Apple Unveils Their Top 25 Apps of the Year
Image Courtesy of www.VisualHunt.com
Apple has released their annual list of the calendar year’s best iPhone apps. It has become something of a tradition, as the team spend a considerable amount of time comparing thousands of apps in search for the top dog. If you’re an iPhone owner already, you know all too well just how many of them there are floating around the app store. User reviews don’t tend to reveal too much, though, so it can be difficult to figure out just what is and isn’t worth your time.
That’s where Apple come in with their annual review of the year’s best applications. Published on Wednesday, the list includes a whole host of notable names from a range of different genres. From photography software to cloud apps, there’s sure to be something on the list that meets your requirements.
It must be noted – and it should come as no surprise – that most of the twenty-five additions make use of the iPhone’s new 3D Touch technology. Of course, Apple is going to reward the app developers that keep their finger on the pulse, but let’s try not to be too cynical, huh?
Let dig into and dissect the top ten, shall we?
10. The Everything Machine
Taking the first spot in the top ten was TinyBob Inc’s Everything Machine. With a name so vague, you might wonder just what it actually does. Well, it’s designed for kids to create and play with their own digital toys. It teaches them the fundamentals of coding and allows them to think for themselves. Pretty clever. The end result is always a product of how big their imaginations can get.
9. LARK
The lifestyle app is designed to manage all aspects of your personal health. It doubles as a nutrition coach and handheld personal trainer. What makes it so great? Well, it’s the fact that you actually send and receive text messages from LARK’s artificial intelligence. You just tell it what you’ve been up to, and it’ll engage you with its recommendations. Kind of incredible, kind of terrifying.
8. Darkroom
Released in February by Bergen Co., this photo editing software isn’t quite the highest placed on the list of its genre. It is, however, a fantastic tool for all budding photography lovers. It’s something like Instagram, except you are tasked with designing and saving your own filters. Let’s call it Instagram for the actual photography enthusiast, not the selfie squad.
7. Hopper
You wouldn’t have thought such a niche service could rank as high as seventh on Apple’s most wanted list. But Hopper proves to be the little app that could. Hopper does all the hard work surrounding taking a flight for you, so you don’t need to worry. What is its job? To find you the cheapest deal and the best time to fly. Pretty nifty, if you ask us.
6. HBO Now
Launched in April of this year, HBO Now took the world by storm as the US television network released its own streaming service. Unlike their previous on demand effort, HBO Go, you don’t need a regular cable subscription to use HBO Now. Nobody would have thought the service could find so much success. Especially when faced with some pretty stiff competition from the likes of Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime. But, it has to be said, they have fared pretty well, and show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
5. Instagram
Does the powerhouse photo app really need an introduction? Since its initial release five years ago, Instagram has taken on the mantle of top social media and photo editing tool. What has made Instagram stand out so much this year to earn a top five spot? Well, it’s all down to their little tweaks made to the software. Whereas Twitter has faced a pretty rough year of criticism thanks to changes to its interface, Instagram has been praised for theirs. They’ve made it considerably easier for users to engage with their phone, so you no longer have to ruin your best iPhone 6s case just to get a perfect snap. Long may it continue.
4. Workflow
The automation app also picked up Apple’s ‘Most Innovative‘ award. That shows the future is bright for developers DeskConnect Inc. The app interacts with the other apps on your device to create home screen combinations. It all revolves around the simple old concept of drag and drop, linking your apps and regular functions together. One to watch.
3. Robinhood
It’s been a pretty great year for the free stock trading app. They officially announced their expansion outside of North America. And that could well have been the catalyst towards them beating out the competition for a spot in the top three. The self-proclaimed ‘future of trading’ seems to have the full backing of Apple, who awarded them with the third spot.
2. Enlight
Clocking in as a close second is the five-star-rated Enlight app. Ranked top of the Photo and Video category on the official app store, Enlight is a smart little program. Caught somewhere between Instagram and Photoshop, the app is a clever photo manipulation tool that allows for editing on the move. Perhaps its biggest strength is its ease of use. It doesn’t take long to get to grips with the program even a short time after downloading. That means less time spent learning and reading tutorials, and more time doing what you really want to do.
Image Courtesy of www.VisualHunt.com
1. Periscope
Here is your winner, and the new undisputed champion of the app world. The live streaming app from Periscope takes the number one spot this year, ahead of some pretty heavy competition. The app started the year strongly, having been acquired by social media powerhouses Twitter. And since then, it has gone from strength to strength. Around the midway point of the year, Periscope was officially unveiled for Android. Shortly after that, the brand announced it had surpassed ten million subscriptions. That’s no easy feat, is it?
There you have it, Apple’s top ten apps of 2015. You can see the list in full by clicking here. Any surprise inclusions for you? Or equally, are there any apps in particular you thought merited a place in their top 25 that didn’t make the cut? Let us know in the comments.
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