The Bobble Rep - 111th Congress Edition iPhone application that Apple rejected for allegedly ridiculing public figures landed on the App Store on Saturday when the Mac and iPhone maker reversed its stance and decided the app was fine after all.
The app listed the name, political party affiliation and contact information for every member of the U.S. Congress, and also included a caricature drawing for each member of Congress drawn by MAD Magazine artist Tom Richmond. The caricature heads "bobble" when you flick them with your finger or shake your iPhone.
Apple initially refused to approve the application because of what its app review team saw as ridiculing public figures. The rejection led to extensive media coverage, and ultimately Apple's new decision to allow the application in the App Store.
"You have to wonder how much of the decision was based on the press covered and image hit Apple had taken, and how much of it was simply that some overworked approval person rubber stamped it as a reject," Mr. Richmond said on his blog. "My less cynical side is hoping for the latter, but I am pretty sure any reconsideration at all was facilitated by the many responses and support of people on the internet who were dumbstruck that such an innocent and innoculous app would be determined 'defamatory' to the members of congress we decpcited."
Bobble Rep - 111th Congress Edition is priced at US$0.99 and really is available for download at Apple's iTunes-based App Store.