with legions of followers in the mainstream. And when any platform reaches market saturation like that, it will attract attention. This is no exception.
Apparently, the first wave of pornographic FaceTime opportunists has already hit. iP4play.com is reportedly the first service focused on Apple’s new video calling feature. Users can access enough stuff to make a sailor blush, from Penthouse girls to live video chat “representatives,” all for $4 per minute.
This is probably just the beginning. I’m guessing there’s a big second wave of pornographers in the works, readying their goods (of all kinds) for FaceTime. And for some of the more lascivious consumers, this could be the sole reason to get the device. (Of course, not you, gentle PhoneDog reader. You’re above that. Right? Buehler?)
One thing’s for sure: This stands in pretty stark contrast to those sweet FaceTime commercials starring the cute pixie-haired girl, the kid with braces and her dad, or the new grandfather seeing his kid’s baby for the first time.
So on that parental note, here’s a wake-up call for the moms and dads out there: Be aware that this kind of thing exists and is accessible from Junior’s phone. As for anyone else even thinking about this, here’s a little advice: Take that phone and the money you would’ve spent on 10 to 20 minutes of “play time,” and instead, get a bouquet of flowers to snag a non virtual, not digitally rendered date. (1800Flowers even has an app, to make this easy.)
As for me, I’ll probably think twice about ever borrowing someone else’s iPhone again. Or the iPod Touch 4G. (Yes, in case you missed the hoopla, they’ve now got it too.) it’s funny — when Apple spotlighted the platform’s mobile games, I don’t think this was quite what they had in mind.
Via: GizmoWatch
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