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Guy Actually Bought “I Am Rich” App for $999.99 – Oops!

// Admin Tools, Apple, Applications, Errors, For Geeks, Funny, Geeks, Ipod, Mobile, News, Pictures, WTF

This is a funny little story about a funny little man…who thought he was just pretend shopping online at the very real Apple Ipod App store…

What it actually does?

Once downloaded, it doesn’t do much — a red icon sits on the iPhone home screen like any other application, with the subtext “I Am Rich.” Once activated, it treats the user to a large, glowing gem (pictured below). That’s about it. For a thousand dollars.

Armin Heinrich—the German author of the application—has confirmed that not only one moron, but eight dumbasses actually bought the application. According to him, there are more waiting to get it:

Apple apparently had some problems with I Am Rich. After initially approving it for distribution, the company has since removed it from the store. Heinrich, a German software developer, has yet to hear back from Apple concerning the removal. “I have no idea why they did it and am not aware of any violation of the rules to sell software on the App Store,” Heinrich said in an e-mail with The Times today.

I Am Rich But Apple couldn’t pull it down before curious aristocrats — eight of them — had purchased it. Six people from the United States, one from Germany and one from France dropped a grand for the gem in the first 24 hours it was available, Heinrich said. That’s $5,600 in revenue for Heinrich and $2,400 for Apple, which collects 30% of each sale for “store upkeep.”

The fact is that he’s right. If there are people wanting to buy a piece of useless software for $999, why not let them do it? After all, people buy even more expensive crap that is completely useless, from paintings to collectibles to other commercial software. The market decides if a product is worth its price tag or not. And at least eight people got this, even if one is claiming that it was an accident. Accident or not, the fact is that Heinrich has pocketed $5,600 and Apple received $2,400 in 24 hours.

Not bad for a bad graphic and a silly phrase. [LA Times]

Did Heinrich get Paid?

Heinrich told LA Times that he had not yet received his $5,600 check from Apple, which has a policy of paying developers at the end of each calendar month. He’s unsure how the app’s removal will affect the payment process.

“I’ve got e-mails from customers telling me that they really love the app,” adding that they had “no trouble spending the money,” he said.

Did Dumbass #1 get Refunded?

Heinrich confirms the validity of the review pictured in the screenshot, and Apple has refunded his and another buyer’s money. “I don’t want to collect money from people who did this by accident and I am glad that Apple returned the money for two orders,” Heinrich said.

The 6 other people who bought this app…were obviously filthy rich anyway so this app is perfect for them.

I think Heinrich is awesome. Anyone who thinks of a random way to make money and then actually succeeds at it gets my vote.

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