IAmRich
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Apple makes Fortune's list of bonehead moves (twice), still a best place to work
With the end of the year comes the cavalcade of best and worst lists, just in case you didn't know what was best and what was worst over the course of the year. Apple made glassdoor.com's list of "50 Best Places to Work," placing 19th. It scored a 3.8 out of five, and 90 percent of employees approved of the job that CEO Steve Jobs was doing. 303 employees completed reviews at the site, contributing to its score. (The reviews themselves are interesting to read, incidentally, if you have a few minutes to kill.) On the other hand, Apple made Fortune magazine's list of 21 Dumbest Moments in Business for the year, twice -- but the second time really wasn't its fault. The first head-smacker, at number six, was for the approval (and subsequent removal) of the "I Am Rich" iPhone application. "The real losers?" Fortune asks: "The eight suckers who bought it." The second blooper, number 19, actually goes to CNN and Bloomberg for two false stories about Steve Jobs' health. Bloomberg accidentally released an obituary on August 28, and retracted it the same day. In a similar gaffe, a post on CNN's iReport site falsely claimed that Jobs had suffered a heart attack. CNN took down the post -- but not after Apple's stock dipped 10 percent in 10 minutes. Ouch. [Via Macsimum News and MacNN.]
Apple rejects another app for duplicating functionality
Apple has rejected another app from the app store because it considers it too similar to one of Apple's own apps, and thus would cause "user confusion." The app is a front-end for Gmail, called MailWrangler, and allows users to check many Gmail accounts at once (unlike MobileSafari). It offers a similar interface as Gmail's iPhone-optimized web interface, which shows conversation threads in context, and allows for starring conversations (unlike Mail). The app developer says it works much like MailPlane on the desktop. Nevertheless, Apple rejected the app because of the similarity, in Apple's view, and also due to other issues related to editing account information. This app's rejection follows that of Podcaster for allegedly similar reasons. As we mentioned in the Talkcast two weeks ago, this could be related to the user backlash from I Am Rich. Whether it's too permissive or too strict, Apple will always have unhappy people when it issues rejections like this. [Via WebMonkey.]
Steve Jobs: 60 million iPhone apps downloaded, confirms kill switch
Steve Jobs, presumably speaking from a hyperbaric chamber where he's being nourished with an infusion of liquefied developers-souls before his next public appearance, had a few interesting tidbits about the AppStore for the Wall Street Journal this morning. Namely, users have downloaded some 60 million programs for the iPhone representing sales of about $30 million since the launch last month -- a 30/70 revenue split between Apple and developers, respectively. "The thing's going to crest a half billion soon," Jobs added, "I've never seen anything like this in my career for software." He went on to say that phone differentiation is no longer about radios and antennas (or uh, battery life) but about software. Steve also confirmed the controversial iPhone application kill switch in the event that Apple inadvertently approves a malicious program for distribution. Jobs said, "hopefully we never have to pull that lever, but we would be irresponsible not to have a lever like that to pull." As to the $999.99 I Am Rich application, the dubious download that displayed nothing but a glowing red gem, pulling that from the store was a "judgment" call. Sure, but that doesn't explain how it made it through the vetting process to begin with.
Found Footage: 'I Am Rich' walk through
[YouTube link] Apparently, eight people actually bought the famed "I Am Rich" iPhone application. If you weren't rich stupid lucky enough to buy the app, or if you are merely curious what the fuss was all about -- the above "guided tour" is for you. I'll admit, I've found this whole saga pretty unfunny thus far. Don't misunderstand me, I get the joke, the whole thing has just struck me as easy and lacking any real point. Call me puerile, but I had to laugh at this video. The line that got me, "notice how 'deserve' is fashionably [misspelled]." Classic. Thanks Neil!
LA Times: 'I Am Rich' author sold eight copies
Armin Heinrich, developer of the do-nothing I Am Rich application, told the Los Angeles Times yesterday he sold eight copies of the app, which is no longer available in the App Store. If true, Heinrich pocketed $5,600 for his work, and Apple skimmed $2,400 off the top. According to Heinrich, six people from the U.S., one from Germany, and one from France each bought a copy of the app. One App Store reviewer said that he bought the application by accident, but it's unclear if that individual is included in the final tally. An update to the Times article noted that Heinrich said, "I've got e-mails from customers telling me that they really love the app," who had "no trouble spending the money." He also said that he had "no idea" why Apple removed his offering from the App Store. John Gruber, in a blog post at Daring Fireball, expressed skepticism at Heinrich's honesty, suggesting that his claim of receiving emails from satisfied customers "didn't ring true." [Via Valleywag.]
'I Am Rich' makes author exactly that, does little else
Got a cool grand to burn? Before you think about buying the brand-new app I Am Rich, there are a few charities I'd hope you consider. But if you truly have that kind of money to spend, you can buy an app that touts itself as "a work of art with no hidden function at all." I Am Rich sells for $999.99 in the App Store. It also features a "secret mantra" that "may help you to to [sic] stay rich, healthy and successful." Uh huh. I've got a mantra for you: "Smile and be nice to people." There. That one's free. Hey, you can't blame the author, Armin Heinrich, because just a few sales would set him up quite nicely. What you can blame, however, is the asinine App Store vetting process, which let this dollop of poop into the system. What rocket surgeon thought this would be better than eWallet or ListPro? I fear John Gruber's prediction that the App Store wouldn't become the next VersionTracker or MacUpdate is proving exceptionally false. It's not only that I don't want to buy I Am Rich, it's that I don't accidentally want to buy it. It's ridiculously easy to buy apps for your device, and getting this one by accident would certainly ruin my day. Plus, I don't have the minimum system requirement of three popped collars to run the app. The Iconfactory's Craig Hockenberry notes, though, that he's willing to spend 99 cents on an app with graphics identical to I Am Rich, but only featuring the mantra "I'm not stupid." Judging from the App Store's app admission track record, though, that one should get approved in no time. Thanks, Mark, Oliver, Rubbinz, Sherman, William, and Gruber for the tip! Update: It appears I Am Rich has been removed from the U.S. App Store. For what reasons, exactly? We may never know. Thanks, Adam, for the update!
