Apple pulls $1,000 App Store 'gem' after eight downloads

Armin Heinrich, the developer of the 'I Am Rich' application that sold for $999.99 and does essentially nothing, isn't sure why his submission was pulled from the App Store as it was done without warning.

Eight people are said to have downloaded the program, including six in the US, one in Germany and another in France during the day it was live. Using the App Store's revenue split, Heinrich would have made nearly $5,600 in revenues from an program that essentially does nothing.

Loading up the program simply does one thing: it displays a glowing gem on a black background. You could reportedly make some changes to the gem that appears but that was about it.

Apple initially approved the application on Tuesday, however pulled it on Thursday. Heinrich said that he wasn't informed of why I Am Rich was pulled, as Apple never contacted him. Similarly, the company was not speaking to the media on its reasoning either.

Questions abound as to why Apple would have even allowed the application through in the first place. The $999.99 fee is highest a developer can charge in the App Store, and Apple is believed to check every submission for various standards of quality.

It's obvious that the price far outpaced I Am Rich's functionality in this case.

A screenshot of a purported review that was circling the web may have contributed to Apple's actions. "This is not a joke. I need someone to help me with this scam," reviewer Lee5279xx writes. He tried to get the charge reversed after 'jokingly' purchasing the application, but "no one could get in touch with Armin Heinrich, or Apple to help me with this."

Obviously, I Am Rich is no joke.