Apple has signaled the approaching end of the year by publishing its “Best of 2013” page on the iTunes Store. The dedicated page on iTunes concentrates on digital products which the company offers for users to purchase and download, including iOS apps, music, podcasts, books and movies. As well as listing the most successful consumer downloads of the year, Apple also outlined their own choices in each category by having an Editors’ Pick for things like app and album of the year.
When it comes to the App Store section, it isn’t a great surprise that Candy Crush Saga is sitting at the top of the free downloads list. 2013 has been all about the candy crushing, with iOS and Facebook users from all over the world eager to see how much money they can send King’s way through the use of in-app purchases. The top grossing iOS apps list also shows that Candy Crush Saga gamers were also ready to part with their cash to advance through the levels, with the game being the highest grossing app of 2013.
Mojang’s Minecraft – Pocket Edition managed to see the year at the top of the paid apps download charts, although it doesn’t make an appearance in the top 15 of the top grossing list. It is extremely interesting to see that 13 of the top 15 grossing apps of the year are games that fall under the freemium model, with the other two being dating apps. It seems 2013 was the year for singles to play mobile games.
The complete list of apps can be found below, broken down into sections for both iPhone and iPad.
Top Free iPhone Apps
- Candy Crush Saga
- YouTube
- Temple Run 2
- Vine
- Google Maps
- Snapchat
- Pandora Radio
- Despicable Me: Minion Rush
- Flashlight
- 4 Pics 1 Word
- Subway Surfers
- Facebook Messenger
Top Paid iPhone Apps
- Minecraft – Pocket Edition
- Heads Up!
- Temple Run: Oz
- Angry Birds Star Wars
- Plague Inc.
- Afterlight
- Free Music Download Pro
- Bloons TD 5
- Sleep Cycle alarm clock
- Plants vs. Zombies
- Camera+
- Fruit Ninja
- Scribblenauts Remix
- TETRIS
- Wipeout
Top Free iPad Apps
- Candy Crush Saga
- YouTube
- Temple Run 2
- Calculator for iPad Free
- Skype for iPad
- Netflix
- Despicable Me: Minion Rush
- The Weather Channel for iPad
- Subway Surfers
- Kindle
- Pandora Radio
- Chrome
- Gmail
- Real Racing 3
Top Paid iPad Apps
- Minecraft – Pocket Edition
- Temple Run: Oz
- Plants vs. Zombies HD
- Angry Birds Star Wars HD
- Notability
- Angry Birds Star Wars II
- Bad Piggies HD
- Survivalcraft
- Toca Hair Salon 2
- Photon Flash Player for iPad
- Scribblenauts Remix
- Doc McStuffins
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Words With Friends HD
- Where’s My Water?
iPhone Game of the Year
- Ridiculous Fishing – A Tale of Redemption
- DEVICE 6 (Runner-Up)
- Plants vs. Zombies 2 (Runner-Up)
iPhone App of the Year
- Duolingo
- VSCO Cam (Runner-Up)
- Endless Alphabet (Runner-Up)
iPad Game of the Year
- BADLAND
- XCOM: Enemy Unknown (Runner-Up)
- IMPOSSIBLE ROAD (Runner-Up)
iPad App of the Year
- Disney Animated
- Traktor DJ (Runner-Up)
- WWF Together (Runner-Up)
As we know, iTunes isn’t all about mobile apps and also offers TV shows, movies, books and music downloads. Apple’s award for Best Family Film went to Despicable Me 2, with the Best Documentary accolade being handed to Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s Blackfish that tells the story of an amusement park Orca Whale that killed three people.
The Best of 2013 list appears to be broken down differently depending on which country you are in. Those in the United States will see that Mackelmore and Ryan Lewis’ The Heist was named best album whereas United Kingdom based individuals will see that the Editors’ Choice was handed to London Grammar for If You Wait (Deluxe Version).
If you want to see the complete list, simply head over to the official Best of 2013 page.
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