Anne Summers, an English retailer of lingerie and sex toys, recently began marketing the iGasm, an egg-shaped device which plugs into the Apple iPod and vibrates at different speeds depending on the volume of the music. The $60 device comes with "two silicone ticklers," as well as a splitter that allows the user to plug in earphones and listen to music at the same time.

"Load up your iPod with killa choons and take your appreciation of music to a whole new level," the Summers web site urges buyers. "Just turn up the volume to increase the strength of the vibrations and believe us when we say that full whack is PHENOMENAL."

Posters Are the Problem?

While Apple may not be particularly keen on having its iconic device linked (literally) to a sex toy, there is relatively little that the company can do about that development. But what really has the Cupertino knickers in a twist, apparently, is the iGasm's promotional poster, which emulates exactly the silhouette-style advertising that has proven so popular for the iPod.

The Summers version, done in a garish neon pink, features a young woman in her underclothes with her arms crossed over her head, holding her iPod. Out of the player come two sets of wires, one going to her earphones and the other disappearing into her panties, where it presumably is attached to the iGasm.

According to a report in the London tabloid News of the World (NOTW), representatives for Apple sent a letter to Ann Summers demanding that the company take down the posters from all of its stores and its web site, ending with the ominous phrase: "We hope this request to remove it immediately will prevent us having to consider further action."

Jacqueline Gold, the wildly successful CEO of Ann Summers, told NOTW that she's not budging, but is willing to help Apple recover its sense of humor. "Perhaps I can send them an iGasm to put a smile back on their faces!" she told the tabloid.

Diane Duke, the Executive Director of the U.S.-based Free Speech Coalition, thinks that Apple should take Gold up on her offer. "If pressed," she said, "this issue will most likely be resolved in the courts, but I think that Apple is seriously misreading their customer base. I believe that any association with iGasm would be positive, so instead of suing Ann Summers, Apple should offer them a deal."

Other Sex Toy Battles

The iGasm is not the first toy to hook up with the iPod. Last last year, another British company called LoveHoney Ltd. released the iBuzz, the advertisements for which also featured silhouetted figures. LoveHoney also received a cease-and-desist letter from Apple and with the release of its next-gen vibrator, replaced the silhouettes with a different animation.

A month earlier, Apple also objected to a Japanese sex toy called the gPod (playing off the English phrase "G-spot"). There is no indication as to whether Apple is actively pursuing litigation against the manufacturer, and the company did not respond to inquiries.