Armin Heinrich, developer of the do-nothing I Am Rich application, told the Los Angeles Times yesterday he sold eight copies of the app, which is no longer available in the App Store.

If true, Heinrich pocketed $5,600 for his work, and Apple skimmed $2,400 off the top.

According to Heinrich, six people from the U.S., one from Germany, and one from France each bought a copy of the app. One App Store reviewer said that he bought the application by accident, but it's unclear if that individual is included in the final tally.

An update to the Times article noted that Heinrich said, "I've got e-mails from customers telling me that they really love the app," who had "no trouble spending the money." He also said that he had "no idea" why Apple removed his offering from the App Store.

John Gruber, in a blog post at Daring Fireball, expressed skepticism at Heinrich's honesty, suggesting that his claim of receiving emails from satisfied customers "didn't ring true."

[Via Valleywag.]

Got a cool grand to burn? Before you think about buying the brand-new app I Am Rich, there are a few charities I'd hope you consider. But if you truly have that kind of money to spend, you can buy an app that touts itself as "a work of art with no hidden function at all."

I Am Rich sells for $999.99 in the App Store. It also features a "secret mantra" that "may help you to to [sic] stay rich, healthy and successful." Uh huh. I've got a mantra for you: "Smile and be nice to people." There. That one's free.

Hey, you can't blame the author, Armin Heinrich, because just a few sales would set him up quite nicely. What you can blame, however, is the asinine App Store vetting process, which let this dollop of poop into the system. What rocket surgeon thought this would be better than eWallet or ListPro? I fear John Gruber's prediction that the App Store wouldn't become the next VersionTracker or MacUpdate is proving exceptionally false.

It's not only that I don't want to buy I Am Rich, it's that I don't accidentally want to buy it. It's ridiculously easy to buy apps for your device, and getting this one by accident would certainly ruin my day. Plus, I don't have the minimum system requirement of three popped collars to run the app.

The Iconfactory's Craig Hockenberry notes, though, that he's willing to spend 99 cents on an app with graphics identical to I Am Rich, but only featuring the mantra "I'm not stupid."

Judging from the App Store's app admission track record, though, that one should get approved in no time.

Thanks, Mark, Oliver, Rubbinz, Sherman, William, and Gruber for the tip!

Update: It appears I Am Rich has been removed from the U.S. App Store. For what reasons, exactly? We may never know. Thanks, Adam, for the update!