Apple’s special event that was announced in mid-November is finally over. The company held a presentation event in New York City where it highlighted the best apps and games of 2019 with no new software or hardware announcements at all.
On the event, five different nominations were announced: Apple’s chosen favourite apps, top free apps, top paid apps, top free games, and top paid games for 2019.
Usual keynotes from Apple
The tech industry is pretty accustomed to Apple’s keynotes and special events at different times of the year. For example, the September keynotes are always about the new iPhones and Apple Watches, with this year’s presentation unveiling the brand-new iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, alongside Apple Watch Series 5.
The Summer events, which usually take place in June, are dedicated solely to the software announcements. iOS, macOS, WatchOS, iPadOS, tvOS - these systems are regularly updated year-by-year by Apple. Even somewhat irregular spring events with iPad or Mac announcements are more anticipated by the tech community.
An unexpected special event
However, we’re not accustomed to these kinds of special events where the spectacular apps are awarded. Sure, the Apple ecosystem would be nothing without millions of distinctive apps in the App Store, however, fans and developers still didn’t expect the company would dedicate the whole presentation to just apps.
But that’s exactly what Apple did on its December 2 special event. In New York City, Apple has dedicated a particular location to private briefings and meetings with the press and tech community. On this location, various presentations and hands-on time with new software and hardware are given.
The company invited developers in its New York office to talk about apps in general - what are the inspirations and diverse stories behind them. Even the invitation image posted on social media showed a gold-inscribed envelope with “And the winners are…” text written on it.
Again, there were no surprising announcements whatsoever - just heart-to-heart talk about apps. Developers were given a chance to demonstrate their applications to the press. One specific detail about this event is that its members were legally prohibited to reveal any details about the meeting until Apple made an official announcement about its App of the Year, Game of the Year, and other awards through their press release.
And the company did release a statement the next day, listing the best apps and games of the year - from Apple’s personal favourites to the most downloaded apps on the platform. So, here are some of the most notable winners:
The winner apps of 2019
Best games of the Year
Apple chose Sky: Children of Light as its Best Game of the Year. This “heavenly” game revolves around celestial beings who lost their way to the heavens and now are trying - or more accurately, flying - to find a way back. As for the best iPad game, Apple chose Hyper Light Drifter, while Gris - a puzzle game took the award as a top Mac game.
And Mario Kart Tour, a notable successor of the legendary Super Mario, we the most-downloaded app on the App Store - not as impressive for its fame as much as its late release and server lags for the first few days.
Best apps of the year
Let’s move to the apps. Apple’s favourite app this year for the iPhone is Spectre Camera. Spectre is an AI-enabled camera app that allows users to take long-exposure photos. As for the iPad, the company named Flow by Moleskin - a notebook app with drawing and sketching capabilities - as its top selection in 2019. Affinity Publisher was named the best Mac app of the year thanks to its elegant presentation layout and reasonable price.
Apple has also announced the biggest trend of 2019 in its apps and its storytelling. Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and other social media apps saw a massive boost in story posts from the users. That’s why apps such as Anchor, Unfold, and Wattpad were so popular on the App Store.
The top free and paid apps of the year were also revealed in this event. In terms of free apps, social media pulled a lot of weight here. YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat were the top 3 free apps of 2019 with TikTok and Facebook Messenger following the lead. As for the paid apps, the selfie editor Facetune took the first place with HotSchedules and Dark Sky coming next.
All in all, the December 2 special event in New York City was a homage to millions of apps and thousands of developers on the App Store. Apple is known for the appreciation of its app contributors, spending billions of dollars annually to recognize their hard work and further encourage them.
As for what to expect from the company this year, only Mac pro and the Pro Display XDR can be anticipated in the remaining days of December. Recently, the company released its updated Macbook Pro with a 16-inch display and the customers anticipate the update to the 13-inch lineup with a 14-inch display.
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