I Am Rich

Forgotten Apps · 2008

I Am Rich was Armin Heinrich’s original version 1.0 iPhone app, built around a glowing red gem and listed for US$999.99 in the United States. The Guardian and New York Times reported it as available on 5 August 2008 and absent from the App Store by 6 August; the supplied evidence does not establish who initiated its removal or why.

Why It Mattered

Its significance lies in the contrast: a deliberately minimal digital status symbol appeared during the App Store’s first month, when Apple said more than 90% of available apps cost less than US$10. It became an early, highly visible test of what a curated mobile marketplace could display—and what buyers might pay for an experience whose value was largely symbolic.

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

Reports published on 5 and 6 August 2008 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.
The eight-purchase figure is reported in journalism, not an audited Apple sales total; no original App Store page, executable or formal archival copy is verified in the supplied records.