I Am Rich
The US$999.99 iPhone Status App
Forgotten Apps · 2008
Archived on
Associated With
Armin Heinrich - developer or publisher
Defining Feature
A glowing red gem interface with an information control leading to an affirmation or further text
Status
Discontinued - Available on 5 August 2008 and absent from the App Store by 6 August 2008
Overview
I Am Rich displayed a glowing red gem on an iPhone after buyers paid US$999.99 for the app.
Created by Armin Heinrich and listed in August 2008, it offered an information control leading to an affirmation or further text. It had no substantial function beyond showing that its owner had bought it.
The original version remained available only briefly before disappearing from the App Store. Later apps and clones using the same name are separate from Heinrich’s version 1.0.
Why It Mattered
The app tested the limits of value, status and oversight in the newly opened App Store. Its extreme price and near-immediate removal made it an early symbol of the strange economics surrounding mobile software.
The Ruby Interface
- Version 1.0 displayed a glowing red gem or ruby.
- An information control led to an affirmation or further text, but its exact wording is not definitive.
- Later apps and clones with the same name are separate from Heinrich’s original 2008 version.
Prices in the Early App Store
- Listed prices were US$999.99 in the United States, €799.99 in Europe and £599.99 in the United Kingdom.
- Apple reported more than 800 native apps and more than 10 million downloads during the App Store’s first weekend.
- Apple said more than 90% of available apps cost less than US$10 as of 14 July 2008.
Brief Storefront Availability
- Reports place the app on sale on 5 August 2008 and absent from the App Store by 6 August.
- Computerwoche reported four sales during the first fourteen hours; a later Guardian report counted eight US$999.99 purchases before withdrawal.
Sources & Records
- The Register — I Am Rich on sale, 6 August 2008 — Records the red-gem display and the US$999.99 and £599.99 prices while the app was available.
- 148Apps — I Am Rich version 1.0 preview — Identifies Armin Heinrich, the original version and price, and records its disappearance in an August 6 update.
- Wired — I Am Rich removed from the App Store — Provides a contemporary August 6 report of the app’s disappearance.
- The Register — I Am Rich disappears, 7 August 2008 — Reports that the app had disappeared from the store after being available the previous morning.
Gallery
Credit
techdigest
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
I Am Rich’s App Store listing made the price itself part of the product’s identity: $999.99 for an application centred on a glowing gem.
Credit
iDrop News
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
The red gem on an iPhone shows the deliberately minimal display behind I Am Rich’s conspicuous price.
Credit
Armin Heinrich, I Am Rich app; Apple App Store interface, screenshot reproduced by Priceonomics
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
I Am Rich's $999.99 App Store listing made price the product's main attraction, offering a luxury gesture inside a marketplace normally associated with useful software.