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all he was saying is that it goes the other way too, especially as the app market populates. iFart was made by Joel Comm, believe me when I say he had a hand in marketing the app to drive the number of sales that it did.

http://www.joelcomm.com

Knowing a market is pretty intrinsic to marketing. It seems obvious now but iFart was genius in that lots of people found the concept funny enough to pay a dollar for. I know plenty of people who have bought it on a whim at parties.

I'd argue the contrary. For an iPhone app to take off, marketing is first and foremost. Buzz is a key ingredient. There are many ways to create buzz, and that's what makes the platform so relevant to teaching some concepts.

At least for me, hands-on experience is a required complement to theoretical learning.

But identifying a market correctly is a key business skill. I think apps like the ones you mention are pretty deplorable, but it's a sad fact that many people derive enormous amusement from fart jokes.