2/26/2015

Meet Apple's new diverse emoji characters - Feb. 23, 2015

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Apple's new diverse emoji characters

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Apple's next iOS update will include a more diverse selection of emoji characters.

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Emojis are finally getting more diverse. In Apple's next update of emoji icons, a number of the tiny
cartoon people are now available in six different skin tones.

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The male and female faces, as well as thumbs up/thumbs down icons, will be available in the
different colors. Other people emoji, such as princesses and construction workers, will also get more
diverse options. Tapping and holding on an emoji person will bring up the new skin-tone variations.

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Black emojis are coming

The diverse people are just some of the 300 new emojis included in the latest developer version of
iOS 8.3. The new icons won't be available to the public until the update is released later this year.
Apple (AAPL, Tech30) pledged to increase the diversity in its emoji keyboard last March, after a
public outcry over the limited options for people of color. A petition at DoSomething.org collected
thousands of signatures. Miley Cyrus even tweeted about it, helping it to go viral on Twitter.
The current illustrated icons include same-sex couples but no black characters. There is an Asian
man wearing a traditional Chinese cap and an Indian man in a turban, but the rest of the emoji
population is light-skinned.
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Creating a more diverse emoji selection wasn't as easy as releasing a new iOS update. The
keyboard of illustrated icons is based on Unicode, the standard for text, numbers and emojis across
all platforms. Emoji originated in Japan and were added to the Unicode Standard in 2010. Apple first
included them natively in iOS in 2011.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/23/technology/apple-diverse-emoji/

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Meet Apple's new diverse emoji characters - Feb. 23, 2015

"Apple supports and cares deeply about diversity, and is working with The Unicode Consortium to
update the standard so that it better represents diversity for all of us," said an Apple spokesperson.

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To come up with the expanded palette of skin tones, Unicode used the Fitzpatrick scale, which was
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weaponX35

10 hours ago

the yellow ones are teetering on racist. unless we are now classifying the simpsons as
humans.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/23/technology/apple-diverse-emoji/

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Meet Apple's new diverse emoji characters - Feb. 23, 2015

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DigitalGraph

Reply

15 hours ago

As said in above article "Creating a more diverse emoji selection wasn't as easy as releasing
a new iOS update." During working with Dubai based Graphics company Digital Graphiks ...
we also face the same experiance
Flag Share

Like

Chester Hawkins

Reply

1 day ago

lol this is stupid but they could have at least tried to change up the facial structures a little bit.
Flag Share

Like

tucktuck0115

Reply

1 day ago

Why are the Asian Emoji yellow?

Flag Share

Scott Spiro

Like Reply

2 days ago

As a red-headed guy with slightly wavy hair, this is hilarious and useless.
Flag Share

JeffDuv

Like

Reply

2 days ago

What about people with blue and green eyes, they are a minority, why are they being
discriminated against!
Flag Share

Like

Cameron Rapp

Reply

2 days ago

Why not just design software for iOS devices that allows the user to customize their own
emojis? Seeing as how there are still yellow faces (non existent skin color) this might be a
responsible idea for the company.
Flag Share

Kyle Hutchings

Like

Reply

Like

Reply

2 days ago

No emojis with blue eyes... I'm so offended!

Flag Share

weaponX35

10 hours ago

@Kyle Hutchings i think apple is recognizing that blue eyes are a recessive
genetic mutation and will eventually disappear...wow they are so ahead of the
game.

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Leeland Hackbarth

Reply

2 days ago

"Our society strives to avoid any possibility of offending anyone - except God." Billy Graham
Flag Share

Seymour Glass

Like Reply

2 days ago

Sadly, the only time I've seen someone that yellow was when he was getting treated for liver
disease.
Flag Share

Robert Simpson

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Reply

Like

Reply

Like

Reply

Like

Reply

2 days ago

Yellow faces for Yellow Journalism.

Flag Share

Sam Cher

3 days ago

right...cause what the world really needs is "diversity" in emojis

Flag Share

William Kevin

3 days ago

...because the yellow a-sexual smilie face was a big it...

and forget about the ascii peeps...
Flag Share

JoBeck18

3 days ago

CNN should check it's comments section once in a while and get rid of the spam posts for
fake "get rich quick" schemes.
Flag Share

Eileen Eady

Like Reply

3 days ago

Do people really want there to be "thumbs up" in every skin color? Probably not, but we'd
appreciate if there was a reasonable and uncontrived looking mix of human images. Minus
stereotypes and late-in-the-game PR efforts...
Flag Share

badcyclist

Like

Reply

3 days ago

Who wants to use a race-specific and yet creepily generic emoji? Lame.
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http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/23/technology/apple-diverse-emoji/

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Meet Apple's new diverse emoji characters - Feb. 23, 2015

LukeVA

3 days ago

I wonder what the "Asian man wearing a traditional Chinese cap" looks like. Having traveled
around Asia, I can't say I've seen that. Is that a throwback to the Continental Railroad days?
Should Asians consider that as offensive as say a black face with a bandana or a white one in
a pillow case?
Flag Share

Chris Sanchez

Like Reply

3 days ago

I don't see a fair skinned dirty blonde emoji, I am offended! Should have just left them yellow,
it did not identify any race.
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peterkguitar .

