Apple deems it their purpose in life to determine what users deem to be useful.

On one hand, testudo's argument may hold just a little bit of water, not so much from the users' perspective, but from developers', in that they simply can't quite tell whether what they developed is deemed 'complex' enough for Apple to let them sell it.

On the other hand, I can clearly see why Apple wants to thoroughly clean up the store from all the white noise. Many people (especially Android fans) have been screaming how App store is full of "f*** apps" and various flavours of RSS readers and other single-purpose apps that access some generic online content. These crappy apps tend to drown out the really valuable ones out there and reduce the quality of the App Store experience.

Apple is walking the tight rope here. They desperately want to control the user experience to make sure it is the best possible within their ability. On the other hand, alienating too many developers from an exploding new platform could seriously damage the success. They'll have to keep figuring out the right balance.

As a consumer of Apps, I have no objection to Apple's hacking away at c*** apps with their machete.

Apple didn't become the epitome of design from fostering and encouraging blandness or uselessness. Slice away Apple!

It has been Apple design and philosophy that has won the attention of developers and consumers, not the other way around. True, Apple has been at its best when it leverages the best of the best in its developer community - so they need to respect that relationship, but only as it pertains to the best within that community. It does't take long for one rotten apple to - you know the rest.

The name of the company is Apple, not "Users" or "Developers, Inc.", or "Fruits" or "JobsWozniak" or "TechyName-X". They have a vision built on the idea of elemental elegance, of singularity, of desire, of higher-powerness, etc. And guess what? - their vision works.

On the other hand, I can clearly see why Apple wants to thoroughly clean up the store from all the white noise.

Well, if Apple really wants to clean up the noise, they should really close down the app store to just the software they contract out with specific guidelines. Just because there's a lot of the 'same' apps doesn't mean that they all are the same or bad or whatever.

Many people (especially Android fans)

Seriously, who the h*** cares what Android fans are saying? And there's nothing preventing android from getting the same apps that Apple has.

...have been screaming how App store is full of "f*** apps"

But here's the thing. It IS full of Farting apps. And Apple isn't removing those. Oh, no, can't live without our apps to pretend to f***.

and various flavours of RSS readers and other single-purpose apps that access some generic online content.

I hate to tell you, but there's nothing wrong with single-purpose apps. That's how apps stay small and unbloated. h***, just look at how Firefox keeps adding in 'features' to make it better. iTunes has gone from a small and quick music player to a slow behemoth media sales force.

And if people want an app to access on-line content, why shouldn't they be allowed to get it?

These crappy apps tend to drown out the really valuable ones out there and reduce the quality of the App Store experience.

Well Apple reaps what it sows. It can't excitedly 140,000 apps in a store one minute and then start pulling a slew of them down for being useless.

do you get a refund if you happen to have purchased one of those apps?

Haven't heard of it happening one way or the other ...