As an app store user I disagree. User ratings in the app store are not really a useful guideline in my experience - and it often takes trying several (reasonably well rated) apps to find one that is actually usable.
For example; it took me the best part of 10 tries to find a working tourist map of a city I was visiting a few weeks ago.
The app store review process is currently broken; as you say this decision is prudish, and other review decisions are idiotic.
But I think it is generally broken too in letting too much cruft go live.
In fact, I'd happily pay a premium for a "curated" store where reviewers judged the utility of apps more strictly.