Apple has always been known as the creators of the most beautiful tech around. From the iPhone 7 Plus with dual cameras and a Jet Black finish, to the svelte shiny new Space Grey Macbook Pro with Touch Bar, Apple devices are a marvel to behold.
But all that hardware is made even better with the iTunes Store backing it up with awesome content and apps.
2016 is coming to a close, and it’s that time of the year again for the annual roundup of what’s best in apps and content. And it just happened to coincide with the release of iTunes’s Best of 2016 list today.
So here’s a look at the chart toppers of the year.
Here’s Apple’s Top Apps
The camera on the iPhone is undoubtedly one of the best out of any smartphone today and users generally use it as their primary image capturing device.
Consider this, 8 out 10 images on Flickr came from an iPhone, with 47% of users using the iPhone to upload photos in general onto Flickr. This makes the iPhone still the most popular image capturing device, at a time when digital cameras continue to lose ground.
So no surprises there when photography apps continue to rank at the top of the list of best apps. Photography editing app Prisma (the app that lets you turn your photos into paintings in the style of famous artists) takes the number one spot this year.
Second place belongs to face morphing app MSQRD.
Moving down the rankings, we see productivity and creativity apps taking half of the top 10 spots, with Chartistic, April Collage Creator and Poster Maker among them.
2 out of the 5 happen to be locally developed apps too. Interior design app Qanvast and wedding ideas portal Bride Story are definitely representing 2 of the most important things in life for a Singaporean.
On the iPad, sketching apps are the most popular among users, with Sketchbook Motion (#1), Bear, and Gravity Sketch placing the top few. Runner-ups come in the form of education apps such as Easy Music and Space by THIX.
Another app which is also present in the top 10 is Super SteamPuff, a locally developed shooter game.
Apple Watch users are clearly the fitness enthusiasts with Seven – 7 Minute Workout Challenge taking top spot among watch apps.
The Mac is not forgotten either. Bear makes another appearance this time round, proving to be a capable productivity app on both mobile devices and computers.
Mac’s best game from the iTunes Store in 2016 is Mini Metro, a game that tasks players with the designing and building of their own subway system in a rapidly expanding city.
Check out the full list of the best apps here: http://appstore.com/bestof2016
Music And Movies
Apple Music continues to be a dominant force in music distribution with Apple recording more than 20 million subscribers in the 17 months since its inauguration.
And guess who dominated the worldwide charts? None other than Drake. His album “Views” is an iTunes best-seller, with the song “One Dance” being the most popular single.
Back in Singapore, two local artists stood out in the local iTunes charts.
First up with Best Song is Sezairi with his hit Fire To The Floor from the Sezairi EP first released in June this year. This EP marks the first release under new agency Sony Music Singapore for the third Singapore Idol winner.
Here’s a fun fact, this was a project orchestrated online on a global scale. Collaborating with a Swedish producer, Sezairi has his recordings done in Indonesia and Singapore.
Best Album goes to the duo of TOMGIRL with their self titled album.
The album is often described as having a raw edge, playing around with themes of rebellion, anger, and the endless longing of love. The album claimed #1 position on the iTunes Charts when it was first released. To top it off, TOMGIRL’s single “Darker Now” was picked to premiere on Beats 1 Radio in June 2016.
For the full list of chart toppers in Singapore, click through this link: http://applemusic.com/BestOf2016
On the Movies front, it seems that everyone’s favourite title this year on iTunes is Zootopia. It sits pretty at top spot followed by romantic comedy Maggie’s Plan in second place. We round off the top three movies with Captain America: Civil War at third.
Aside from the top rated movies, we also have the top sellers. Here we see the usual suspects in Deadpool, The Martian, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
See all the top movies you can binge on over the holidays here: http://itunes.com/BestMovies2016
It seems like the trends of animated movies and photography apps will continue to hold true for 2016, and by no means will we see drastic changes to the charts come 2017.
But let’s wait and see in a year. January is just three weeks away, and 2017 will definitely bring us plenty of new and exciting content waiting to be unraveled.
Featured Image Credit: TOMGIRL and Sezairi
