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August 10, 2008: The developer of I Am Wealthy, a pointless iPhone app that bought for a whopping $999.99, defends his infamous creation as “artwork.”
After Apple eliminated I Am Wealthy from the App Retailer within the wake of controversy over the app’s outrageous worth and whole lack of usefulness, its creator, German developer Armin Heinrich, says he made it as a kind of joke.
I Am Wealthy: A very ineffective $1,000 iPhone app
The existence of such an app was maybe inevitable. For Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who initially opposed the concept of an App Retailer on the premise that it might lead to lesser-quality software program on the iPhone, the I Am Wealthy app may need confirmed his worst fears — if the App Retailer was not already off to such a great begin.
Launched on July 10, 2008, the App Retailer rapidly turned a success amongst iPhone customers. Nonetheless, it additionally set a pricing precedent, with most apps promoting for lower than a greenback. And that’s what I Am Wealthy developer Heinrich took goal at.
“I discovered that some customers complain about costs for iPhone functions above 99 cents,” he instructed The New York Instances. Nonetheless, he defended his outrageously priced I Am Wealthy app. “I regard it as artwork. I didn’t count on many individuals to purchase it and didn’t count on all of the fuss about it.”
Shockingly, the ineffective app will get dangerous evaluations
The app drew withering evaluations from the tech press, and but eight folks paid to obtain it. Most amazingly of all, solely two of these (apparently completely loaded) suckers requested Apple to reverse the sale.
The app itself did nothing helpful. When opened, it displayed a pink jewel on the consumer’s iPhone display screen. When pressed, the next mantra appeared in massive letters, full with a typo:
“I’m wealthy
I deserv [sic] it
I’m good,
wholesome & profitable”
The I Am Wealthy app additionally prompted early questions on whether or not Apple ought to permit a “attempt before you purchase” coverage for the App Retailer. Whereas Apple didn’t critically think about such a coverage, the idea fuels the plethora of free apps that provide in-app purchases at present.
The sequel: I Am Wealthy LE
As for Heinrich, folks reportedly bombarded him with messages — “lots of them insulting,” he instructed The New York Instances.
That harsh suggestions didn’t cease him from making a sequel known as I Am Wealthy LE. The $8.99 app got here with a calculator and a spelling-corrected model of his “well-known mantra.”
Launched in 2009, it failed to realize the identical notoriety as the unique, though it in all probability picked up one or two extra customers. Heinrich up to date I Am Wealthy LE so as to add iOS 12 compatibility and different enhancements, however it has since disappeared from the App Retailer.
What’s the weirdest iOS app you bear in mind from the early days of the App Retailer? Go away your feedback under.
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