Judging from the people trying to buy an Evo on launch day, it wouldn't surprise me to find that the apps listed are the most popular.
Some of the best apps simply aren't popular. Locale is an essential, but it's $9.99 price point (!!!) makes it unattractive to all but the most hardcore users. Free ringtones may be useless, but people like free, even if it's shitty.
If that's the case, maybe Google should "feature" apps based on more metrics than simply popularity, if they don't already. It would be neat to see some sort of app suggestion engine where Google shows you personalized app results based on your download history.
Maybe I'm optimistic, but I think we're going to see a lot of quality-of-life (and fragmentation) issues ironed out once Android hits a more stable release cycle where development is more focused on optimization and bugfixes than adding new features.
Some of the best apps simply aren't popular. Locale is an essential, but it's $9.99 price point (!!!) makes it unattractive to all but the most hardcore users. Free ringtones may be useless, but people like free, even if it's shitty.