Apple Told By China To Remove Obscene Content From Online Store

China's National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications has targeted Apple, ordering the company and nearly 200 other websites to remove what it has decided is unacceptable content. Apple hasn't yet commented on the matter, but Bloomberg reports that it was smacked with orders to remove content that wasn't named, while other websites were completely shut down.

In addition to Apple, the website Shupeng and nine more were also told to remove content that the government had deemed obscene. Others suffered a worse fate, with 21 websites being completely shut down, with the final tally coming in at 175 more ordered to eradicate certain content. Apple hasn't commented on the matter, and what content is slated for removal is said to point to apps for the iPad and iPhone.

Of course, this action is following what had been extensive complaints in Chinese media regarding the Cupertino company's warranty and repair policies, which were said to be unfair and cause undue burden. Such complaints were enough to prompt an apology from Tim Cook himself, who said warranty and repair policies would be improved. He went on to give bullet points on what steps would be taken to rectify the issue.

This public apology and promise to form a solution caused a 360-degree turn in media, with Apple going from being vilified to being hailed as an example for other companies in America to follow. Even the nation's Foreign Ministry jumped into the matter, being quoted as saying that it "approves of what Apple said," referring to the apology. It said the statement "eased the situation, softening the tense relationship between Apple and the Chinese market."

[via Bloomberg]