I have to agree...not to mention that folks like my family who have a number of iOS devices CANNOT use some/many of the apps we've purchased because Apple demands the iOS on the devices to be upgraded AS WELL AS iTunes upgraded all the time. Do you upgrade your computer OS every 9 months? Me neither. What about your PS3 or Xbox? What about your cablebox? Well, we choose not to muck around with our ENTIRE DEVICE just to get a 99 cent app to work.
Back to your point...I probably have found (but not bought) at most 30 apps that have any real value...regardless if they are .99 or 2.99.
I'd also like to know how "download" is calculated. For example, if I buy an app and download it 5 times for my 5 devices, is that 1 download or 5? I only bought it once. What about an app that has an in-store-purchase? Do in-store-purchases count as a "download" for the mother app? Or what about folks who download the "free" app and then press the button to buy the "full version"?