Reply

3 days ago

@Chris Sanchez Only 5% of world's population are blond or blue-eyed. I'm both, a
freak. Good for women, lousy for men. Except in Asia or Latin America, they don't
think we're Nazis. More like someone seven foot tall, and I don't mind the attention.
The only thing worse for men is having red hair. Better a towhead than carrot-top.
Flag Share

lightfoot27

Like

Reply

3 days ago

And once again Gingers are not acknowledged as people. Perhaps this is because they have
no souls.

Ah well.
Flag Share

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Chris Sanchez

Reply

3 days ago

@lightfoot27 That is not true. Gingers gain a freckle for every soul they steal!
Flag Share

peterkguitar .

Like Reply

3 days ago

@lightfoot27 Red hair is a mutation, not inherited. They are not an ethnic group,
so it makes sense.
Flag Share

eoulim

Like

Reply

3 days ago

well, if someone's face is as yellow as the leftmost emoji, he/she should see a doctor. :)
Flag Share

EdgeMavrick

Like Reply

3 days ago

Apple must have something against redheads. See what happens when you make diversified
emojis and you end up excluding something?
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http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/23/technology/apple-diverse-emoji/

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2/26/2015

Meet Apple's new diverse emoji characters - Feb. 23, 2015

peterkguitar .

3 days ago

@EdgeMavrick Red hair is a mutation, not inherited. They are not an ethnic group,
though some groups are more prone to it. So it makes sense, and I'll bet Apple
knows it.
Flag Share

Joe Schmo

Like

Reply

3 days ago

@peterkguitar . @EdgeMavrick actually it is inherited and the recessive gene

must be carried by both parents before the mutation can occur. By the way blonde
hair is also a genetic mutation beginning about 10 thousand years ago.
Flag Share

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Ryan Hollenshead

Reply

2 days ago

@peterkguitar . @EdgeMavrick Do you know how mutations and inheritance

work? Red hair was at one point a mutation, but is now an inheritable hair color
linked to two recessive alleles. By ethnic group you seem to be only using skin
color.
Flag Share

sunny5280

Like

Reply

Like

Reply

Like

Reply

Like

Reply

3 days ago

What about bald people? What about people with long hair? Tattoos? Piercings?
Flag Share

sunny5280

3 days ago

How stupid.
Flag Share

This comment has been deleted

volks1

3 days ago

@Marry Anderson Scumbag

Flag Share

whb

3 days ago

And this is important why? We have a country that's imploding, and Apple changing up
emojis is news?
Flag Share

sunny5280

Like Reply

3 days ago

@whb Even worse CNN Money is reporting on them as news.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/23/technology/apple-diverse-emoji/

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2/26/2015

Meet Apple's new diverse emoji characters - Feb. 23, 2015

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CH4101

Like

Reply

3 days ago

I guess Apple liked 50 shades of.

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RunoutRon

Like Reply

Like Reply

3 days ago

And still they continue to discriminate against invisible men

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CharlesTudor

3 days ago

Will all of the left-handed people sue because all of the thumbs-up are right handed?
Flag Share

sunny5280

Like Reply

3 days ago

@CharlesTudor Don't you mean right handed people?

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EdgeMavrick

Like

Reply

Like

Reply

3 days ago

@CharlesTudor That's a left-handed thumb

Flag Share

smittah

3 days ago

What no gingers? First they they take Annie away from us in a new movie, then Target kicks
us while we are down in their Annie line of clothing ad....and now Apple is mocking us even
further by leaving red haired and freckled from the emoji diversity list. This is an outrage!
Flag Share

CharlesTudor

Like Reply

3 days ago

None of them have eyebrows. I have eyebrows therefore I'm being discriminated against. Oh,
the horror!
Flag Share

Dick Collier

Like Reply

3 days ago

@CharlesTudor I'll just use a pic of me and my dog.

Flag Share

RMurdochFox

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Reply

3 days ago

http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/23/technology/apple-diverse-emoji/

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Meet Apple's new diverse emoji characters - Feb. 23, 2015

As an Albino, I feel that this change is discriminatory against people like me.
Flag Share

Dick Collier

Like Reply

3 days ago

@RMurdochFox but a pure white one would look like this ...
Flag Share

RJCalifornia

Like

Reply

3 days ago

This just has to be an actual joke.

Flag Share

CharlesTudor

Like Reply

Like Reply

3 days ago

I don't see any Redskins. Washington residents should sue.

Flag Share

Dick Collier

3 days ago

@CharlesTudor I don't see any for the hormone raged young adult women. How
come they don't come in 50 shades of grey?
Flag Share

LucyVavala

Like

Reply

1 day ago

@CharlesTudor If you're trying to be racially inclusive, maybe you shouldn't use

the racial slur of "Redskins." Just a thought.
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