December 12, 2008.
A day that will live in infamy.
The aftershocks are still being felt (and smelt) throughout the iPhone universe.
And the world has never been quite the same.
For on that day, iFart Mobile was released to an iTunes AppStore public unaware of what was to come.
Pure global flatulence domination.
It began with a head-to-head competition between iFart and Pull My Finger, an explosive battle that caused many in the media and blogosphere to take note.
But it was the public release of my sales figures which really got everyone talking.
Before we knew it, iFart was being talked about everywhere.
Venture Beat, Wired, The Washington Post and many more discussed the success of iFart and what it might mean for the AppStore.
The New York Times did a feature story for their Sunday Magazine focused on the success of iFart.
Sales of the app were strong as it remained in the Entertainment category top 25 all year.
Celebrities such as Lance Armstrong, David Duchovny and Bill Maher referenced iFart in tweets or in the media.
iFart popped up on television programs such as The Today Show. In reference to the app, Kathy Lee Gifford said, "That starts my day so happy. I love that!"
As Apple was approaching the download of its billionth app, iFart was featured as an all-time Top 20 application.
And while the pop culture references continued, sales of the app remained strong.
It's now been over one year since the release of iFart and its twenty-three day #1 spot reign in the AppStore.
We've had a video contest, added new features and even brought social networking to the app. We've introduced "fart packs" for sale as in-app purchases and been the subject of more blog entries and news stories than we ever dreamed possible.
Even Jon Stewart's The Daily Show did a segment on iFart!
But what is really amazing is that iFart has become the de facto app that people refer to when they want to discuss the silly things people will spend their money on in the app store.
I would assert that no application in iPhone history has been referred to as many times as iFart.
Just within the last month, iFart has been referenced in this manner by TechRadar, PC World and Know your Cell.
An iFart search on Twitter reveals that iFart is regularly being referenced or discussed by others.
A Google search for iFart produces over 100,000 results.
And what influence has the success of iFart had on copycat developers trying to cash in on our success?
An AppStore search for fart produces almost 500 apps that use "fart" as a keyword!
Who would have thought that a humorous, juvenile novelty app would have such a massive impact?
The fact is that iFart has brought millions of laughs to the world.
Many people want to know what happened to iFart sales Christmas 2009, one year later.
I'm pleased to say that the app sold over 5000 units on 12/25/09. Very impressive considering that it has been out for over a year.
If you are an iFart customer, thank you for making the app such a huge success!
I'd love to hear your comments. Please leave them below.
Hi Joel,
I bet you won't put this comment on your site, but I'll right it any way. You always sign your emails by" Do good stuff". Is this what you call "good stuff"?
I thought you were a good guy (It's actually thanks to you I got in to the whole world of IM). But this app of yours got me so sick, I'm leaving your list.
(The truth is, lately you only sent affiliate links to other's products, and nothing with real content in it).
Good luck any way.
1. Be first.
2. Be the best.
3. Take & make the most of every opportunity.
4. A stroke of Divine Providence doesn't hurt, either!
Phhhttt!
Just goes to show how powerful word of mouth and viral marketing are. Great story Joel, thanks for the laugh!
To be honest, I don't really know what ifart is. I know it's an app for Iphone, but after that, have no clue about it.
I will Google it to read up on what this app does. Thanks for the post.
Why would I waste time Googling ifart? Why would I want to read about ifart? Sounds like something for unemployed teenagers.