11 Top iPad Apps with Unimpressive Ratings
The value placed on consumer reviews is at an all-time high - not only in the ecommerce space, but for the mobile app industry too.
Good reviews get downloads, or at least that seems to be the consensus. Thus, enterprises spend a lot of time and resources in the quest to build the perfect app. But what happens if all of that hard work still leads to average or sub-par reviews?
Rather than panic, app development teams should look to their analytics and begin testing new solutions. After all, your app isn't the first to receive a bad review, and it certainly won't be the last. This isn't to say your enterprise should be satisfied with an average or below-average review, because just like everything else in the digital world, delivering the best performance and usability should always be the goal. That said, you might be surprised to find out that some of the most popular apps actually have pretty unimpressive reviews. Just for fun, let's take a look at how some of the top free iPad apps with unimpressive reviews rank.
* Editor's note: All featured top apps rank within the top 100 free iPad apps in the App Store at the time of this writing, while "unimpressive" refers to 2.5 or lower star rating.
1. YouTube
Rating: 5
Stars: 2.5
2. BitStrips
Rating: 15
Stars: 2
3. iBooks
Rating: 16
Stars: 2
4. Netflix
Rating: 21
Stars: 2.5
5. Facebook
Rating: 24
Stars: 2.5
6. Watch ABC
Rating: 33
Stars: 2.5
7. Amazon Instant Video
Rating: 48
Stars: 2.5
8. NBC
Rating: 53
Stars: 1.5
9. Twitter
Rating: 61
Stars: 2.5
10. CBS
Rating: 68
Stars: 2
11. Interlude Player
Rating: 98
Stars: 2
The Bottom Line
What should be noted is that out of the top 100 apps, just one has less than a two star review - proving that an impressive idea or a popular brand name can only take an app so far before usability comes into play. Moreover, some of the reviews for the aforementioned apps (like YouTube and iBooks) demonstrate how important it is for development teams to be prepared for new software versions. All that said, enterprises still need to take ratings and reviews seriously, as listening to consumer input could go a long way in optimizing an app's overall performance. Yet, it is still nice to know that you are not alone in the quest to satisfy your app's audience base.
