Apple has compiled and released its list of the best and most downloaded apps, content, shows, etc. across the iTunes and App Store, and it’s not much of a surprise.
iPhone App of the Year – Periscope
It launched in March but quickly rose to the top of the pile. The idea behind Periscope was simple – video sharing wherever you are in the world to your Twitter followers. Periscope definitely wasn’t the first app to offer live video but it’s certainly the one that has been downloaded the most times, buoyed by the power of famous celebrities.
iPhone Game of the Year – Lara Croft GO
A lot of smartphone games tend to squeeze too much into a small screen or be so simplistic that it will be nothing more than a time-waster during long commutes. Lara Croft GO has managed to marry both great design and smart game mechanics into a small, delightful package. It’s definitely one worth buying.
Top Artist – Drake
2015 is Drake’s year. He surreptitiously released If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late at the beginning of this year without any fanfare, and moved over a million copies. Then he dropped the joint-mixtape What a Time to Be Alive with his peer Future. In between those two works, he also had time to emerge triumphant in his beef with rapper Meek Mill, releasing two diss tracks, one of which was even nominated for a Grammy.
Top Album – 25 by Adele
When you consider that the album was released with less than two months to go until the end of the year, you’ll realise what an amazing achievement this is. The album has been hailed as the lifesaver of the music industry and has sold millions of physical copies, a rarity in this streaming age. And if you’re wondering, Taylor Swift’s 1989 came in third with Justin Bieber’s Purpose propping up the fifth spot.
Highlights
• It was a blockbuster year for independent films and documentaries. The Imitation Game, Birdman, Ex Machina, The Theory of Everything and Whiplash led the top downloaded Independent Movies chart, while Dope, Amy and Cartel Land were named among the Best Movies of 2015.
• Paula Hawkins’s The Girl on the Train and Andy Weir’s The Martian were leading contenders in both the most downloaded Non-Fiction and Audiobooks categories, and the Fifty Shades of Grey series also remained at the top of the Non-Fiction list. A Little Life was named Best Fiction Book and Between the World and Me was named Best Non-Fiction Book.
• The top downloaded TV series includes Game of Thrones, Season 5; The Walking Dead, Season 6; Downton Abbey, Season 5; Scandal, Season 5; and The Blacklist, Season 3.
