10 Most Lucrative iPhone Apps–for Apple : Apple’s 5th Most Profitable App: iBeer Updated

By Anthony Celeste , published on June 10, 2009 at 12:51 PM
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Another somewhat unexpected and unusual choice rounds out the top five money makers for Apple’s App Store: iBeer Updated. Apple ranks iBeer as the number five most downloaded application of all time and the prices of the three apps below it (all at 99 cents) imply that none of these apps have been able to top iBeer Updated measured by gross income for Apple. iBeer Updated's rise to number five has been fairly recent, since the Apple top 20 list for 2008 showed it in an impressive but still distant 10th place.

The iBeer Updated app is used to simulate a cold frothy beer on your iPhone. When tilted to your mouth, the iPhone’s accelerometer detects the tilting and simulates the beer disappearing into your mouth. An option is included for a loud burping sound when the virtual beer is finished. 

Just the thought that someone came up with this idea for a paid iPhone app is amusing. But the fact that so many iPhone users have actually bought enough copies of it to propel the application to the number five spot may be better described as disquieting. Yes, we know, it’s only 99 cents, but still. In any case, even though it ignored our emails, we pass along our compliments to iBeer’s developer, Hottrix.  Anyone that can make so much cash from an idea that seems so impractical in a bad economy has earned a pat on the back.

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Comments
Anonymous 06/10/2009 9:08 PM
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Maybe people don't realize the pure amount of drivel created on the internet nowadays. Having a $99 dollar fee to put up any app, including free ones, limits the selection to those created by people with the earnestness to create something remotely worthwhile. If anybody could create an app and put it up for free, there would be no way for apple to sort through the shear number of crap programs. It would turn the app store into youtube; a few thousand videos worth watching in a sea of millions of idiots with camera phones.

CR0W M@GN3T 06/10/2009 9:12 PM
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aggie11 :
Maybe people don't realize the pure amount of drivel created on the internet nowadays. Having a $99 dollar fee to put up any app, including free ones, limits the selection to those created by people with the earnestness to create something remotely worthwhile. If anybody could create an app and put it up for free, there would be no way for apple to sort through the shear number of crap programs. It would turn the app store into youtube; a few thousand videos worth watching in a sea of millions of idiots with camera phones.



Nicely said. The fee is definitely important as quality control for the app store.

theuerkorn 06/10/2009 9:41 PM
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aggie11 :
Having a $99 dollar fee to put up any app, including free ones, limits the selection to those created by people with the earnestness to create something remotely worthwhile.


Agree.

TCeleste 06/11/2009 12:45 PM
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"Maybe people don't realize the pure amount of drivel created on the internet..."

Rest assured that I'm painfully aware of the drivel. But it's important to keep in mind that Apple has a process in place for screening apps (and yes, that process needs some fine tuning).

My opinion is that this process should be what weeds out the useful from the drivel. To me, the $99 fee just weeds out lower income developers, and those willing to create low price or free apps.

anamaniac 06/11/2009 8:47 AM
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Wow...

All of those seem like a complete waste of time...

Jailbreak that damned thing already...
Free homebrew FTW!

td854 06/11/2009 11:48 AM
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TCeleste :
To me, the $99 fee just weeds out lower income developers, and those willing to create low price or free apps.



Seems to me like a "developer" would have to be pretty low budget (living in a cardboard box?) to not be able to afford a measily $99.

DjEaZy 06/11/2009 3:06 PM
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... with most of the games is like '90 are back... almost the same resolution and 3D graphics... there would be interesting to see such games as NFS 1 & 2, Terminal Velocity, Duke Nukem 3D and stuff like that ported to the iPhone...

TCeleste 06/12/2009 10:05 PM
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td854 :
Seems to me like a "developer" would have to be pretty low budget (living in a cardboard box?) to not be able to afford a measily $99.



Actually, living in a college dorm, or just being laid off, may be sufficient for $99 to be a lot of cash. I think there's a bit of a double standard at play here.

I know it's not possible because of the licensing, but what would happen if Linus Torvalds suddenly demanded $99 from everyone wanting to develop a Linux application? The entire open source community would be up in arms (and rightfully so, in my opinion).

What about if Bill Gates demanded $99 from every Windows developer? He'd be accused (again, rightfully so) of abusing his position to pilfer $99 from every Windows developer.

But Steve Jobs gets a free ride, no questions asked, like it's some kind of corporate entitlement.

Primus462 06/12/2009 10:51 PM
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I just checked out Enigmo in the app store and it is listed as $2.99. This article is only 2 days old and claims the app costs $0.99. What gives?

TCeleste 06/13/2009 12:34 PM
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Apparently a change in price. App developers are permitted to put apps on sale, and to change prices.

Steven Bancroft 06/15/2009 4:25 PM
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Primus462 :
I just checked out Enigmo in the app store and it is listed as $2.99. This article is only 2 days old and claims the app costs $0.99. What gives?



Oh please. This is an app STORE, and its not like Apple started charging the fee overnight. This has been in effect since day one. I do not develop apps but I agree with the first couple statements about needing the fee to weed out the useless Youtube like environment. If you cannot round up the cash, it's simply not for you. If you are really talented and cannot afford it, I'm sure someone would be willing to invest in you. Comparing Steve Jobs to Linus and Bill in that scenario is not at all accurate.

Steven Bancroft 06/15/2009 4:33 PM
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TCeleste :
Actually, living in a college dorm, or just being laid off, may be sufficient for $99 to be a lot of cash. I think there's a bit of a double standard at play here.I know it's not possible because of the licensing, but what would happen if Linus Torvalds suddenly demanded $99 from everyone wanting to develop a Linux application? The entire open source community would be up in arms (and rightfully so, in my opinion). What about if Bill Gates demanded $99 from every Windows developer? He'd be accused (again, rightfully so) of abusing his position to pilfer $99 from every Windows developer. But Steve Jobs gets a free ride, no questions asked, like it's some kind of corporate entitlement.



Sorry, this is what I meant to quote.

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