Following the first day of its WWDC conference, Apple also held its latest Apple Design awards which recognise iOS and Mac apps that the company feels offer the best experience from a design, usability and technology standpoint.
The list of winners included:
Yahoo News Digest
Based on the technology found in Summly (whose creator Nick D’Aloisio recently had a chat with us about Yahoo acquiring his app), Yahoo News Digest delivers news roundups twice a day. The app which can be customised by user preference, is available in four editions: US, UK, Canada and rest of the world.
Threes!
This addictive sliding number puzzle game has gained in popularity on the app store. It was praised by Apple for its minimal yet elegant design.
Monument Valley
With echoes of indie titles such as Ico and Fez, Monument Valley bought beautifully designed levels and intricate gameplay mechanics to iOS. Players guide a silent princess through a series of tricky puzzles and isometrically designed architecture.
Sky Guide
This affordable stargazing app allows you to automatically find stars, constellations, planets and satellites by simply holding your iPhone or iPad up to the sky. It’s immersive content is even more impressive considering it doesn’t even require an internet connection to work.
Blek
A puzzle game for the iPad that has already drawn acclaim from publications such as the New York Times, Blek involves drawing a line to collect the coloured circles on the screen. iPhone owners will be happy to here that it is now available on Apple’s smartphone too.
Leo’s Fortune
With its stunning graphics and adorable gameplay, it’s no wonder that Leo’s Fortune has been dubbed a loveable iPhone game. In this adventure title you have to hunt down the thief that stole your gold.
Device 6
Having already been nominated for several Bafta Games awards this year, Device 6 was a shoe-in here. It’s innovative approach combines a detective game with mystery-solving elements that unfold in a paperback novel-themed style.
Storehouse
This visual storytelling app stands out from its rivals due to its magazine-like visuals and the ability to integrate video and images for a multimedia experience. Additionally, Storehouse is a pat on the back for a former Apple employee as it was launched by the company’s ex-UI designer Mark Kawano.
Other awards handed out on the night, included honours for Mac apps Day One and Cinemagraph Pro.
Additionally, Apple also awarded special prizes to students who developed custom apps as part of their scholarship award. This year, the winners were Pano Perfect and Addimal Adventure.
