The number of iPhone and iPod touch applications available at the App Store may be growing daily, but that doesn’t mean every title coming out is worth the price of admission. Armin Heinrich’s I Am Rich is a perfect example: for US$999.99, it displays an animated ruby on your iPhone or iPod touch screen -- and that’s all.

The App Store is Apple’s iTunes-based distribution system for authorized third-party iPhone and iPod touch applications. Since it is the only Apple "blessed" distribution method, competition between similar applications is strong.

I Am Rich

Assuming there is a willing buyer that understands exactly what I Am Rich does, which, according to the developer "always reminds you (and others when you show it to them) that you were able to afford this," then the nearly $1000 price tag may be fine. For the rest of the App Store market, however, high-priced do-nothing applications send a strong negative message.

Developers and customers are likely to start questioning Apple’s screening process, although I Am Rich probably doesn’t violate any of the company’s software product restrictions. One customer review, for example, stated "I don’t know what else to say. Apple, please stop letting craptacular apps like this through your vetting process. What happens if I have 1-click turned on? $1000 zing!"

Since clicking an App Store Buy App button automatically purchases an application, that makes it easier for someone to accidentally spend $1000, which is a potentially painful and costly mistake.

In this case, the developer may be hoping for a few sales to pad their bottom line. What’s more likely, however is that I Am Rich was released as a publicity stunt to help promote Mr. Heinrich’s other App Store offering, a calculator application. The I Am Rich description alludes to that, too, by stating "If it’s to expensive for you - check out my other apps - they are all much cheaper."

While I Am Rich probably meets Apple’s requirements for App Store distribution, it doesn’t seem to meet the company’s implied standard of quality based on its price and functionality. Deciding if specific applications are "good enough" based on their features and price point, however, may not be a path Apple wants to go down.

Blocking high priced applications that don’t serve any purpose could turn into a public relations headache for Apple if rejected developers started to complain, and that would likely be a bigger problem for Apple than approving applications like I Am Rich. Instead, dealing with user comments like "This is the kind of App that you let through? What is wrong with you? Seriously" will likely be easier because, like it or not, there probably isn’t anything in Apple’s App Store terms and conditions that prevents programs like I Am Rich from being distributed.