A young entrepreneur named Armin Heinrich recently tapped into one of the most basic ways to make money: selling something without a discernible function for an obscene price. He devised an app called “I Am Rich” that was nothing but a glowing red orb and priced it at one thousand dollars. People actually bought it. Nine in the first week. And that’s where Apple stepped in and did exactly the opposite of what they should have done. Instead of lauding him as a hero and one of the most creative thinkers of our time, they took down the app. That’s insane. Imagine if the Sistine Chapel had been erased a week after Michelangelo finished. Or if Windows had been pulled from the shelves a week after Bill Gates put it on sale. That’s the scale of this tragedy. Apple said they removed the app because it wasn’t functional. They believe that because the app didn’t do anything, it shouldn’t exist. The problem with that thinking is that people love to spend money on things that provide absolutely no value! They live for it! Take modern art, for example. In the art world, if you can find a way to trick people into paying obscene amounts of money for utterly useless stuff, you’re a visionary. I mean, just take a look at some of this crap. In order, that is an upside down triangle, a turd, artist Jeff Koons and a balloon dog. The balloon dog is the most expensive piece of art ever sold, at 58.4 million dollars. If someone is willing to pay 58.4 million for something a clown could make me at a backyard birthday party, should that person be punished? No way! That person is living the capitalist dream. The list of useless luxury goods goes on and on. Is this Hermes blanket worth 6000 dollars? That's a years rent for many people. I think an old coworker said it best after his wife bought a 3000 dollar handbag: “I sure hope it comes with 2900 dollars stuffed inside.” Cristiano Ronaldo just bought his agent a Greek island as a wedding present. Does anyone need a Greek Island all to themselves? I would argue no. But I would also argue that no one should be allowed to step in and say that he can’t have that island. Or that the island seller (pretty sure that’s the technical term) shouldn’t be allowed to sell it. He should be able to sell Ronaldo an island AND a 60 million dollar sculpture of a balloon dog, if he wants. Might as well throw in a 700 dollar dish rag as well. The entire economy is built on people buying stuff they don’t need. Not everything has to be functional. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) needs to step aside and let Armin sell his brilliant app.