Perhaps the same way one might solve a 'real world' (ie physical store) issue. You create the network equivalent of the 'Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval'.
Typically the way that works is that someone diligently looks at every app and provides a rating based clear and transparent metrics. They do this in a largely unsung fashion as early adopters or randomly curious people begin to validate that their ratings correlate strongly with actual quality.
Then, once they reach critical mass, the app vendors will attempt to corrupt them (or at least influence them) by sending them 'free' apps or 'previews' which don't exactly match what they actually ship. Depending on whether or not this new effort has been around the block before they will either lose all credibility once they highly rate and app where the 'review copy' was significantly different than the 'store copy.' Or they have some other fail mechanism (like not actually reviewing the app instead trusting some third party's opinion)
If they dodge that bullet they will begin to grow in influence as more and more people will start using their ratings but that will also increase the demand rate ("Why haven't you rated app Donglefritz yet?") now it will switch from being something they were doing because they and their friends were tired of all the crappy apps and gaming the app store ratings, and it will start feeling like work because they are feeling pressure to get more and more apps rated. Also apps they rate poorly will start complaining, and some of them might try to intimidate them with legal proceedings (justified or not).
Suddenly the value equation will be all pear shaped, they will want to stop but too many people are counting on them. They will want to find some way to 'monetize' all this work since they are getting poor reviews at their day job (or no sleep) because of all the time they are spending rating iPhone/pad apps. They start taking advertisements and have to deal with how an app they rate poorly actually gets lots of downloads because the same app is advertised in their tool or on their site. The ad isn't an endorsement but they need to figure out how to explain that to their customers who previously only had messages coming from them that were not paid for.
Typically it is at this point where they 'sell' their brand, apologize and move on with their new found wealth swearing that 'next time' they won't cave in like that. Their new owners will milk the brand by turning it into a pay for play mouth piece for app vendors which will easily double their investment (since the brands legitimacy will die more slowly than the value of the rankings).
Once the brand is completely discredited and usage has dropped it will quietly fold and disappear never to be heard from again.
Typically the way that works is that someone diligently looks at every app and provides a rating based clear and transparent metrics. They do this in a largely unsung fashion as early adopters or randomly curious people begin to validate that their ratings correlate strongly with actual quality.
Then, once they reach critical mass, the app vendors will attempt to corrupt them (or at least influence them) by sending them 'free' apps or 'previews' which don't exactly match what they actually ship. Depending on whether or not this new effort has been around the block before they will either lose all credibility once they highly rate and app where the 'review copy' was significantly different than the 'store copy.' Or they have some other fail mechanism (like not actually reviewing the app instead trusting some third party's opinion)
If they dodge that bullet they will begin to grow in influence as more and more people will start using their ratings but that will also increase the demand rate ("Why haven't you rated app Donglefritz yet?") now it will switch from being something they were doing because they and their friends were tired of all the crappy apps and gaming the app store ratings, and it will start feeling like work because they are feeling pressure to get more and more apps rated. Also apps they rate poorly will start complaining, and some of them might try to intimidate them with legal proceedings (justified or not).
Suddenly the value equation will be all pear shaped, they will want to stop but too many people are counting on them. They will want to find some way to 'monetize' all this work since they are getting poor reviews at their day job (or no sleep) because of all the time they are spending rating iPhone/pad apps. They start taking advertisements and have to deal with how an app they rate poorly actually gets lots of downloads because the same app is advertised in their tool or on their site. The ad isn't an endorsement but they need to figure out how to explain that to their customers who previously only had messages coming from them that were not paid for.
Typically it is at this point where they 'sell' their brand, apologize and move on with their new found wealth swearing that 'next time' they won't cave in like that. Their new owners will milk the brand by turning it into a pay for play mouth piece for app vendors which will easily double their investment (since the brands legitimacy will die more slowly than the value of the rankings).
Once the brand is completely discredited and usage has dropped it will quietly fold and disappear never to be heard from again.
Oh, I'm sorry you wanted a solution? :-)