Playboy's Putting Its Entire Archive Online

Apple has a strict policy on adult content appearing in its App Store. While the approval process is sometimes bizarre and confusing, the company has always been clear on its stance when it comes to naughty applications for iOS. However, it seems Playboy Enterprises has figured out a way to bring Playboy to iPad users without Apple’s approval. The publishing house this week launched i.Playboy.com, a web-based subscription service that allows users access to every issue of Playboy ever published.

Optimized for iPad and ‘[using] iPad functions,’ i.playboy.com features every pictorial, interview, centerfold, investigative piece, story, advertisement and image that’s ever appeared in Playboy, a collection that spans than 130,000 pages. It’ll also have exclusive videos and curated content recommendations submitted by the Playboy Commission, a group described by PBE as "a high-profile panel of celebrated individuals from art, design, fashion, media and technology." A subscription will cost $8 per month, $60 per year and $100 for two years.

Though clearly aimed at iPad users, iPlayboy’s circumvention of Apple’s approval process means the company can also make customers out of those that don’t have iPads. The archive also echos the Playboy Enterprises previous efforts to get fans to cough up for older issues. Last year, Playboy launched a 250GB HDD containing the Playboy archives. At $300, users were paying $1.20 per GB. We don’t need to tell you that that’s a little pricey. In contrast, customers willing to cough up $300 today can get six years of access from anywhere with a web connection, and they don’t have to deal with a HDD emblazoned with the Playboy bunny.

(Get apps for your iPad, from our downloads section)

Jane McEntegart works in marketing communications at Intel and was previously Manager of Content Marketing at ASUS North America. Before that, she worked for more than seven years at Tom's Guide and Tom's Hardware, holding such roles as Contributing Editor and Senior News Editor and writing about everything from smartphones to tablets and games consoles.