Rules as discussed ad nauseam
So the winner was the person who downloaded the 1 billionth app? I thought it was random selection?
The rules for the billionth app promotion were confusing. My co-worker and I were led to believe that anyone who purchases an app or fills out the form online has a chance to win the contest. With the contest now ended Apple claims that a 13-year old downloaded the billionth app and therefore has won the contest. The very circumstance in which he won by downloading the billionth app doesn't match with what the rules state.
The Rules:
Timing. The Promotion shall run from 12:01 a.m. EDT on April 10, 2009 and ends with the downloading of the 1 billionth app (Promotion Period). For purposes of the Promotion, the downloading of the 1 billionth app is considered to be either the downloading of the 1 billionth app from iTunes or the receipt of the non-purchase entry after the download of the 999,999,999th app, whichever comes first.
This is a legal requirement to tell everybody when the contest is over. Nowhere does it say a drawing or the winner will be picked at random!!!
How to Enter. There are three ways to enter the Promotion:
You will automatically be entered into the Promotion by downloading an app from the App Store.
You will automatically be entered into the Promotion by downloading an app from the App Store using your iPhone or iPod touch.
Non-purchase method: Go to
http://www.apple.com/itunes/billion-...own/entryform/, fully complete an online entry, including your name, complete mailing address (P.O. Boxes not acceptable), telephone number, and birth date. Once your online entry is complete, hit the Submit button to submit an entry. Entry via this method constitutes one (1) entry into the Promotion.
This is a legal requirement. Giveaways have to have a non-purchase method, or they become a lottery, with some state prohibit. The form is simply your way to play without purchase and make this legal in all states.
Limit: Regardless of which method of entry is used to enter the Promotion, only twenty-five (25) entries per person and/or iTunes account and/or email address, per day will be granted. The use of any automated launching or entry software or any other means that permits the entrant to automatically enter repeatedly or in excess of the entry limitations is prohibited.
This is for when it gets close to 1B. If they find out you entered 100 times on the day 1B downloads are hit, you are disqualified. Same for submitting more than 25 entry forms. I think this is to prevent the whole system crashing as it nears 1B. This will prevent people setting up a program to submit/download 1000 free apps as the time approaches
Sweepstakes. Sponsor is the sole judging organization whose decisions as to the operation of the Sweepstakes and the selection of the potential winner are final and binding in all matters related to the Promotion.
The prize will be awarded for the entry (either through an app download or through the non-purchase online entry) sent immediately following the download of the 999,999,999th app. The potential winner will be determined by the order of the entries received. In the event that more than one entrant would be a winner based on the simultaneous timing of entries, one entrant will be randomly selected from those entrants as the winner. Each entrants chances of winning are dependent upon the number of eligible entries received.
Please read:
THE WINNER IS THE PERSON WHO DOWNLOADS THE 1 BILLIONITH APP OR THE PERSON WHO SUBMITS THE FORM AFTER THE 999,999,999 APP WAS DOWNLOADED. NO LUCKY DIP!!! NO RANDOM DRAWING. NO INCREASING YOUR ODDS BY DOWNLOADING?FILLING OUT MORE FORMS. DOWNLOADING AN APP ONLY GETS THE NUMBER CLOSER TO 1B.
No where does it say that it is a random draw. You do enter the drawing by downloading an app, you just happen to be the 1,000,000,000 - #app you downloaded loser of the contest. The person that downloaded app 999,999,999 was the 1st runner up or 1 loser. By downloading you enter the contest and helped that person win.
