Chicago (IL) - Would you pay $1000 for a pretty image and a secret message about how to stay rich on your cellphone? You may not, but eight people did - within the application’s first 24 hours of availability. The leaves the developer with a profit of about $5600 and all of us with another piece of evidence that anything can be sold for (almost) any price.

Get this: Someone creates an iPhone application that virtually does nothing, sets the price at $1000 and eight people buy it in the first 24 hours before Apple removes it from the App Store without explanation. The developer, pockets $5600, after fees, and there are complaints about Apple’s move, stating that there is still demand for an application that does nothing besides showing an image of a glowing red gem. Yes, we know what you’re thinking: "why didn’t I have this idea?"

As reported previously, developer Armin Heinrich made the headlines by selling the iPhone application "I am Rich" for $1000 on the App Store. It was somewhat of a surprise that Apple actually green-lighted the application, while countless developers are still waiting with potentially much more useful applications are pending for approval. Heinrich apparently came up with a silly, but very effective PR stunt to promote his other application called Calc Pro, a $4.99 scientific calculator that does less than Apple’s own Calculator application, which comes for free with the 2.0 firmware.

Although we originally thought Heinrich was poking fun at the frenzy surrounding the iPhone and the fact that it is one of the priciest gadgets out there, the fact that some were actually rich (or dumb, depending on your view) enough to purchase this application made us think. It may be easy to describe the "I am Rich" application as a scam and because of Apple’s detailed application process, it may be easy to blame Apple for any damages caused. Now there are $8000 in the AppStore account, from which $5600 will go to Heinrich and $2400 to Apple. Should Heinrich get the money, after Apple approved his application in the first place? Should Apple keep the money, after it somehow admitted that it was a mistake releasing the application? This one could turn into a spicy story down the road and could set a precedence for scam applications in the AppStore.

Gizmodo reportedly received a screenshot from one of the users who purchased the application and later called it "a scam", turning desperately to the tech blog after he "jokingly clicked ’buy’", forgetting that his wife has previously "activated iClick" on his laptop (the "One Click Buying" option in his account on the iTunes Store).

"THIS IS NO JOKE... DO NOT BUY THIS APP AND APPLE PLEASE REMOVE THIS FROM THE APP STORE.... APPLE MUST MUST MUST START TO SCREEN THESE FAKE APPS AND RIDICULOUS SCAMS," he wrote to Gizmodo.

The LA Times reported that Apple did not provide any explanation to Heinrich regarding the application removal. "I have no idea why they did it and am not aware of any violation of the rules to sell software on the App Store," he told the paper. The developer revealed that six US-based customers purchased the application within the first 24 hours, one from Germany and one from France. Incredibly enough, Heinrich is convinced there is still demand for the application. "I am sure a lot more people would like to buy it - but currently can’t do so," he said. We are sure he is right.