CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple might finally allow adult content onto its mighty iPhone.

The industry-leading device, which has attracted the fevered attention of the adult industry since its introduction, has a loophole built into the newest version of its operating system that might herald the arrival of adult apps.

For the uninitiated, Apple chieftain Steve Jobs roundly rejected the idea of adult content on the iPhone from the get-go. That hasn’t stopped adult companies from building iPhone-friendly websites that deliver the goods, but when it comes to applications, Apple has successfully thwarted all efforts to get a full-fledged adult app into its official marketplace, the App Store.

To be sure, there’s a vibrant black market for apps, adult and otherwise, that don’t pass Apple’s muster, but such apps can only run on “jailbroken” iPhones — ones whose native operating systems have been overridden.

But that may change. The latest version of the iPhone’s operating system includes parental controls that let users restrict the iPhone’s usage by age, with levels for 4+, 9+, 12+ and 17+.

According to online reports, Apple has already started to backtrack on its policy against some adult-oriented apps. Specifically, Apple originally rejected an app for the band Nine Inch Nails that included profanity, but with the release of the new iPhone OS, they’ve sent the app’s developers a notice that they can resubmit.

Apple has given no word on whether this new position will include a new acceptance for adult apps.