August 10, 2008: The developer of I Am Wealthy, a pointless iPhone app that offered for a whopping $999.99, defends his infamous creation as “art.”
After Apple eliminated I Am Wealthy from the App Retailer within the wake of controversy over the app’s outrageous worth and complete lack of usefulness, its creator, German developer Armin Heinrich, says he made it as a type 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 thought of an App Retailer on the idea that it could lead to lesser-quality software program on the iPhone, the I Am Wealthy app might need confirmed his worst fears — if the App Retailer was not already off to such begin.
Launched on July 10, 2008, the App Retailer rapidly turned successful amongst iPhone customers. Nevertheless, 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 purpose at.
“I found that some users complain about prices for iPhone applications above 99 cents,” he advised The New York Occasions. Nonetheless, he defended his outrageously priced I Am Wealthy app. “I regard it as art. I did not expect many people to buy it and did not expect all the fuss about it.”
Shockingly, the ineffective app will get dangerous opinions
The app drew withering opinions from the tech press, and but eight individuals 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 crimson jewel on the person’s iPhone display. When pressed, the next mantra appeared in giant letters, full with a typo:
“I am rich
I deserv [sic] it
I am good,
healthy & successful”
The I Am Wealthy app additionally prompted early questions on whether or not Apple ought to permit a “try before you buy” coverage for the App Retailer. Whereas Apple didn’t severely contemplate such a coverage, the idea fuels the plethora of free apps that supply in-app purchases at the moment.
The sequel: I Am Wealthy LE
As for Heinrich, individuals reportedly bombarded him with messages — “many of them insulting,” he advised The New York Occasions.
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 “famous mantra.”
Launched in 2009, it failed to attain the identical notoriety as the unique, though it most likely 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, but it surely has since disappeared from the App Retailer.
What’s the weirdest iOS app you keep in mind from the early days of the App Retailer? Go away your feedback under.