Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Odds and ends, Freeware, Apple, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Because iFarting is serious business
We were just fine with letting this story dissipate right into the air like so many bad smells, as it's not exactly the most impressive thing to ever happen in the App Store. But in the interests of completionism, we'll bring it to you anyway. First, there were two apps that made fart noises, called Pull My Finger and iFart. Then, there was allegedly some inappropriate twittering (and shady iPhone reviewing -- we seriously doubt that tons of people want to give five stars to an app about MC Hammer), $50,000 of damages were requested, a "Social Media Expert" (read: "tool") got angry, and eventually a lawsuit was filed, and now every blog and website everywhere is posting that two apps about flatulence are suing each other.
Like we said, not the story out of the App Store that we're most proud to report. But Apple did get mixed up in all of this early on -- Gizmodo reports that the Mothership was approached for a solution, and that it was decided to let the devs fight it out. Maybe if Apple had said early on that applications on the App Store had to do a little more than make fart noises (or that there was already enough farting going on in the store -- what do those other 29 apps have to do with any of this?), the iPhone wouldn't now be known as the premiere device for farting.
But we suppose there's money to be had -- someone out there is buying either or both of these idiotic apps, and as a result, both of these guys are willing to go to court over software that reproduces the sound of passing gas in the hopes of getting even more money, despite the fact that you can simulate the same effect with the human armpit. Can we cut the lawsuits and get to producing some actual software for the platform, please?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Ken N said 3:46PM on 2-18-2009
Just Stop!
Reply
colouroflight said 3:46PM on 2-18-2009
Well, Joel Comm IS the creator of the original 'fart' app.
Just like Konami was the original creator of the guitar-based video game (in 1997). But you never see them getting any credit for it these days, do you?
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why not the LS2LS7? said 7:14PM on 2-18-2009
Yes, actually I do usually see Konami credited for it. But first only gets you so far. Harmonix made a lot more hay in the home market than Konami did, and thus Konami is rarely spoken of.
Scott said 5:52PM on 2-18-2009
THANK YOU!!!
Someone else who realizes that it was terrible in the first place to let Apple accept these apps under pressure from the web community. These apps are so pointless and I'm glad Apple is going to let the devs figure out this mess. Apple should be filtering apps more so that only the cream of the crop gets through because that is what sane people want to buy. This is an area where competition is a bad thing for the most part and diverse apps will blossom. That is why the iPhone platform is the best because of the diverse, creative apps that are made, not friggin fart apps.
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MacFandango said 10:29PM on 2-18-2009
@Scott
Why shouldn't Apple let these types of apps into the store? I still don't understand why an iFart app is a bad app. The people I know with iPhones love the fun mindless apps as much as they love the useful ones. It is fun. Where does the bar lie for app intelligence in your mind? And why do you care? This is not meant to be an insult, I'm just perplexed by why you and a few other posters think the app store needs usefulness standards.
B said 3:59PM on 2-18-2009
Can we cut the bulshit and get to producing some actual interesting posts for your readers, please?
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jthollister said 4:05PM on 2-18-2009
I have subscribed to TUAW for several years now, and today I will be unsubscribing.
This is the most idiotic, biased, discriminatory article I've read in a long time. If you don't like fart apps, then whoop-de-freakin-doo for you. Some of us do, in fact it was #1 for longer than any other app ever has been, so CLEARLY you're in the vast, vast minority.
Farting is universal humor, and while people will make it out to be immature or whatever, this article goes too far.
GOODBYE TUAW.
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B said 4:11PM on 2-18-2009
I know someone who's DVR is set to record The Comedy Central Roast of Larry the Cable Guy. (Hint: It's you!)
Enjoy your lowest common denominator humor, and thank you for doing your part to make this world a dumber place.
BOK said 4:12PM on 2-18-2009
whose*
Oops. I guess it's contagious.
jthollister said 4:16PM on 2-18-2009
If there's one thing I can't stand, it's people who think they're better than everyone else. Get over yourself, asshole.
Eric Lewis said 4:39PM on 2-18-2009
SAME..SICK OF GARBAGE!
