Apple Bans Bushel Of Spam Apps

Apple has shaken the App Store tree until several hundred questionable, over-priced apps that drew customer complaints have fallen off the branches.

The apps were all from Khalid Shaikh. Several were rip-offs or news aggregators that didn’t work properly. MobileCrunch has the story:

Khalid’s apps were of questionable value and quality. He has told us over the phone that he is not concerned about creating particularly valuable apps. Instead, he says, he’s going for “less product value” and “more monetization.” So, instead of developing one or two apps and charging $0.99, Khalid prefers to create hundreds of apps and charge $4.99. The vast majority of his apps simply provide topic-specific news on a given subject. Apps such as “US Army News” and “Skin Care Updates” cost $5, and aggregate articles from various internet sources. He has mastered SEO on the App Store, and uses the App Store’s search as a way to target users (or victims, depending on how you look at it). Many have questioned the value of the apps he produces, and there’s a small contingent of developers who are absolutely furious about his business. Rightfully so, it seems: a review of an app titled “WWE Updates” reveals that the user isn’t just getting updates of World Wrestling Entertainment; he’s also getting breaking news about Michael Jackson.

Those who yearned to have Michael Jackson news interspersed with their John Cena exploits must be devastated by the news.

Apple bans App Store’s 3rd-most prolific developerMobileCrunch, via [via IntoMobile]
(Photo: Scott_Wallace)

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