CoderBrown Journal

Posted: 1:36 pm

Not stinks as in it’s no good, but stinks as in smell. Let me explain…

When Apple launched its App Store for iPhone and iPod touch it was a stroke of genius. In a mere six months from its launch, there are now over 15,000 apps available and the App Store has had over half a billion downloads. Simply amazing.

There is one segment of the App Store that is contributing to this success, and it is one I wish wasn’t so popular. A little over a month ago Apple allowed an app called “Pull My Finger” into the store. This app was initially rejected, but then Apple changed their upload policy and eventually posted it. Shortly after that an app called “iFart” was released, then news broke that iFart became the #1 app and the developer made over $40,000 in just two days.

You could hear the virtual rumble as developers rushed to duplicate iFart’s success by posting their own version of a fart app. Today, a search for “fart” in iTunes will reveal 68 fart-related apps. I’m sure this isn’t what Apple envisioned when they developed the idea for the App Store, and I’m dismayed when I search for new apps and find one or two more fart apps released every day. How many more fart apps need to be released? None, in my opinion. There are far too many offered now, and I think these apps only cheapen the effectiveness of the App Store.