Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Odds and ends, Developer, iPhone, App Store, SDK, iPod touch
Why do crap apps still exist? They sell.
The Wall Street Journal's Digits blog takes a look at "crap apps" -- those pieces of junk on the App Store that do one thing and do it pointlessly, whether that thing be farting or belching or making the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard (yes, really) or what have you. And they come up with a very intriguing, albeit obvious, reason that the App Store seems so filled with completely terrible and silly apps. Why? Because they sell.Yes, even "legitimate" iPhone developers -- those people working hard to create an innovative touchscreen interface, or bring some crucial functionality to the iPhone -- are finding that of all the apps they release, the crudest and most stupid are the ones that sell. They profile a guy whose serious movie apps aren't selling, but whose cobbled-together-in-five-minutes gimmick apps are making a mint. In short, the reason our App Store is full of way more fart apps than apps like Twitterific 2.0 is because people are paying for the fart ones. The message we're sending with our wallets is that if you want to make a million dollars on the App Store, don't toil away to polish your groundbreaking award-winning puzzle game. Just give us a gag we can show to our friends.
Is it right? I'd say no, but then again, even I have been pulled in to a gimmick app or two: I bought Cat Piano (in my defense, I've gotten enough entertainment out of it to find an easter egg: shake your iPhone while playing). But next time your finger is poised over the "Get App" button on that 99-cent belching app that you just know the friend you're seeing later will get a total kick out of, think to yourself: is that two-second gag worth an App Store full of crappy apps?
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Dan Willis said 11:29AM on 5-12-2009
I guess it comes down to the old saying, one mans trash is another man's treasure, or more on point, one man's crap app, is another man's hours of good, old-fashioned, mindless fun.
The thing that really disturbs me is the attitude of the various article writers who seem to think such apps shouldn't be allowed just because they find them objectionable. This kind of "my way is obviously right, therefore everyone should be compelled to follow it" kind of authoritarian thinking seems to be becoming more prevalent recently - from Washington to beauty pageants. At the risk of engaging in hyperbole, it's noting more than Intellectual Fascism.
I'll gladly wade through mountains of apps I might not be interested in. That's the price of freedom, having to deal with what others find important or amusing no matter how banal you find it. Now I do hope Apple comes up with a better way of marketing apps so I can find that app I might want among the thousands of others, but I'll never tell a fellow app store buyer what he may or may not buy.
Reply
Hawkman said 11:48AM on 5-12-2009
Absolutely, Dan. And it seems like some developers think that users should only get as much freedom as it takes to pick THEIR app...
It's only an extension of the lure of shiny stuff - like Delicious Library and its friends - that we've seen on the Mac recently. That doesn't have much actual enduring utility, either, but it sells like hotcakes. Or picture the bargain bin by the checkouts – it's cheap, you might only use it once, but who cares? You throw it into the basket along with your other purchases.
Sure it must be frustrating, but I'm pretty certain there's also lasting revenue to be had from well-designed and complex apps too. apps like Monkey Ball and Pangea's games have proved that. It might be useful to everyone if there were a divide in the App Store to separate more enduring apps from those that are just a quick giggle; but let's stop this jealous bickering about "crap" apps.
philpoccia said 11:52AM on 5-12-2009
Completely agree. Why is having apps like this annoying people so much? Just don't buy them if you think they are so bad.
Galley said 11:35AM on 5-12-2009
I have downloaded 235 apps, and not a single one of them is considered a "crap app".
Reply
Filipe said 11:48AM on 5-12-2009
Crap Apps? I prefer mindless entertainment. I have bought plenty of apps that you might consider "good apps". I also have purchased a handfull of these "crap apps" you are talking about. Were they worth the 99 cents? Some no, most: OH YES. Example: Atomic Fart. Is it gonna make me score higher in an IQ test? No, but for hours of laughter I got from my kids I would have paid a lot more. I would go as far as saying that, when it comes to gifts for my kids, these were the best 99 cents I've ever spent. Not to mention that pranks around the office. Crap app? Certainly not. Really cheap entertainment. My kids don't laugh that hard in movies, and those are 10 bucks a pop these days to watch in theaters.
Reply
pooptheworld.com said 1:44AM on 5-14-2009
At an average price of $0.99, I don't think people are going to lose any sleep if they are disappointed with one of their purchases.
We took this whole crap app thing quite literally when we created the first iPhone "bathroom journal" called POOP THE WORLD, allowing you to geotag your location, and send your friends an iPoop...somebody had to do it :-)
Hiring two top design firms to build the app may have something to do with it, but we have seen a cult following from surprising numbers all over the globe.
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=310125724&mt=8
Javid Alimohideen said 11:54AM on 5-12-2009
I too agree with the commenter. However, at least some kind of restriction on the category would be useful. For example, if fart app is available under fun or entertainment will make sense, but if it falls under the category Productivity or Utility, its absolutely ridiculous. BTW, I am one among the so called "legitimate" developer who came up with an app called "Mail2Group", that fills a missing functionality on the iPhone mail.
http://sites.google.com/site/mail2groupsupport/
Reply
Gregory Pierce said 11:57AM on 5-12-2009
The irony here is great. For some time now hardcore gamers have been saying that many of the iPhone games are 'crap games' and now here we are with iPhone guys saying that certain apps are 'crap apps'. I'm not sure why there is this reluctance to let people build or buy whatever they want. That's the whole rationale for having the SDK in the first place - so that we could have this colorful diversity in games and applications that we wouldn't have otherwise.
