I Am Rich

Forgotten Apps · 2008

Published

I Am Rich was an iPhone app created by Armin Heinrich and listed for US$999.99 in August 2008. Opening it displayed a glowing red gem and a short affirmation, with no substantial function beyond signalling that the owner had bought it.

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; the exact wording is not treated as definitive. - The canonical subject is Heinrich’s original 2008 version 1.0 app, not later apps or clones with the same name.

Price & Early Marketplace Context

- 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 in the App Store’s first weekend. - Apple also said that more than 90% of available apps cost less than US$10 as of 14 July 2008.

Brief Storefront Life

- Contemporary reports place its availability on 5 August 2008 and its disappearance by 6 August. - Computerwoche reported four sales in the first 14 hours; a later Guardian report gave eight US$999.99 purchases before withdrawal.

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

Primary Records

- **The Register — Too much money? Bling your iPhone with the $1000 app** - **The Register — Man buys $1,000 worth of iPhone pixels by accident** - **148Apps — I Am Rich (preview)** - **Wired — Apple Yanks Another iPhone Application**

Image Sources

- **Image 1** - **Image 2** - **Image 3**

Rights Notice

Images are included for historical and archival reference. Rights holders may contact Forgotten Archive through the publishing account to request a credit correction or removal.

Gallery

Screenshot of an older iPhone App Store Info page for “I Am Rich” by Armin Heinrich, showing a red glowing app icon, a $999.99 price button, a two-star rating with 275 reviews, descriptive text, and the bottom App Store navigation bar.
Source
Credit

techdigest

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. 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.

A hand holds a black touchscreen phone against a pale wall; its screen shows a small faceted red gemstone floating in a red glow on a black background.
Source
Credit

iDrop News

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. 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.

iTunes window displaying the App Store page for “I Am Rich” by Armin Heinrich, with the red ruby icon, $999.99 price, release date, app description and a large ruby-screen screenshot.
Source
Credit

Armin Heinrich, I Am Rich app; Apple App Store interface, screenshot reproduced by Priceonomics

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. 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.