RSS
Twitter
Eight $1,000 App Buyers Later, And Apple Pulls It
from the wrong-way dept
Two days ago we wrote about the "I Am Rich" iPhone application, which, for the staggering sum of $1,000, provided you with - get ready for it - a glowing red screen. Although it struck many as a complete waste of money, the application did not seem to be breaking any of the App Store rules and was upfront about its lack of utility. However, a vocal number of observers were shocked by what they saw as a dereliction of gatekeeper "duty" by Apple. Now, in response to the protests, Apple has removed the application without notifying or explaining to the developer why.
But before Apple could do so, 8 willing buyers downloaded the app. In contrast to those calling it a joke or insult, it seems that the application had found a market - the developer netted $5,600 in only a couple hours. Although one reviewer claims to regret buying the app (he thought it was "a joke"), one wonders if Apple should be playing nanny to iPhone owners who make $1,000 jokes, only to regret it. The App Store has only been around for a couple of weeks and, of course, there are going to be kinks to work out. But without clear rules, developers and buyers are going to become increasingly disillusioned with the system. When Apple decided to make it a gated community, they created a false sense of security. And by attempting to recapture that security, they are only moving further from the winning approach - openness.
Kevin Donovan is an expert at the Insight Community. To get insight and analysis from Kevin Donovan and other experts on challenges your company faces, click here.
