My first thought was creepy...

Creepy, definitely creepy. I'm really not comfortable with the idea of putting genetically manipulated food into my body. We don't really know how it could affect us in the long run.

say it ain't so!

I think it's a great idea. We grow enough food to feed the planet currently, one main problem is spoilage during transport. This would be phenomenal at easing that problem.

Look, every food we have has been genetically modified. Corn has been made sweeter and more nutritious, carrots were made orange, and peaches were made juicier and easier to pit. Ooh - I'm really scared of my carrots... Aside from rainwater and wild game, there's hardly a thing we could ingest today that hasn't been modified in some way. I am unconcerned.

Shoneyjoe, you can laugh about being scared of carrots but the truth is that we really don't know how genetically manipulated food could end up harming us. Studies have shown, for example, that soy beans that were genetically modified using brazil nut genes caused allergic reactions in consumers with brazil nut allergies. I'm not saying it will definitely have adverse effects on everyone, but I think we should be very selective about the kinds of foods we eat.

And not all the food I eat is genetically manipulated. I live in Austria and most people here (80%) are very much against the use of genetically manipulated food. In fact, it is even forbidden to produce these foods here so if you buy locally grown fruits and veggies, you can be SURE that they are not manipulated. It is possible to import manipulated foods from other countries, however, but they have to be clearly marked as genetically manipulated with GVO.

Yes that's just what we need more GMOs in our food supply. Just eat the darn apples before they rot and get rid of GMOs!

I honestly don't know how necessary this is. Regular apples keep for at least a month in the fridge...if you aren't eating all the apples you buy in a month, then don't buy as many or start eating them faster. I'm not sure a GM apple that is the biological equivalent of a Twinkie is the best solution to the problem.

CREEPY! That is not natural..no wonder we have a rise in cancer and diseases! Our food no longer comes from the earth but from people that are just looking to make a fast dollar!

Very creepy.

I totally agree with Spectra - buy what you need. On that note, I have Debbie Meyer Green Bags and I can keep apples in it for at least 2 months (sometimes more) with no problems at all. Only state this cause friends give us bunchs of apples that hubby and I can't eat or cook with fast enough.

I wish apples could last alot longer. I like grannie smith but sometimes I can't get to them all and some of them end up going bad.

creepy - keeping an apple for four months seems wrong

Creepy to me too. I don't like the idea of genetically altered food either. and I also agree with those that say if you're not eating all the apples you purchase before they go bad, then don't buy as many.
Another option is to make somehting with it that has a longer shelflife like applesauce or jam or apple butter.

Eeeewww Creepers! Next they'll be serving us test tube beef!

creepy. no gene engineering please

This variety of apple has been produced and bred using traditional methods. There is absolutely NO genetic engineering used in the development of this apple. The researchers simply selected trees that showed resistance and bred from those trees. No genetic engineering, manipulation or any "creepiness" here! Just sound, good old fashioned, plant breeding techniques.

There is no difference between this and breeding a rose that smells stronger by selecting roses with stronger smell. Those plants with stronger smell will pass this onto plants propagated from them. No different than two parents with brown eyes having a brown eyed child - you pass your genes to your progeny - plant or animal!

Let's face it... The apples you currently eat from a supermarket may have been in storage for ages as it is! Almost any kind of apple will keep for three or four months, or even longer, if stored properly.

If it doesn't rot, how hard is it to digest?

I think people are far too paranoid. Yes, we should be cautious and make sure the food we eat is safe for consumption, but there's no reason to freak out anytime you hear about food being modified in some way. There's plenty of food we already eat that has been modified... you likely just don't notice. We shouldn't assume modified food is harmLESS, but nor should we assume it's harmFUL. Basically, there's no reason to start screaming "CANCER!!!1" just yet, so chill, people!

Also, just because you cannot think of good reasons for long-lasting apples, that doesn't mean there aren't any. These might prove to be a benefit to some people, even if you find them useless.