BOK said 5:20PM on 2-18-2009
Name-calling. Classy. And I can't get over myself. I'm just that great.
Michael Rose said 6:30PM on 2-18-2009
Really?
This is the post that makes you realize we think fart apps are the stupidest fad in software history?
Not, say, the video of 31 fart apps? Or the previous, dripping-with-scorn coverage of fart apps?
These developers, though they are perfectly within their rights (and profit margins) to create these sophomoric and puerile apps, have managed to make the entire App Store look more than a little bit ridiculous.
And you're unsubscribing? From TUAW? Because you disagree with Mike's opinions about *FART APPS*?
Wow. I mean, really. Wow.
jthollister said 6:46PM on 2-18-2009
No, disagreeing is healthy. YOU are the one who is so unwilling to accept someone differing in opinion that they resort to repeated ambiguous insults directed at anyone who disagrees. TUAW clearly has no respect whatsoever for MY opinion (which happens to be that of the majority of humanity, and I suspect yourself as well if you'd get over the whole self-righteous I'm-better-than-you-because-I-don't-laugh-at-bodily-functions thing), and that's why I'm unsubscribing.
What's funny is funny. Nobody knows WHY we laugh, we just do, and there is nothing immature, adolescent, or "idiotic" about laughing at farts. The only word to describe it would be "natural".
Michael Rose said 7:35PM on 2-18-2009
"YOU are the one who is so unwilling to accept someone differing in opinion that they resort to repeated ambiguous insults directed at anyone who disagrees."
I would like you to point out where, in my comment, I made ambiguous insults toward anybody but fart-app developers.
You, however, in your original comment, said:
"This is the most idiotic, biased, discriminatory article I've read in a long time. If you don't like fart apps, then whoop-de-freakin-doo for you."
So who's being intolerant of someone else's point of view?
I am frequently tempted to say this, and today I believe I shall.
Get your own damn blog.
Write about fart apps, poop apps, anatomy-jiggling apps, whatever you please. Revel in it. Become the go-to site for fart-app analysis and we'll happily leave the coverage to you, and link to you when you come up with something particularly trenchant.
To comment like this, however, with this self-righteous "I'm leaving TUAW" and "CLEARLY you're in the vast, vast minority" stuff... well, y'know, glad we've been of service, sorry you won't be with us in the future, and it's too bad that we sent you over the edge instead of warning you in the top of the post that it wouldn't suit your delicate, fart-app-honed sensibilities and you should just skip over it.
Bye!
jthollister said 7:44PM on 2-18-2009
You clearly don't understand where I'm coming from. Your quote was out of context and has a completely different suggestion from what I originally intended. I was being intolerant of intolerance, if anything. "Whoop-de-freakin-doo for you" doesn't mean "you're wrong and I'm right", it means, "you have a different opinion than me, and I don't really care".
My point, in the simplest of terms, is this:
Different things make different people laugh; you are not better than me because of those things; this blog post (along with a lot of others - this is just the straw that broke the camel's back) makes it pretty clear you think otherwise.
I have my own damn blog, thank you very much, and unlike TUAW I don't use it to criticize and insult other people over inconsequential matters of personal preference.
Michael Rose said 7:58PM on 2-18-2009
Look, JT, the only part of Mike's post that could even possibly come within shouting distance of insulting you, or anyone else who chose to buy a fart app, is this:
"someone out there is buying either or both of these idiotic apps,"
If you feel personally affronted by that... ??
BOK said 8:03PM on 2-18-2009
jthollister, for someone so equally amused (poop -- teehee!), you sure don't seem very happy.
James Madley said 8:41PM on 2-18-2009
TUAW stands for "The Unofficial Apple Weblog", not "The Unofficial Apple Website".
As such TUAW should be expected to post opinion because that's what bloggers do. If Mike thinks that fart apps are stupid then that doesn't mean that all TUAW bloggers think fart apps are stupid. Who knows, tomorrow there might be a post from someone else who likes fart apps here at TUAW.
Or there might not.
MARC said 4:46PM on 2-18-2009
BORING!
Reply