iOS Could this get accepted?

[Elite Aaron]

Hey everyone,

I recently got my dev application approved- and before I drop the $100 I would like to know something

Remember the stupid I Am Rich app? I made one called I Am Poor, which is essentially the same thing with a different design. I was wanting to sell this in the App Store for $1.99, and donate 20% of the profits to Feed the Children. Would Apple approve of this?


Thanks!!!

/aaron

 

[admanimal]

If they do allow I am poor apps, there's going to be many of them. I have already heard several other people with the same idea (minus the charity). I think you'd be better off just donating the $100.

 

[EricNau]

I doubt it. If they were allowing "I am Poor" apps, we probably would have seen a few by now.

I also doubt you'd raise enough money for the $100 to make it worth your while. admanimal may be right in that you should just donate the $100, if that's your primary goal for this app.

 

[JamesFoote]

I think you this would be good in an app that shows news stories on charity and stuff, and then it also donates the money.

But I doubt Apple would allow it. Everyone would copy the idea.

 

[Chronimac]

Yeah, if you wanted to do the charity thing, I'm sure apple wouldn't care.
But like the guy above me said, don't make it an 'I am poor' app, have it do something involving charities maybe have a database of local charities you could sign up to volunteer for or something in that direction. Im not gonna lie, i wouldn't buy it. but Im sure there's people out there who would.

 

[Greencardman]

If you can code, I can come up with a ton of ideas that can make you a lot more money than "I am poor" and you can donate as much money from that as you want. Seriously, that can't be your best idea can it?

Why chose to make an app where you have to ask if it will be allowed and take a chance when you can make an app you know will be allowed and start earning money right away?

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

I know!

Make an

I am Generous! application!

It should just have a simple badge thing proclaiming how generous you are. It'll have a button so you can donate money to charity and it'd have the amount of money everyone who downloaded the application has collectively donated along with how much you specifically have downloaded.

 

[jeremy.king]

I am Generous! application!

I like this, however, I would just interface with the Paypal API and offer some prepackaged charities with donation amounts.

Workflow

1. select charity
2. select donation
3. authenticate with Paypal
4. reward user with some badge/metal/etc to flash on the phone (and/or web)

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

I can't help but think that you're not being very generous.

I mean... it seems more to me that people are donating money to you.

30% (about $0.60 / donation) to Apple.
20% (about $0.40 / donation) to charity.
50% (about $1.00 / donation) to you.

Why is it that charity ends up with the least amount of money?

 

[miniConvert]

I can't help but think that you're not being very generous.

I mean... it seems more to me that people are donating money to you.

30% (about $0.60 / donation) to Apple.
20% (about $0.40 / donation) to charity.
50% (about $1.00 / donation) to you.

Why is it that charity ends up with the least amount of money?

That seems to have been the OP's blatant intention from where I'm sitting...

...this is like those websites people make begging others to give them money. Bleh.

 

[Elite Aaron]

I can't help but think that you're not being very generous.

I mean... it seems more to me that people are donating money to you.

30% (about $0.60 / donation) to Apple.
20% (about $0.40 / donation) to charity.
50% (about $1.00 / donation) to you.

Why is it that charity ends up with the least amount of money?

I should have been a little more specific in my first post.

I was only going to donate 20% until I get the $100 back. Then I was going to do 40%.

 

[Elite Aaron]

If you can code, I can come up with a ton of ideas that can make you a lot more money than "I am poor" and you can donate as much money from that as you want. Seriously, that can't be your best idea can it?

Why chose to make an app where you have to ask if it will be allowed and take a chance when you can make an app you know will be allowed and start earning money right away?

I can code, but I'm not really creative. I had a few ideas in mind, but I Am Poor seemed like it would go over the best since I Am Rich got so much media attention.


Also, would it be a good idea to make 3 versions? I was thinking of a $1.99 (40% goes to charity), $4.99 (50% goes to charity), and a $50 (75% goes to charity) version.

 

[admanimal]

To be 100% honest I think this idea is a flop. Unless you have official support from some major charity and make a really, really nice app, no one is going to buy it.

 

[Luke Redpath]

As people have already said, it's not a very original idea and there's already enough dross clogging up the app store.

Why not come up with an original idea for an app, something that people will want to buy other than for the sake of donating to charity, and then if it's important to you, give a portion of the profits to charity anyway?

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Yeah, I don't think the idea would work very well... people are far more likely to just go ahead and give the money straight to charity.

...

the source of my ideas are largely from just looking at other games and mixing them up. (Hot Potato + Flaming Finger = good idea?)

Shoot!

That is a good idea!

Well, I'm busy right now... you can go make that.

 

[Greencardman]

I just think from a business standpoint you're shooting yourself in the foot. People didn't really like the "I am Rich" app. Some people hated it, but even the people who thought the idea was unique didn't actually "like" it. Doing an "I am Poor" app just means people won't like it AND it won't be unique. You'll have no one on your side saying anything good about it besides the fact that some money might be going to charity. As someone said, even that isn't that great because your percentages aren't very charitable, and there are countless ways to donate to charity without making an "I am Poor" app.

If you believe any press is good press, go ahead I guess. But it seems all you're asking for is a lot of bad press showcasing your lack of creativity and criticizing you. If you think we're harsh in the forums here, imagine what it will be like to have 10 million people talking about you.

 

[Greencardman]

The more I think about this idea the less I think it will be accepted. Having control over the App Store gives Apple a lot of control, but also a lot of responsibility. Letting in your charity application, or any application that purports to donate to charity invites accusations that Apple must monitor those applications.

Allowing your app to be sold, and lets face it, the only selling point it has (because you've admitted it does nothing else) is that it sends some of its money to charity, will make Apple accept other apps that purport to do this. But how can we know once the money is in your or anyone else's bank account that it will actually be donated? How can we monitor people who make a donation to charity a huge selling point but only give away a small percentage?

It just sounds like Apple will be getting themselves into a lot of hot water by allowing your app. Sure, most people would put the emphasis on the consumer to discern which company actually does what it says it does and donate their money accordingly, But many people would put the responsibility on Apple to not allow apps that don't give enough to charity or don't follow through on pledges to donate. Its just a bad idea for Apple to allow this.

 

[EvryDayImShufln]

I don't understand why this app would ever work.

Why not skip the middle man and go straight to donating the $ to charity? That way ALL the money spent goes to charity, instead of a lot of it going to the app author and apple?

If I felt like donating 50$ to charity, I would do it, and I wouldn't need some app that does nothing in return.