5 Pricey iPhone Apps That Will Leave You Broke
(Image: Krystian Nawrocki/iStockphoto)
Apple's App Store is generally known where you can trick out your iPhone or iPad with dozens, even hundreds of applications out of a selection of hundreds of thousands, with the vast majority of them either free or available for 99 cents.
Think of how free apps like Instagram, Facebook, PayPal, and countless other social media and productivity applications have turned a sleek gadget that makes calls into an essential part of your daily life.
According to online statistics portal Statista, Apple's App Store remained the second-largest app store with 1.5 million available apps, right behind Google Play, where Android users have access to 1.6 million apps.
But just as there are affordable accessories of all kinds for the iPhone -- from inexpensive but durable cases, portable speakers, headphones and all the rest -- there are top-of-the-line luxury accessories that remain far out of the reach of most consumers.
This price scale extends to the world of applications, where a stratosphere of pricey applications glides high over the murky pool of free apps.
[Here's a list of fitness trackers that are not named Apple Watch.]
It's easy enough to find free -- if limited -- versions of apps that you'd rather not pay $4.99 for, but what are those applications that you probably couldn’t afford even if you wanted to buy them?
We've taken a cruise through the App Store to find those applications only the 1% can afford, the applications that accompany the $3.5 million Goldgenie iPhone 6 made of 24-carat gold and encrusted with dozens of tiny diamonds, that find themselves wrapped in a Swarovski crystal case.
SafeSession Voice Deploys Encryption ($299.99)
This pricey communications app provides mobile secure voice over IP (VoIP) calls through an Internet channel where your phone conversation is protected by voice encryption algorithms. It's important to note that you can talk in the secure mode only if your partner has installed the SafeSession secure software to his or her device too, so you better have some rich friends to call.
TouchChat AAC With WordPower ($299.99)
This worthy app is a full-featured communication solution for individuals who have difficulty using their natural voice. It's designed for individuals with autism, Down syndrome, ALS, apraxia, stroke, or other conditions that affect a person's ability to use natural speech. A game-changer for those with speech handicaps.
Tap Menu: Choking On The Bill ($399.99)
Tap Menu is used as a picture-based app that helps you create your own menu, book, or something in a totally different style. It's designed for your restaurant, coffee shop, hotel, business product category or listings, content table index, or award list -- all without Web servers or database servers.
iDIA Diagnostics Is A Pet App For Vets ($399.99)
Another highly useful app -- albeit for a niche audience -- iDIA provides veterinary client education, and it includes all of the animation and illustration content from the main Diagnostic Imaging Atlas (DIA) program, which has more than 200 files. There's also an interactive dog and cat feature, e-mail capabilities, and 150 client education handouts covering common pet health topics.
VIP Black Kicks Siri To The Curb ($999.99)
Billed as the world's first premium lifestyle app, this disclaimer pretty much sums up the world’s most exclusive digital concierge: Upon download, prospective VIP Black members will be required to certify they are High Net Worth Individuals with assets or income in excess of £1 million. (The $1 million mark is listed in British Pounds on the website.)