Apple announces best iPhone, iPad apps and games of 2012

Apple has just announced its own selection for the best apps of the year for the iPad and iPhone, and we’ve got some surprising winners.

iPhone app of the year was probably the most disputed category and there Apple unexpectedly awarded it to Action Movie FX, a video editing app that enhancing your footage with special effects like missile attacks and falling rocks. Figure, an app for creating music was the runner up.

Rayman Jungle Run grabbed the best iPhone game of the year award, and the platformer definitely deserves it - it also grabbed the top spot on our own ranking for best mobile games in September when it was released.

Letterpress, the vocabulary battle app came in second.

For iPad, Paper by 53 snatched the best app award, and this comes as no surprise. The waterpainting app is a piece of art itself, but it also allows you to really use your tablet for creating amazing drawings.

For games, it was The Room, an iPad game that also comes a bit as a surprise at least to us. It is a pretty decent puzzle game, with awesome graphics and animations, set in a mystery game environment, but not more than that.

While you may not agree with the winners (some of them seem strange to us as well), Apple has a much wider selection of applications and editor’s pick that is definitely worth a second look, so head on to iTunes and see what the company that curates the whole iOS app business thinks is best.

source: iTunes

Apple's picks for best apps and games for iPhone and iPad

15 Comments

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posted on 14 Dec 2012, 07:00 17

1. MeoCao (unregistered)

Best iPhone app of the year is Google Maps no doubt.

But Apple is just too embarrassed to admit.

posted on 14 Dec 2012, 07:13 7

3. Droid_X_Doug (Posts: 5993; Member since: 22 Dec 2010)

Why draw attention to your failure? Apple will never admit they failed and had to beg Google to rescue them.

posted on 14 Dec 2012, 09:04 2

6. rudlie (Posts: 205; Member since: 13 Mar 2012)

yes. google begs to apple for approved their google maps

posted on 14 Dec 2012, 07:16 10

4. Victor.H (Posts: 774; Member since: 27 May 2011)

Ha! Good one.

posted on 14 Dec 2012, 10:30

9. AamirSIII (banned) (Posts: 187; Member since: 04 Oct 2012)

Ha! Good one from u as well Victor! u always proving to be inclined towards ANYTHING bashing google and supporting apple...

posted on 15 Dec 2012, 16:48

10. E.N. (Posts: 2610; Member since: 25 Jan 2009)

Definitely agree, the writers are getting a bit tiring. Why ban members and give warnings yet encourage trolling? very very good one Victor, lol

posted on 14 Dec 2012, 09:19

8. techspace (Posts: 1036; Member since: 03 Sep 2012)

google maps were released yesterday.........and those 4 apps/games apps are too good, especially the action movie fx
plus, google maps were always there on the iphone, the new app just bought a few extra features(all the features that google provides on the android version, but a google employee claims that its better than the android version, but both the apps are basically the same)

posted on 17 Dec 2012, 22:01

11. Reluctant_Human (Posts: 904; Member since: 28 Jun 2012)

Your telling me action movie fx is better than google maps? .. The difference was that it was a native app so does not apply and those "extra features" are a huge improvement on what was there before and even apple maps. Especially since it can actually get you where you want to go. It was too late to be in the running but by far the best app of the year in ios.

posted on 17 Dec 2012, 23:18

12. techspace (Posts: 1036; Member since: 03 Sep 2012)

google maps is not a 2012 app......it was available from 2012, that's what i am trying to say
even here maps is there in the app store, there were many good maps from the other brands as well
and even the google search with google now like features was really good
but these two things are replacements for siri and older google maps.....action movie fx is something that is much different from all this basic stuff, it can do things that seem to be impossible with any phone/tablet

posted on 17 Dec 2012, 23:42

13. techspace (Posts: 1036; Member since: 03 Sep 2012)

i mean, its available from 2007

posted on 18 Dec 2012, 00:49

14. Reluctant_Human (Posts: 904; Member since: 28 Jun 2012)

Bottom line and end of discussion its the first time google maps in its true form as we experience it was finally released as an app in IOS. You can't compare that with an app that let you put explosions and stupid fx in your homemade videos so you can upload more stuff that no one wants to see to facebook and youtube. There is absolutely no comparison.

posted on 18 Dec 2012, 05:16

15. techspace (Posts: 1036; Member since: 03 Sep 2012)

Even google said that the google maps app on iOS is better tha. The one on android......maybe it would be the best app of 2013....let action movie fx take the crown for This year.......it's still the best app in its category