Each year, Apple gives awards to the apps and games it thinks are especially outstanding. It has just unveiled the finalists for this year’s awards— the winners will be revealed later this month, Apple Fellow Phil Schiller announced.
It’s an intriguing list, in full at the end of this post with links to each app and Apple’s reasoning for it. I’m going to pick out my four favorites.
Flighty
By a country mile (or 30,000 feet, at least), Flighty is one of the best apps in the App Store. It finds upcoming flights and gives you all the information you can possibly need. As well as gate information, often before the airport screens, it tells you where your plane is right now, whether it will be late, and even how long that aircraft has been flying. It now shows friends’ flights as well, which is remarkably helpful. It once told me a flight had been delayed for an hour well before the airline admitted it.
Duolingo
It’s not a new app, but it’s mighty useful. Languages from Spanish and Portuguese to Klingon and High Valyrian are here and more recently it’s added non-language extras like Math and Music. Fun to use, it’s genuinely a boon.
AllTrails: Hike, Bike & Run
Speaking as someone who gets very easily lost, I have had AllTrails on my iPhone since I started hiking and it’s been an essential helper. There’s lots of content and plenty of detail and information for a huge range of hikes, runs and cycle rides.
Return to Monkey Island
If you’re old enough to remember the first Monkey Island games, you’ll know the adventures of Guybrush Threepwood were brilliantly witty point-and-click stories with fiendish puzzles. This new title continues in the same vein and looks spectacular.
Here’s Apple’s full list. I’ll be reporting on the winners as soon as they’re announced.
iPhone App of the Year Finalists
AllTrails, Duolingo and Flighty
iPhone Game of the Year Finalists
Afterplace, Honkai: Star Rail and Vampire Survivors
iPad App of the Year Finalists
Concepts, DaVinci Resolve and Prêt-à-Makeup
iPad Game of the Year Finalists
Eggy Party, Lost in Play and Pocket City 2
Mac App of the Year Finalists
Linearity Curve, Photomator and Portal
Mac Game of the Year Finalists
ELEX II, Lies of P and Return to Monkey Island
Apple Watch App of the Year Finalists
Planny, SmartGym and Tide Guide
Apple TV App of the Year Finalists
Bugsnax, FitOn and MUBI
Apple Arcade Game of the Year Finalists
Cityscapes, Hello Kitty Island Adventure and stitch.
Cultural Impact Finalists
balance
Copilot
Endling
Finding Hannah
How to Say Goodbye
Pok Pok
Proloquo
Rebel Girls
Too Good To Go
Unpacking
Read the full article here
