Last month we posted ^[1] an entertaining five-minute talk by ex-Microsoft employee-turned-iPhone App developer Eugene Lin and his unexpected rise to Japanese porn industry stardom with his suite of Peekaboo applications. His rib-tickling account outlined his entrepreneurial ambition to become a millionaire, 70 US cents at a time.

That ambition has been thwarted by Apple’s recent clean sweep of the App Store, which booted out 5,000 apps deemed to contain overtly sexual content ^[2] — apparently in response to user complaints — including the entire Peekaboo suite ^[3].

Apple’s draconian approach may not come as much of a surprise, however, considering the company’s rapidly growing record of restriction and meticulous monitoring of submissions to the iPhone application store. Think Google Talk ^[4] and Adobe Flash ^[5]. Yet, strangely, far more objectionable apps ^[6] have secured approval from Apple (albeit briefly). The mind boggles.

It’s likely that a proportion of rejected apps, such as Lin’s playful efforts, will find a home elsewhere, possibly underground. This, of course, will encourage more jail-broken phones and blackmarket trade in apps Apple has chosen to exclude. And it leaves the door ajar for Google or another more open company to develop a platform to rival the all-powerful iPhone machine.