The $1000 iPhone scam app
Mikey 9 comments
Where there's a popular product you better believe there will be people trying to cash in on it, even via less moral means.
Take the new iPhone 'application' created by one Armin Heinrich, which was available on the official Apple store site for a princely $999.99. Now any application that costs a grand, particularly one for a phone, better be damned good. But what does Heinrich's app do? Nothing at all. It just places an icon in among the others, of a gem, with the words 'I am rich' under it.
"The red icon on your iPhone or iPod touch always reminds you (and others when you show it to them) that you were rich enough to afford this,"
Although I don't know how many people actually bought this, I would not at all be surprised if anyone did.
Most are saying it's a scam, but it can't really be called as such when the statement above accompanies the product before purchase. I think it's the work of one smarty-pants who wants to mock the people with more dollars than sense who like to brag about their wealth.
What better way to brag than to say 'I'm so rich, I can afford to blow a cool 1K on an icon!"?
Marvin The Martian
Thursday 7th August 2008 | 11:07 AMApparently there is a suppliment to the article:
http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/8/worthless-1000-i-am-rich-iphone-app-disappears
It appears that either Apple or the developer has removed the item from the store.
Curious if anyone bought it though
Mikey
Thursday 7th August 2008 | 03:03 PMAs suspected, someone was dumb enough to buy it: http://i35.tinypic.com/vfeo5.png
Here's the thread on Digg:
Rodney
Thursday 7th August 2008 | 03:31 PM...in response to this comment by Mikey. When I read that guy's post I read "idiot bought something without reading the details, realised he's a tool, and tried to lie his way out of it..."
storm
Thursday 7th August 2008 | 05:52 PMThis just makes me laugh. I don't think it should have been taken off the store actually.... it's prefectly up-front about what it is (a show-off piece). The dude's a genius for thinking this up. I bet Steve Jobs got a copy for free :)
The guy that bought it.... not much sympathy from me I`m afraid.
Bob
Friday 8th August 2008 | 09:28 AMIt's still a scam - plain and simple!
storm
Friday 8th August 2008 | 03:27 PMHow can it be a scam when it was totally honest about what it did (and didn't) do?
Treva
Friday 8th August 2008 | 05:56 PM8 people have bought the icon
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/08/iphone-i-am-ric.html
8 Morons bought it
Sunday 10th August 2008 | 02:44 PMhttp://gizmodo.com/5034701/confirmed-eight-morons-bought-the-999-i-am-rich-iphone-application
Marvin The Martian
Thursday 7th August 2008 | 11:04 AMIt's the 10% stupidity factor.