Five Dumbest Things on Wall Street: April 24

Apple's Asinine App

Somebody needs to shake some sense into the folks over at Apple (AAPL).

The iPhone giant didn't have enough sense to yank a 99-cent application, or app, titled Baby Shaker from its iTunes store until Wednesday after several child safety groups protested its premise of quieting a crying baby with a violent shake. Baby Shaker was made available Monday to iPhone users before Apple abruptly pulled it from its platform, sans comment or apology.

The app, developed by Sikalosoft, begins by displaying a black-and-white line drawing of a baby on the iPhone screen. The user is then told to shake the device until large red X's cover the baby's eyes. The iTunes description included the line, "See how long you can endure his or her adorable cries before you just have to find a way to quiet the baby down!"

The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome and the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation condemned Apple Wednesday for approving the silly game in the first place, blasting their so-called "rigorous" vetting process.

Patrick Donohue, founder of the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation and father of a 3-year old afflicted by Shaken Baby Syndrome, laced into Apple CEO Steve Jobs in an e-mail saying, "You have no idea the number of children your actions have put at risk by your careless, thoughtless and reckless behavior!"

Careless, thoughtless, reckless and -- allow us to add -- just plain stupid.

Let's get this straight. Apple previously rejects apps that enable iPhone users to throw virtual shoes at President George W. Bush or watch South Park clips on the grounds that they are too risqué. But abusing an infant is all in good clean fun?

Dumb-o-meter score: 95 -- Oh baby, did Apple screw this one up!

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