App-ocolypse Now: iPhone Fart-App Wars have Begun. Seriously.
In one corner, iFart Mobile and Joel Comm, who are now suing to have a judge rule that “pull my finger” can’t be trademarked (honest, we couldn’t make this stuff up):
In my app description on iTunes, I have testimonials. One of them is direct from my site, WorldVillage.com, in which I give the opinion, “Way better than Pull My Finger!” Of course, I have the right to state my opinion, especially one I believe to be true! [...] I also used Twitter to search for people who were discussing any of the competing fart apps and engaged in conversation with them. Air-O-Matic didn’t like that. Perhaps they believe they own Twitter and the people using it?
In the other, Pull My Finger and Air-O-Matic, who wants to get paid:
we estimate he cost us about $500K in sales. His app leapfrogged ours immediately after he started doing these things. That happened to be Christmas week. He sold hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of his app in the next month, in the spot he kicked us off of. We talked to our attorney, and decided to try to end this swiftly by asking for 1/10 of our estimated lost sales, plus attorney fees. $50K is about one week in the top spot in the App Store. We thought that was about right.
In the audience, whole heaps of developers wondering if the App Store is viable in the face of “gaming”, and millions of users who chuckle at cheap flatulence rather than voting with their wallets for innovative, world-changing mobile applications.
(via @chockenberry)
February 16th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Here’s a solution: Ban both of them from the App Store.
February 16th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
facepalm
February 16th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
If I want to ****, you know what I do? I ****. I don’t go pay money for an app to make my phone ****. It’s a phone, not a butt.
I mentioned this somewhere else, but … where were **** apps on Handango.com? I’ve never seen Mobile **** 2007 for Windows Mobile, Symbian, or Blackberry.
February 16th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Wow, all those bleeps make me seem bad-***. I bleeped that myself.
February 16th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Maybe someday Apple will release a separate “Juvenile Store” with games and entertainment. Then the App Store could be just for us adults who want to be productive.
February 16th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Apple will allow such “****” as **** apps, but make the Craigslist app eliminate adult content – even as far as foul language in a posting?
I am losing faith in Apple everyday.
February 16th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
You evil man. Now whenever I see that graphic or hear somebody make a Steve Jobs “Boom!” ….I’ll assume that’s what it sounds like when Jobs farts.
February 16th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Kick both Apps off the AppStore, and ban future Apps from these developers. Problem solved
February 16th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
I agree, just let the **** apps die. Kick them all off the app store and be done with it.
February 16th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
ROFL, priceless.
Seriously, when Apple first did not allow Pull My Finger, the developer cried and whined and people were booing Apple for being a control freak. See where we are now? trademark a ****? lol
February 16th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
… and by the way… if the word “f@rt” is too offensive for us to reply with, why is it not too offensive for us to read in both the article and headline?
February 16th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Yeah, that’s weird, as it let Dieter get away with saying **** (did I get away with it there, or is **** bad and farts okay?). Sigh. No automated system is ever truly functional.
February 16th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
The resident app curmudgeon will not ever weigh in on this one……
February 17th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
whats astonishing is that these far*t apps make that kind of money
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:49 am
Very nice info.i hope you come to my blog here Kampanye Damai Pemilu indonesia 2009