Apple recently revealed the winners of its App Store Best of 2020 series to cap off a rather, er, unique year.
Despite the presence of a multitude of apps and games on the App Store, notable entries have been picked for their “positive cultural impact, helpfulness, and importance”. And amid what has been a rather tragic year thus far, let’s just say the significance of such programs on our Apple devices have been monumental in keeping everyone’s morale up.
Singapore, specifically, has its own App Store Best of 2020, if you will. Here’s a beautiful illustration of some of the top apps used in the Little Red Dot this year, thanks to digital content creator André Wee:
Here is the list of apps and games included (in no order of merit):
- SingPass Mobile
- TraceTogether
- LumiHealth
- Zoom
- Shopee
- Lazada
- TikTok
- Foodpanda
- Grab Food
- League of Legends: Wild Rift
- Among Us
- Procreate
- GoodNotes 5
- Notability
“Doodling on notes during a video call, ordering in brunch for those stay-home weekends, checking out of malls and into parks to clock in those extra steps for the day. I wanted to illustrate some of these moments and activities that have rapidly become a part of our daily lives in 2020 and celebrate the top apps of the year that have made those transitions not only easier but possible,” said Wee.
“These apps have helped us tide through the year by keeping us more connected than ever through communication apps and social video games. Delivery apps have kept us fed during birthday celebrations and those sorely missed weekend brunches. Episodes of our favourite shows were caught up with over streaming apps while we scrolled through our social feeds and online shopping carts. We multitasked by attending our lectures, meetings and workshops remotely while taking our notes down and drawing on the side to pass the time using productivity apps. And when we were seated for far too long, we were reminded to get up and walk.”
It’s no surprise that e-commerce apps such as Lazada and Shopee have risen in popularity especially in 2020, as many Singaporeans have been working from home, and as such have resorted to buying online to upgrade their home workspaces.
In addition, games such as Among Us and League of Legends: Wild Rift have established themselves as kings of gaming entertainment, and have no doubt seen hundreds (maybe thousands) of hours of play on many an iPhone or iPad.
And finally, here is the App Store Best Of 2020 for the top 15 apps and games globally:
Best Apps of 2020
iPhone App of the Year: Wakeout!, developed by Andres Canella.
iPad App of the Year: Zoom.
Mac App of the Year: Fantastical, developed by Flexibits.
Apple TV App of the Year: Disney+.
Apple Watch App of the Year: Endel.
Best Games of 2020
iPhone Game of the Year: Genshin Impact, from miHoYo.
iPad Game of the Year: Legends of Runeterra, from Riot Games.
Mac Game of the Year: Disco Elysium, from ZA/UM.
Apple TV Game of the Year: Dandara Trials of Fear, from Raw Fury.
Apple Arcade Game of the Year: Sneaky Sasquatch, from RAC7.
App Trends of 2020
App Trend of the Year: Shine, for helping users practice self care.
App Trend of the Year: Caribu, for connecting families to loved ones.
App Trend of the Year: Pokémon Go, for reinventing the way we play, from Niantic.
App Trend of the Year: ShareTheMeal, for helping users make a difference.
App Trend of the Year: Explain Everything Whiteboard, for helping bring remote classrooms to life.
Marion has a serious RPG addiction. Sometimes it bleeds into real life; he forgets to sleep because he thinks he has a Witcher’s body clock. Forgive him in advance if he suddenly blurts out terms such as “Mind Flayer” and “Magic Missile”, because never once does he stop thinking about his next Dungeons & Dragons game.
HSALS
Si Jia
