They say sex sells. Not so much at the App Store, however.

Apple has begun a crackdown on overtly sexual applications. According to multiple media and developer reports, the list ranges from flat out smut to bikini girls and the number of banned apps is said to reach into the thousands.

Given the percentage of web sites devoted to... ahem... "mature" content, I'm guessing that Apple has given up on the "whole internet" iPhone campaign. I'm guessing that more than a few developers will be upset by this, but in the end I'm not sure how much of an issue it will be.

Apple has made it clear that it doesn't want to cater in cheap, low-brow content on the App Store. Premium content gets all the face time and the company does whatever it can to put the spotlight on well-made games and utilities rather than gimmick apps and girlie pictures.

Which leaves an interesting question: will Android be willing to step into the..err.. void? Obviously adult content is a big seller on the web, and while nobody wants to be known as the "porn phone" vendor, sooner or later won't someone step up and try to cash in on the market?

23 Feb 2010