Playboy Turns iPod into iBod

Playboy’s free come-on turns iPod into iBod

Playboy is offering its own special brand of holiday cheer to iPod Photo owners–free soft porn. The adult entertainment icon has posted a download called “iBod” on its Web site that delivers pictures for viewing on Apple Computer’s new iPod photo device. The free gallery consists of 25 PG-rated images sized for the iPod photo’s display. Digital content with nude pictures is available on Playboy’s subscription site Playboy Cyber Club.

A Playboy representative described the download as a soft launch for services that will target a variety of portable devices capable of displaying photos. A formal launch is planned for January, but the company figured many iPod photo devices would be given out for the holidays and made the feature available now. “We aimed at the iPod first because its owners know how to download images,” said Rob Walton, entertainment senior editor for Playboy.com. The feature is meant in part to show Playboy.com visitors how to download Playboy content onto a portable device, according to Walton.

Playboy has been active in signing deals to make its content available on portable devices, such as cell phones. Earlier this month, Playboy inked an agreement with Dwango Wireless to develop and deliver Playboy-themed games, images, video clips, voice clips and ring tones for cell phones. The photo iPod is Apple’s latest portable player device allowing owners to display digital images, as well as play digital audio files and store other data. In its promotion, Playboy called the iPod photo this year’s “must-have geek gadget.” “Now you can view individual images or entire slide shows in the palm of your hand, at the tap of a button, to beautify your dull commute or just to pass the time in the lecture hall,” the company said.

Playboy release image gallery for iPod

With the increasing number of portable devices able to display photos, and in particular with the recent launch of Apple’s photo iPod, Playboy have taken it upon themselves to release some free images especially designed for these devices.

Given the nature of Playboy’s usual images, these are not pictures of landscapes or trees as you would normally find lurking around these devices as promotional material. Rather this is a series of 25 images featuring a number of scantily clad ladies. In our quest for keeping our readers informed we felt it was necessary to download these images onto our test device (an iRiver H340 in this case), and the image quality was great. Far better than trees and waterfalls we think you’ll agree.

Whilst there is no actual nudity on display here, the pictures are of a raunchy nature, and are probably going to be a big hit with portable media device owners the world over. They are available from the Playboy site, and are, as Playboy themselves say, a veritable ocular orgy. Enjoy.

I’m not sure what the fascination with non-nude images would be in the current era of ubiquitous access to pornography online. Still, the combination of Playboy and iPod should be a winner. People willing to pay $400 for a Walkman will buy anything.

FILED UNDER: Popular Culture, ,
James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.