[nothrabannosir]

I don't think there is (always) this assumption. For example, the author in this article tries to focus on the objective issues with the App Store, rather than who owes whom what. Perhaps not perfectly, but, afai can see, he tries.

Sure, Apple being the gatekeeper, it's easy to take criticism of the App Store as criticism of Apple. It's also easy to slip into criticizing Apple while criticizing the App Store. Fundamentally, however, while similar, the two are not the same. It depends on what conclusion you draw. Which is it: "Boo Apple, fix your store," or "Boo developers, boycott iOS until they fix the store!"

However, boycotting becomes less realistic the longer the feedback loop gets. I can stop buying some kind of milk brand tomorrow, and pick up the day after. Deciding what platform to publish apps on is an entirely different ball game. In that light, the unviability of any "free market" alternatives we as devs have to combat Apple on this makes it look very much like a monopoly, and that holds weight as an argument against Apple (not just against the App Store).

Yeah, they technically don't owe us anything, but no, the playing field is too uneven for that to just be the end of the story.

[shimfish]

My point is that it seems entirely probable that there is no fix. What exactly are you suggesting that Apple could do to level the playing field any more?

[ChrisLTD]

There are a lot of ideas out there (and in the article) Apple could implement. Here's a few I remember off the top of my head:

* Improve App Store search results

* Remove the top lists and blunt the 'rich getting richer' effect the lists amplify

* Put their share of App sales on sliding scale, so you only start giving Apple the full 30% after you've reached $X in sales

[sehugg]

Also improve the review system. It's almost certain that if you don't beg for reviews using Appirater, you will get practically none.

And if you update the app, the reviews reset -- which gives developers an extreme disincentive to keep their app updated, especially during the long tail period.

[shimfish]

* Improve how? Isn't that the whole discussion?

* That will just amplify the effect of featured apps and then you lose all meaningful organic app discovery and a large chunk of the meritocracy of the store.

* Great but that will probably not make a huge difference.

[ChrisLTD]

1) Relevance to the search term seems too low. I just did a search for "twitter" on the iPhone app store and six of the top 10 results had nothing to do with Twitter.

2) Maybe you're right, I'd still like to see Apple try it.

3) It doesn't have to be a huge difference for it be worth doing. A lot of little positive changes will add up.

[fpgeek]

If Apple's engineers have no other ideas, I'm sure they could improve search by scraping the result of the Google (or even Bing, I suppose) search:

<terms> site:itunes.apple.com

and then using that to drive their app search results.

[nothrabannosir]

Not me in particular, but there have been many suggestions:

* Allow competing stores (like Android)

* Allow customers to install raw packages (like Android)

* Improve their search engine to "not be completely useless"

* Fairer algorithm for featured apps

Etc. This is not my list, it's just some of the common suggestions I hear for improving the App Store.

[shimfish]

* That assumes other stores are better. They are not.

* That would basically open the door to insanely easy piracy. Like on Android.

* A fairly nebulous and meaningful requirement

* I don't think it is an algorithm.

[anon_adderlan]

* It doesn't matter if other stores are better, only that they exist and competition is possible.

* Even the Copyright Office has implemented DMCA exceptions for 'jailbreaking' to run legally owned/leased software which may not be available on, or restricted by, the 'official' sources. So even the curators of the DMCA recognize this requirement.

* Many times you cannot even successfully search for an App BY ITS UNIQUE NAME. That's just entirely and incompetently broken. Know who gets search right? Torrent sites and eMule. I can sooner find what I'm looking for there than on either Apple's, Google's, or Microsoft's App stores. And if these channels can do it, so can the majors.

No, it's obvious the majors all consider their App stores 'good enough', and since they can lock users into their services and out of others (both through technical barriers and unenforceable claims), there's no incentive for improvement. In fact, things have and (I suspect) will continue to get WORSE.

[15155]

> * That would basically open the door to insanely easy piracy. Like on Android.

This is an awful argument.

Those who are going to pirate apps have the means and skills to do so. Even on the precious iPhone. Yes, you are able to pirate Android apps quite easily as a lay person.

An intermediate approach would be a system where binaries distributed exclusively via the App Store could (enforced using the same kind of signature system presently used) only be installed via the App Store.

Give developers a choice rather than making it for them.