App Store Suggestion: Apple Should Take Out Apps That Doesn't Work

I know that Apple already has an iron grip on the app store approval process. Personally, I haven't had too many run-ins with the enigmatic exercise. But recently, I decided that I was going to get on board with Barnes and Noble's ebook initiative. Boy, was that a mistake.

Here's a bit of my history with ebooks. I've been reading on a mobile device since Palm V back in 2000. Been reading ever since despite what Steve Jobs would like us to think. And for more Apple fans, I think you all pretty much read ebooks or otherwise. Some of these books are downloaded and other bought from eReader.com and Fictionwise (Fictionwise bought eReader and, in turn, Fictionwise was bought out later by Barnes and Noble).

I have a couple of books with Kindle on the iPhone as well, one of the better things to have happen to the iPhone and iPod Touch in my opinion. But what has kept me from siding with Amazon is the little fact that Amazon feels it has the right to come into your mobile device or Kindle to steal back books you already bought whenever it feels like it. No, let's not splice this. Amazon reserves the right to do this. Fine. I'm sure others do as well but with BN and others, I can make a backup copy of everything I buy.

So, I decided I was going to go with BN for all my future ebook fixes. The probably is that for BN, you either have to use the Nook or the iPhone app (assuming you're using an iPhone or iPod Touch). The Nook is viritually not for sale as there is a long wait. Hence, you're stuck with the iPhone app.

But it doesn't work. I mean there's some quirky things going on with the app that makes it crash right after startup. I don't know what the deal is but BN really dropped the ball on the app and it has seen complaints rise on its own website as well as on iTunes while the app's ratings and reputation plummeted.

Now we get to the meat of this post. Apple ought to provide a process of pulling bad apps like this from the store until developers can fix complaints such as thing. Apple already has a tight control of the app store process, it might as well as exert greater control in issues where quality of the app is at play.

When we use the iPhone and iPod Touch, or any other Apple products, we pay a small premium because Apple gears just work. And when it doesn't, as in the case of the BN reader app, Apple ought to pull it until BN's software guys can fix this.