Apple Flexes Even More Muscle At The iPhone App Store: No Reviews Till You Pay Up (AAPL)

Eric Krangel | September 29, 2008 6:00 AM

Annoying Internet trend: Geeks get themselves worked up into a righteous fury that a piece of software is overpriced, or has DRM they don't like, and they flood online distribution outlets with one-star reviews trashing the product without ever having used it. It happened to EA's (ERTS) Spore on Amazon, and it's been happening to paid apps on Apple's (AAPL) iPhone App Store. No longer: Over the weekend, Apple quietly implemented a new policy -- only people who actually purchased a paid application can review it. Try to review software you haven't paid for or downloaded, and Apple gives the following message:

We reviewed a number of the top paid apps in the App Store, and it seems like Apple stripped out the older one-star harassment reviews from the system.

We're all for filtering reviews and comments in general, and we're definintely much more interested in reviews from people who've actually, you know, tried the product. But we do have one question: If no one can review an app until they've downloaded it, who's actually going to provide the reviews?

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14 Comments

Kontra (URL) said:

Sep. 29, 8:24 AM

When your download rate is about 50,000,000 per month, spread on average over 5,000 apps, you'll very quickly get to decent review population.

iphoneis buggy said:

Sep. 29, 9:23 AM

Guinea pigs will provide reviews.

Praneeth said:

Sep. 29, 10:17 AM

As with any other product, the first few will use the product without reviews and provide feedback to non early adopters.

Obviously.

dean collins (URL) said:

Sep. 29, 10:32 AM

with draconian restrictions like this I'm wondering when a 'cross platform mobile' application market will be launched?

Obviously there are more windows mobile applications than any other mobile platform out there just seems strange nothing competing with the iPhone app store has been launched.

Seems like an obvious choice with
http://windows.MobileAppStore.net
or
http://android.MobileAppStore.net
or
http://iphone.MobileAppStore.net etc etc.

Cheers,
Dean

Brian said:

Sep. 29, 10:59 AM

Makes sense to me. Unlike the music reviews, if you haven't dl'ed it, you can't possibly have experience with it. That's the only reason I see why you can rate an album without buying it on iTunes (and it's just one less thing to have to check before allowing the review). Using your friends copy doesn't count, have him review it, he paid for it, etc... or use his account to review it.

Urs said:

Sep. 29, 11:00 AM

@dean collins:

What's that stupid comment about "draconian restriction"? I think the LEAST you can expect from someone reviewing something (car, guitar, application, you name it) is that she/he has at least USED it. Otherwise, I post an app and ask all my friend to write rave reviews about it.

This is just the credibility game.

Ebo said:

Sep. 29, 1:46 PM

It's about time. I have been hoping Apple would do this for quite some time. I anticipate it will make the reviews at least a little more meaningful.

As for the question "But we do have one question: If no one can review an app until they've downloaded it, who's actually going to provide the reviews?"

Um... What good would reviews from people whom have never used the app be anyway?

JohnJohn said:

Sep. 29, 8:43 PM

Outrageous! How dare Apple require people to have knowledge about something before spouting off?! That's...that's...uhh...UN-AMERICAN!! After all, it's a "review". It's almost like Apple thinks a review is "an inspection or examination for the purpose of evaluation". Since when did someone need to actually have looked at something in order to have "inspected" it, or "examined" it?? Apple has gone WAY overboard this time. Way!!

Partners in Grime (URL) said:

Sep. 29, 11:46 PM

No kidding ... I thought this was a requirement all along. Silly me.

James Katt said:

Sep. 30, 8:35 AM

To help spur reviews, developers can have a low introductory price for an application.

For example, a $9.99 game can initially be sold for $4.99 for the first week, before returning to $9.99.

This will then pose a low entry hoop to jump through and spur a lot of reviews.

Or then again, a company can provide a video of the application in use on their site - like Trip Cubby does - to provide an introduction to the application, as well as multiple screen shots and the manual. This would give people a chance to get a feel of the application before downloading it.

I APPLAUD Apple for doing this - AND for stripping out the harassment reviews.

MacUser said:

Oct. 05, 4:46 PM

Anyone ever use an app on someone else's iPhone/iPod Touch? My immediate family has 4 of these devices and all are associated with at least one exclusive iTunes account. I can't comment on an app I've used on my wife's Touch or my son's iPhone?

I realize this is not the case in many of these reviews, but do we really want to shoot first and ask questions later?

Furthermore, some of the comments discuss competing product and are quite useful.

Also, it allows us to give developers feedback. Take Zatz' apps. This developer needs to know we're sick of all their "DaysTil" crapplications.

How about two categories of "reviews"? One for those who have purchased the app and one for the rest of us?

dulcibella (URL) said:

Oct. 21, 6:46 AM

Apple Limits App Store Reviews To Paid Downloaders350-029Give in! Give in! You won't have a chance. Please you believe that? Wise up.

ruth (URL) said:

Oct. 21, 11:05 AM

Apple Limits App Store Reviews To Paid Downloaders çå¤å¨ So-so. Change the subject.

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Nov. 04, 8:01 AM

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