In diversity we get greatness.
Reply
gib said 12:21PM on 5-12-2009
Diversity? How is over a few dozen fart apps diverse? Now we've graduated to a billion downloads of gun sounds and mafia wars and high-pitched noise apps and bikini girls and who-knows what other garbage. It's someone's copy of someone else's copy of something...
I can't stand any of it. It makes it almost impossible to dig through the sludge and find something worth while.
I say, if Apple will ban apps from copying features found Apple-made apps already on the iPhone (Safari replacements, etc.) they should be able to do the same for all the other apps. They should say, "Sorry, we already have a couple fart sound apps, but you should try making something new and fresh and creative..."
Gregory Pierce said 12:33PM on 5-12-2009
How many word processors are there out there?
How many calculators?
How many browsers and email clients are out there?
What if we banned those for all personal computers and just had 1 or 2. would your world be better or worse for that?
Even in the world of fart apps, they are trying to outdo each other to make a better fart app. While I don't care for fart apps, there are people out there who do and they are served by fart app developers trying to outdo each other to make the one that will get money.
This is no different than any other genre or type of application out there. Somebody is always going to look at what's available and say 'wow, people are buying these types of apps - let me make one that is better than the ones that are out there.' This is one of those principles of economics - money brings competitors (entrants) which result in better products. This is a good thing. If people didn't care about fart app innovation, the genre would die as there would be no money in it and customers would leave the market for fart apps.
It is the way of things.
gib said 1:44PM on 5-12-2009
I understand your ECON 101 view of a marketplace, and theoretically competition leads to innovation... Sure, agreed.
Imagine if you are a small-time developer and you created a useful/engaging/innovative app (i.e., no farting). From your potential customers point-of-view, you are essentially a single voice in the crowd (of 40,000+). If enough people find your app, you might crack the top 100, only to be knocked out by the new push for 17 different $0.99 Space-Invaders clones or someone "creating" a new level utility (ripping off the SDK demo app). The only shot your app would have is to get included on the App Store "Featured" page, but a bunch of those slots are reserved for EA or other big companies.
I understand if you would be against limiting apps from entering into the the App Store. I personally don't see much innovation in most of those various fart apps, but to each his own. While I agree that it is up to the market to decide what is worth downloading and what is not, Apple needs to take more measures into allowing users more variety, not just more options. They should clean up the App Store so that (like Hawkman above stated) the bargain-bin apps have their own corner. They should expand the "Featured" page, so that it becomes the first place consumers look for apps, instead of the "Top 25" page. They should included the oft-rumored "Premium" page for high-quality games/apps, even if they come at a higher cost.
alansky said 12:05PM on 5-12-2009
That's an easy one: Crap apps sell because people are morons!
Reply
jonst52 said 12:08PM on 5-12-2009
Considering this, an application that is useful AND make fart noises is fated for success.
Does such an app exist?
You bet: go to /Settings/Tweetie/Advanced/Experimental/Popularity Enhancer.
Reply
Schell said 1:21PM on 5-12-2009
Farts are funny.
People who deny that are fooling themselves. And the pseudo-intellectual, mac-user disgust bit isn't working. The article comes across as sour grapes and makes me think the author's position would be different had his own "crap app" been approved.
When you point out the faults in others, you are pointing out the faults in yourself.
Reply
Schell said 1:23PM on 5-12-2009
Full disclosure - I do not own a single fart app.
Fugazi said 1:24PM on 5-12-2009
Crap apps sell because they always cost the least, usually 99 cents. It's not the crap apps they want... it's the feeling of getting a "bargain", or "sampling at the candystore" feeling they want. A feeling that paying 5, 7 or 10 dollars for an app doesn't provide. I think developers should focus more on creating specialized, low-cost apps. Keep it simple, focus on something that will actually HELP someone, and keep the price under 2 bucks. Just no more crap, please.
Reply
crsh said 1:25PM on 5-12-2009
One man's crap apps are another man's treasure. Just because you don't like them, it doesn't mean they shouldn't be out there. I mean, the iPhone isn't *that* serious of a platform, is it?
In short, get off your high horse.
Reply
alansky said 2:01PM on 5-12-2009
"One man's crap apps are another man's treasure. Just because you don't like them, it doesn't mean they shouldn't be out there." —crsh
Sure, let those crap apps flood into the App Store. Who cares if serious users have to wade through mounds of garbage to find what they're looking for? Fart apps forever! Who needs innovation anyway?
tonytone said 1:59PM on 5-12-2009
We did a "crap app" as a test from our normal genre and are amazed at how people will pick up 'Beer Goggles - Helping You Score' over other apps we've created that actually provide value to the user. How many copies of Beer Goggles were picked up you might ask? Over 30,000 in the first week. I kid you not.
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=311779712&mt=8
Reply
justflybob said 2:57PM on 5-12-2009
Thank you for saying what many of us are experiencing.
My "change the way the world works" app is doing so-so and not really supporting my efforts.
My "crap app" is clearly paying the bills.