Think your iPhone 3G needs some sprucing up? Hate that the chrome bezel of the iPhone 3G scratches too easily? Well, for those who are wealthy beyond even the most wildest dreams, you can now get the diamond edition of the iPhone 3G. With only 50 being made worldwide, it’ll cost $10,000 for the first 10 customers with the other 40 being priced at a later point.
Here’s the lowdown on the diamonds:
Purportedly one of the eight [redacted] people who bought I Am Rich has gone all Paris with the video making, and decided to show the rest us more than maybe we needed to really know about the $999 proof that P.T. Barnum was right — again.
And no need to hurry on that hacked version either, b’okay?
(via TUAW)
You see that picture? That’s the $999.99 app that we’ve already warned you about. So please, if you’re interested in that red ruby of a status symbol, simply save that image to your iPhone and use it as a wallpaper or something. Don’t go buying this completely featureless program for $999.99 !! But sadly, it’s too late for 8 people who have already purchased the app. According to the developer there is even more waiting for it to come back to the app store.
“I am sure a lot more people would like to buy it — but currently can’t do so,” Heinrich said. “The App is a work of Art and included a ’secret mantra’ — that’s all.”How on Earth does this happen? Maybe because it’s the start of the Olympics on 8/8/08 that 8 people decided to bandy up and go in together. Or maybe they’re all filthy rich people who would rather spend money on a digital ruby than a real one. Who knows. Hopefully this won’t spurn a bunch of copycat apps and turn the App Store into a complete dump.
Actually, I have a request for any sane and capable developer. Make the same exact program. Call it “I Am Richer’ and give it away for free. How’s that for ya?
Our beloved series of tubes has been going crazy over the “I Am Rich” application from the App store. It’s a $999 application that does nothing but prove you’ve got $999 to blow on an application which displays a red diamond. It’s a little funny, as Kottke points out, as a commentary on the iPhone as status symbol.
The question, though, is whether or not Apple should have let it up in the first place and whether they (or the original developer) should have taken it down. Kottke notes that Apple really shouldn’t be in the business of pulling apps based on bad taste and we’re inclined to agree. Both in our podcast and here and there throughout the aftermath of the 2.0 software announcement, we expressed concern that Apple’s total control of what goes up on the App store has the potential to be abused.
On the other side of things, however, is the concern that Apps — especially useless, thousand-dollar apps — are a little too easy to purchase. Gizmodo reports that there was a review up on the app (pictured at right) that detailed one user’s sorry tale of accidental purchase.
We’re going ot go ahead and express two opinions here. One: buyer beware. We don’t want any added complication in purchasing apps (though we could compromise and say any app over $50 would require another approval step). We’ll also add that, like the consumerist always tells us, we recommend that you attach a credit card to your iTunes account instead of a debit card that’s attached directly to your checking. That way if something goes wrong, it’s not your money that’s missing while you work fixing your purchasing snafu.
The second opinion we’ll express a little more provisionally. Given that we’d rather have Apple include crappy apps than have them censor, it’s not going to be too long before it starts to feel like the iTunes Store is going to need better ways to discover and evaluate apps. We don’t know if trial software is in the cards, so in the meantime keep an eye on our review section and our iPhone Software forum — both are good resources to get other users’ opinions before you buy.
  
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The iPhone Blog merged with the Phone different site in May of 2008. Both sites were founded on a premise that comes one from one of Apple's old slogans: Think different. The iPhone Blog: for people who dare to phone different.
