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Just how rich are you? The answer is; pretty darn rich if you can drop nearly $1000 on a useless application.
The application called ‘I Am Rich’ was available for purchase from the iPhone's App Store for the highest amount a developer can charge through the digital retailer, $999.99. The program’s developer, Armin Heinrich, said that once downloaded, it does not do much; a red icon sits on the iPhone home screen like any other application, with the subtext "I Am Rich." Once activated, it treats the user to a large, glowing gem. (which, for the money, must be way better than the screen shot below)
Oddly enough, Apple initially approved the app for sale on its store, but a light bulb came on somewhere and it has since pulled the app from the store. They were not quick enough to pull it before eight people with money to burn and perhaps not a lot of sense purchased and downloaded the program. Thirty percent of the sale price of applications sold on the Apple store goes to Apple. Heinrich said in an email with the LA Times, “I have no idea why they did it (pulled the application) and am not aware of any violation of the rules to sell software on the App Store,"
It turns out that at least two of the buyers did not actually mean to purchase the software thinking that it might have been a joke clicked on the “Buy” button. Apple has refunded their money. Heinrich has yet to be paid from the Apple store. Heinrich said, “I've got e-mails from customers telling me that they really love the app," adding that they had "no trouble spending the money,". On the two refunds, he said, "I don't want to collect money from people who did this by accident and I am glad that Apple returned the money for two orders".
What is not clear in all of this is how Apple approves and then decides how to pull applications from its store. I have to question why they would even approve something that seems more like a joke than a serious program. Which is more frightening; that at least five people would pay $1000 for this, or that the application made it onto the Apple store to begin with?
Comments are closed on this article
phillipjfrye
June 22, 2009 at 10:18pm
I am not really that surprised. The Iphone is a semi-productive, very expensive toy. With so many basic features missing and the inability to realy use it in the business world it is no wonder that someone would be attracted to the chance to purchase the app as a way of showing status. Apple has always been good at packaging mediocre products with great GUI, or other types of "cool" UI, but not really being of any use.
jwalch.hawk
August 11, 2008 at 10:43pm
I think what happened here (to somewhat echo the sentiments of the "Those.Bastards." post below) is that Apple put far too much faith in an oft-ignorant user base. I think Apple initially approved it knowing it was a joke, but making the major mistake of assuming that it would basically just go ignored, except for giving the observant user a good laugh. Maybe the initial thought was "Well, no one will buy this stupid thing anyway, and we don't want the developer to potentially be a pain in the ass if we don't put it up there." So, even though there was really no good reason for allowing the joke, there was a small reason to avoid rejecting it on that basis. Myself, I still think Apple should have rejected it from the onset, but at least I can walk myself through a possible thought process that isn't totally unreasonable. Why someone would pay a grand for ^#*$ing red gem is utterly beyond reason, however.
So, yeah... Yet again, stereotypes are being reinforced and this just screams: iUsers = Epic Fail
Scapegoat
August 11, 2008 at 8:38pm
This to me is why Gordon Mah Ung is the greatest geek ever. He KNOWS Mac Users are Latte Sipping bastards, and the fact that plenty more people would have purchased that app for their iPhones proves his point. It would cause a black hole, due to all the ***damn yuppies that would be sitting by the window of Starbucks, talking on their self-righteous Bluetooth headset, with their new 3G iPhone resting on the iGloat (a picture frame like stand that attaches to the back of the iPhone for public display, also know as the iSleeze), with their iPhone on the home screen, facing the window of that Starbucks, so that all passerbys know that these bastards are rich, dumb a**holes.
In essence, Apple did something kinda smart. Really, I don't hate Apple, I just side with Gordon when in comes to those select Apple users who are latte sipping bastards. I myself want an iPhone, just for practical reasons. I like the phone and wi-fi functionality, I need an MP3 player (still have never had one), and the 16GB version is actually cheaper than the Touch with a new contract.
Pentium 0
August 11, 2008 at 4:29pm
Genious...just genious... i cant believe i didnt think of that...
