Apple has made important changes to how iTunes users can use the App Store, investigation shows. Whereas visitors were previously able to browse in broad categories, covering free, iPhone- or iPod touch-only apps, users can now only filter by conventional criteria, such as genre. The change could significantly affect the App Store, as free software -- like Last.fm -- has proven to be extremely popular, but may now be more difficult to find.Visitors can also no longer write a review of an app without having downloaded it, and must sign in to the iTunes Store before writing. The move appears designed to cut down on spurious one- and five-star reviews, whether written as a joke, or in order to boost or harm sales of a particular program. Such reviews do not directly affect the visibility of titles however, as they are normally sorted by name, download volume and/or launch date.
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