Peter Kafka

Recent Posts by Peter Kafka

Four and a Half Minutes on iFart? There’s a “Daily Show” Clip for That.

Everyone knows that one of the iPhone’s best selling points is the amazing array of apps developers make for the handset. But if you still need convincing, check out this “Daily Show” clip, which highlights some of the phone’s most popular programs.

Of course, it’s a decent bet that if you’re reading this site, you’ve already heard of iFart. And perhaps the iFart v. Pull My Finger lawsuit. And maybe the entire array of flatulence apps now available for iPhone users.

Which is, actually, a serious story for Apple (AAPL): At some point it risks having the App store, and thus the iPhone, defined by novelty items.

The issue came up during the company’s earnings call yesterday, when Needham and Co. analyst Charles Wolf worried about a “race to the bottom” at the App store, and wondered if there was a way to “enable consumers to separate quality apps from the garbage.”

Apple COO Tim Cook’s response: “We realize there’s opportunity there for further improvement and are working on that.”

In the meantime, here are all of Apple’s fart apps in one handy link.


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I feel sorry for Peter Thiel. Did he really want flying cars? Flying cars are not a very efficient way to move things from one point to another. On the other hand, 20 years ago we had the idea that information could become available at your fingertips. We got that done.

— Bill Gates, in an interview with Wired magazine’s Steven Levy