App Store Reviewers Suck

Via Daring Fireball, a pretty depressing tale from Garrett Murray, developer of a stats app for the iPhone.

Irsquo;m far more likely to get 15 one-star reviews when something goes wrong than I am to get 15 five-star reviews when everything goes right. Perhaps itrsquo;s just frustration speaking here, but when Apple ties my hands behind my back and lets users punch me publicly in the face without allowing me to at least respond back, itrsquo;s hard to get excited about building an app.

I sympathise, but I have to wonder how much actual attention most people pay to reviews on the App Store. The average buyer must have figured out by now that most reviews are written by homophobic twelve-year-olds on sugar highs and adjust their expectations accordingly. Furthermore, I guess one upside of the current pricing model is that it’s easier to take a risk on the app if it takes your fancy, despite clearly negative reviews.