PopCap Messes With the App Store

[Lord George]

I bought Peggle yesterday, I thought it had just been released, well I'll be. Oh well I;m happy with Peggle. EXTREME RAINBOW!!!

 

[Clashero]

The Kindle store has the same problem. Books are regularly given away for free -- a great way to introduce readers to new authors and genres -- but then those books naturally rise to the "most popular" list. Perhaps the solution is to break downloads into most popular lists for individual prices.

I was thinking the exact same thing. Sorting books by prices first, then popularity.

 

[Virgil]

Really, the best way for them to make 'most popular' an effective listing would be to have the iPhone/iTouch record how many times each app is used, and sync it up to iTunes on a regular basis. Then the most popular lists would reflect actual popularity, and not number of downloads. A free app that tons of people use every day would still sit at the top of the list, but a free app that people download and use once would probably not.

Would this fix the problem claimed in the article though? Maybe not - it very well might be that free apps simply get so much traffic to them that they would stay stuck at the top of the list regardless of what else might be going on. But the lists would certainly be a better representation of the most popular.

Or we'd just have to face the sad realization that fart apps are not only the most downloaded, but also being used constantly.

 

[Geoffrey42]

Would this fix the problem claimed in the article though? Maybe not - it very well might be that free apps simply get so much traffic to them that they would stay stuck at the top of the list regardless of what else might be going on. But the lists would certainly be a better representation of the most popular.

The reason you point out is one flaw to your suggestion; another would be that "frequently used" and "really good" don't necessarily share a strong correlation. Some apps may only be useful once in a blue moon, but when they are in that situation, they are amazing. Similarly, maybe certain apps have a limited life-span, say, 50 uses (certain games, for example). You play it 50 times, get a great deal of enjoyment out of it, and then you're done.

While I do think your suggestion is better than the current system, I'd think the ideal would be a Netflix-ish "recommendations for you based on what other people who liked the same things also liked", or RottenTomatoes-esque, where you latch onto a particular reviewer as someone you tend to agree with.

 

[bue519]

Weird. My friend once told me there was an app worth a million dollars. He said it did nothing but just prove you were rich. Four people downloaded it, making the guy who made it four million dollars richer.

Damn I wish I thought of that.

 

[Beacon]

See, I always thought it was the developers that named the price of the app...I didn't know the Apple did it...

I'm also pretty sure that there's a "Top paid app" and "Top free app" list...

 

[Kross]

Multiply price by downloads, taking a percentage off the price to smooth out the multiplier a bit on bigger ticket items. I imagine that will give a pretty good idea as to the apps that the most people want to spend money on.

 

[mikecoulter]

Weird. My friend once told me there was an app worth a million dollars. He said it did nothing but just prove you were rich. Four people downloaded it, making the guy who made it four million dollars richer.

It was £100 and about 20 people downloaded it, all it did was show a ruby and tell you you were rich. And it contained a spelling mistake....

 

[Liesofaparrot]

The rumor in question is about an App called "I Am Rich", costing $999 (the maximum the App Store allows, I expect) and 8 people worldwide actually got their hands on it before Apple took it off.

This App featured a glowing red ruby floating on a black background, and one of Apple's signature italicized "i's" with a circle around them, which, if clicked, displayed this message:

"I am rich
I deserv it
I am good,
healthy &
successful"

Of those 8 who bought it, 3 were American, of those 3, 1 (or more, but I know of 1) decided to crack it, and now anyone can find it on the internet for free, though I'm certainly not suggesting you do. Apple is the one company I'm most supremely sure never to legally mess with.

 

[Jibblejab]

Peggle doesnt even work

 

[Inco]

Really, the best way for them to make 'most popular' an effective listing would be to have the iPhone/iTouch record how many times each app is used, and sync it up to iTunes on a regular basis. Then the most popular lists would reflect actual popularity, and not number of downloads. A free app that tons of people use every day would still sit at the top of the list, but a free app that people download and use once would probably not.

Would this fix the problem claimed in the article though? Maybe not - it very well might be that free apps simply get so much traffic to them that they would stay stuck at the top of the list regardless of what else might be going on. But the lists would certainly be a better representation of the most popular.

Or we'd just have to face the sad realization that fart apps are not only the most downloaded, but also being used constantly.

The sad truth will be revealed. I got a business class which has 5 Ipod touch users in which we frequently bring them out, on 4 of them are fart machines the only other one has peggle, mine.
I bought it cause i saw it at 99c and just went buy without a second thought because it was a very good value for its price.
[tiredness Enabled]