August 10, 2008: The developer of “I Am Rich,” a pointless iPhone app that sold for a whopping $999.99, is defending his infamous creation as “art.”
After Apple removed “I Am Rich” from its App Store following controversy over the app's exorbitant price tag and utter uselessness, its creator, German developer Armin Heinrich, said he created the app as a kind of joke.
I Am Rich: A $1,000 iPhone app that's completely useless
The existence of such apps was perhaps inevitable: For Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who initially opposed the idea of an App Store on the grounds that it would lead to a decline in the quality of iPhone software, the I Am Rich app might have confirmed his worst fears had the App Store not already gotten off to a strong start.
Launched on July 10, 2008, the App Store quickly became popular among iPhone users, but it also set a precedent for pricing, with most apps selling for less than $1 – and that's exactly what I Am Rich developer Heinrich was targeting.
“We found that some users complained when the price of an iPhone app was more than 99 cents,” he said. The New York Times“I [the I Am Rich app] “As art. I didn't expect so many people to buy it, and I didn't expect it to cause such a stir.”
Surprisingly, the I Am Rich app has received poor reviews.
The app was panned by the tech press, but eight people still paid to download it, and what's most surprising is that only two of those (apparently wealthy) idiots asked Apple to take it down.
The app itself didn't do anything useful: When opened, a red gem appeared on the user's iPhone screen. When pressed, the following mantra appeared in large letters, complete with typos:
“I am wealthy
I deserve [sic] that
I am fine,
Healthy and successful.”
The I Am Rich app also raised early questions about whether Apple should allow a “try before you buy” policy on the App Store. Although Apple never seriously considered such a policy, the concept has spawned a huge number of free apps that offer in-app purchases today.
Sequel: I Am Rich LE
As for Heinrich, people reportedly bombarded him with messages, “many of which were insulting,” he said. The New York Times.
Despite the harsh feedback, he produced a sequel, “I Am Rich LE,” an $8.99 app that came with a calculator and a spelling-corrected version of his “famous mantra.”
Released in 2009, the app never quite garnered the same amount of popularity as the original, but it probably picked up an user or two. Heinrich updated I Am Rich LE to make it compatible with iOS 12 and add other improvements, but it has since disappeared from the App Store.
What's the weirdest iOS app you remember from the early days of the App Store? Leave a comment below.
