“A classical piano player in Christchurch, New Zealand decided to see how quickly he could make an app for Apple’s iPhone. Reuben Bijl, 22 years old, took 30 minutes and came up with a pointless one called ‘Sound Grenade,'” Andy Jordan blogs for The Wall Street Journal.
“It then made him more than $100,000 in a few months, he says, through advertising on the free version and a $1.99 pro version. It emits a harsh squeal that irritates anyone within earshot, even in a crowded restaurant (I tried this — evil looks abounded),” Jordan reports. “These apps appeal to everybody, Mr. Bijl says. His frustration that ‘Sound Grenade’ has flourished, compared to the tepid response to some of his more useful apps, is palpable.”
Jordan, “His success taps into a larger iPhone app developer success story: the Crap App. These are the iPhone gems that don’t really do anything and don’t have a higher purpose. They irritate, gross out and provoke. They usually just have a picture and play a sound. Peruse the top 50 apps, paid or free, and you’re likely to find a few.”
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Full article here.
