Molinker is no more on the App Store -- ratings scam results in expulsion
By Vlad Savov 
posted December 8th 2009 7:47AM
posted December 8th 2009 7:47AM
Well, here's the happy side to the police state known as Apple's App Store. One of the more prolific app makers out there, Molinker, has been recently unceremoniously expelled from the Apple orchard due to its manipulation of app ratings and reviews. As it turns out, Molinker has been massaging the truth by pumping out false five star reviews for its wares, and now Phil Schiller himself has stepped in and pulled the company's whole catalog -- consisting of more than 1,000 apps -- seemingly permanently:Yes, this developer's apps have been removed from the App Store and their ratings no longer appear either.
So the App Store is now a bunch of travel guides lighter and Mr. Schiller gets a "good boy" badge from the blog brigade. Good news all around then.
I think you're confused Engadget. Some App Developer was screwing with the system... potentially ripping off many of your readers...
Apple found out, didn't like it, kicked them out,
And you're annoyed about it?
Losers.
@Wesscoast It seems engadget hired a bunch of new bloggers with the number 1 most important resume item being "I hate apple". So they can keep up with the rabid anti apple group of 10 people who comment the most on this site.
@Wesscoast Where exactly does it say that they're annoyed? "Good news all around then"?? "Here's to the happy side of the police state known as the App Store"?? Where does it imply that Engadget is even PISSED that Apple did this?
You twisted your panties for NO reason.
@(Unverified)
So you're saying you WANT complete garbage apps on the app store? You WANT people to falsify ratings?
Are you stupid?
@Jack
Are you a complete tool? I do not want someone telling me what apps I can and can't install on ANY DEVICE THAT I OWN. I could really give a fuck about ratings. And garbage apps in the appstore? That would be about 75% of all apps there right now.
Also, the guy exploited a security hole in Apple's system. If Apple didn't want people messing with the ratings, then THEY SHOULD HAVE DESIGNED THE RATINGS SYSTEM TO PREVENT THIS. It's not the developer's fault for taking advantage of a hole in the system. It's the system designer's fault for allowing there to be a hole in the first place. Pull your head out of your ass.
@(Unverified)
You don't even read what you write, do you? You said "Wow I am so glad I don't own an apple device and have to deal with this garbage."
"This garbage" being the way Schiller took a developer who was falsifying ratings and creating complete garbage apps, and tossed them out on their ear. That's the "garbage" you don't want to deal with? Banning fraudulent developers?
Again, you're either stupid or you're also a fraudulent developer. Any rational person would see this as an improvement. But you? Not so much.
@(Unverified) The App store may be draconian in some examples, but other platforms' application stores aren't little orphan Annie here. They reject certain apps as well, Android being one.
I don't know much about how many of those 100,000 apps are good, but quality over quantity; the App Store does have good apps, and shouldn't be shunned OR overrated because of that quantity.
In this day and age, I think it can also be said that EVERY mobile platform will have an app you're looking for.
Anywho, Apple nipped this in the bud: problem solved; that should at least be acknowledged.
@(Unverified)
Um, while I agree with you that having Apple forcing me to install only what they say I can does blow and while it is a good business model, it is a horrible "geek" model, which is what we all are.
However, saying it is not the developer's fault for exploiting a security hole is probably one of the dumbest things I have ever heard.
Go ahead, find a security hole in an ATM and steal all the money. Use the defense that it isn't your fault, please.. try it.
@(Unverified) BTW. Lean to english. Nobody is telling you what apps you can and cant put on the store. Its like bitching cause you cant play Halo on your PS3. You wanna know why? Cause its not available. There are thousands of apps that you are free to install whenever you like.
Again nobody is telling you what you can and cant put on your phone, no more than blockbuster tells you that you cant rent a movie because they dont have it. You should be throwing a hissy fit to all the console developers also, they wont even let games with a higher than 18 rating be sold for their consoles. THAT IS CONTROL.
@Dorf
So you are making the analogy that an ATM is equivilant to an App store? Wow, Apple really does brainwash it's followers, lol. It's a ratings system. I'm not talking about a bank system or something that actually has some kind of importance. Apple should and could have (it's not like they don't have the resources) to design the ratings system to prevent this kind of thing from the start. But they didn't...why? Because it obviously wasn't that important. But now it is. And that's my gripe -- they seem to change their priorities without notice of any kind. They don't like what you're doing, you're out -- doesn't matter if there's no rules against it, they arbitrarily make their own rules based on how they are feeling at the time. It's a joke. I won't respond any more to you apple fanbois, it's like arguing with a christian Zealot passing out fliers. You could try to explain to him all day long that there is no scientific evidence of a god, yet they would still believe in one :)
whats up with these anti-apple/anti-pc fanboys? Its ridiculous.
@(Unverified)#1 Quit hating on things for no reason. Its like being ripped off from an nigerian scam artist and then telling the police to blow off once they've arrested the culprit.
I know that uniform, Michigan State Police.
good, less junk. maybe a wakeup call to some of the other developers.
Cheaters will never win - It just so happened that molinker find it the harder way..and the result is bitter. And where did he go wrong? http://bit.ly/molinker-is-a-cheater
They wanted to cheat so badly, they trashed their reputation.
Need a diploma? ‘There’s an App for that’