For a couple of days, there was an app available at the iTunes App Store called I Am Rich. It was $999.99. Know what it did? This:
That’s it: static display of this image. Its sole purpose is to show, on your iPhone or iPod touch screen, “that you were able to afford this” (from the app description).
To Armin Heinrich, the designer of I Am Rich: You got close with this, and you’re thinking in the right arena, but this is just a little bit too crass. Your critical mistake with I Am Rich is that it truly does nothing.
Mind, conspicuous consumers are an excellent target demographic. They’ll turn loose of piles and piles of cash for just the stupidest shit you ever saw in your life.
However, if it’s not something iconic, like a diamond or a rare painting, you must give them some semblance of a value proposition behind which to hide (think $10,000 watch or $150,000 car). After all, those are still useful items, right? It doesn’t matter whether they’re ten times better than a $1,000 watch or a $15,000 car; it matters that such a line of thought is even possible. That’s enough to defend it to themselves.
Accordingly, I suspect that had I Am Rich done anything useful at all, it would have been a hit.
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I was under the impression that Apple pulled it from the app store. So, could more fools have been parted with their money?
Apple did pull it. I just assumed that if it was selling, they wouldn’t have. Perhaps that’s assuming too much.
The article I read (wishing I could find it) implied that Apple thought they were above it and didn’t want to condone it in their store. I want a black and gold jewel. Can I get one? Oh, wait, silly me, I don’t have an iPhone.
Seester, here’s the thing – YOU could design your own app… for FREE.
Conspicuous consumption makes me feel guilty. The fact is that, if you have more than two pairs of shoes, you’re in the wealthy minority of the world. Don’t think that I don’t think about those who have nothing when I’m shopping, even in the grocery store. That I can have a pantry stuffed with enough food to feed a village somewhere is something that nags at me.