Apple released its annual list of best applications and games of 2020 on Wednesday. With the pandemic dictating several terms this year, the "Best of 2020" winners this year include a number of apps that catered to the issue and helped people transition to a life spent at home.
App Store editors unanimously select the winners, judging them on the app's quality, creative design, usability, interface, among other things. To put things in perspective, Wakeout! - a home workout application - won the iPhone App of the year, while Zoom bagged the top spot as the iPad App of the year. For the Apple TV, it was Disney+ snagging the award for the top spot.
Apple had mentioned in its announcement that applications are a reflection of culture and social interactions. With the pandemic occupying a lot of headspace for people, the year saw people's heightened focus on self-care and mental health; remote work and learning; interactive gaming; as well as staying connected with family and friends.
To align the times with the utility of the applications, Apple included applications such as 'Shine,' a self-care app and 'Caribu,' a family messaging application. For the Apple Watch, the application of the year was declared to be 'Endel,' an app for sleep and relaxation. Even the contenders for the best game category saw many games with high escapist themes; alternate universes, fantasy worlds, and the likes, with 'Genshin Impact' winning the award.
For the Mac App of the Year, 'Fantastical,' a nearly 10-year-old application that switched to the subscriptions model in 2020 took the top spot. The application provides a robust calendar app, while the $39.99 yearly subscription brings in use among Macs, iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches, and features like extended weather forecasts.
"This year, more than ever before, some of our most creative and connected moments happened in apps. This was thanks to the amazing work of developers who introduced fresh, helpful app experiences throughout the year," said Phil Schiller, Apple Fellow, in a statement. "Around the world, we saw remarkable efforts from so many developers, and these Best of 2020 winners are 15 outstanding examples of that innovation," he added.
As a first, this year's winners will receive physical 'App Store Best of 2020 awards,' featuring the App Store logo set into 100% recycled aluminium along with the winner's name on the side.
Apple also released the list of the most downloaded apps and games of the year that are not qualitative editorial selections, but are a reflection of real consumer trends. These are:
Top Free iPhone Apps
Top Paid iPhone Apps
Top Free iPhone Games
Top Paid iPhone Games
Top Free iPad Apps
Top Paid iPad Apps
Top Free iPad Games
Top Paid iPad Games
Top Arcade Games