[viae]

I disagree that search is the only answer and that Google with get AppStores right first because that is their expertise. Everyone is on the "better search" bandwagon because we want to find quality products faster in an ecosystem of far too many competitors. That makes immediate sense. But, a superior retail experience can just as easily solve this problem.

The root challenge of app stores is that they break the invisible hand(s) that rule the marketplace, which consumers and retailers all take for granted as an important source of guidance and information. A market flooded with unlimited supplies of unlimited competitors is a wild west of competition. This is great. But, it's also terrible. As long as supplies of products are unlimited and free to stock because retail space is also limitless there are no motives for the retailer to prune it's shelves of unpopular duplicate products.

I think that Apple will continue to allow it's AppStore to grow and for duplicate applications to be produced, but when the competition with Android starts to get fierce they will begin to prune the AppStore of low quality applications. Non-selling apps, particularly with low ratings, will be cut... and insanely great search that can tell you which fart app of the 30 available is the best one won't be so important anymore because the one fart app that exists in the store will be so great it'll make your eyes water.

The trick, of course, is determining how upstarts can compete with more established applications within a problem space. But, that's a discussion for next time.