The Apps, Games, Music, Movies and Podcasts, That Shaped Entertainment and Culture Around the World This Year
As the year comes to a close there are so many unanswered questions: Who is Kiki, and does she love me? Should I start a podcast? Where is Donut County? Why didn’t Offred escape Gilead (again!)? Today, Apple reveals the Best Of 2018, a global collection of top charts and selects from our editors across every category highlighting all of the amazing things to watch, listen to and play across apps, music, podcasts and movies. It’s an invariable list of the who’s who and what’s what from the past year that is certain to help answer at least some of the most burning questions and make for fun conversation around any holiday dinner table.
The App Store
This year, Battle Royale-style apps like Fortnite and PUBG Mobile dominated global gaming culture with exciting, last-player-standing action, while innovative apps like Fabulous, Shine, 10% Happier and Headspace expanded the practice of wellness around the world to make self-care more accessible than ever before.
Best Apps of the Year
iPhone App of the Year – Procreate Pocket
iPhone Game of the Year – Donut County
iPad App of the Year – Froggipedia
iPad Game of the Year – Gorogoa
Mac App of the Year – Pixelmator Pro
Mac Game of the Year – The Gardens Between
Apple TV App of the Year – Sweat
Apple TV Game of the Year – Alto’s Odyssey
Apple Music
To close out an extraordinary year, Apple Music’s editors have awarded highest honours to the artists who truly represent the very best of 2018. Drake owns the Artist of the Year category while country’s Kasey Musgraves scores Album of the Year for her dynamic Golden Hour. The fiery collaboration between Cardi B, J. Balvin and Bad Bunny made “I Like It” an easy choice for Song of the Year and Breakout Artist Juice WRLD has been giving everyone “Lucid Dreams” all year long. But these all-stars weren’t the only stars: Apple Music’s global year-end charts and editorial playlists are packed with the year’s biggest hits and favourites from all over the world.
On the South African Single and Album Charts, Afrobeats was right in the centre of the spotlight, thanks to fresh collaborations that took Africa to the world. There was a great reaction to “Particula” for DJ Maphorisa & Major Lazer (feat. Nasty C, Ice Prince, Patoranking & Jidenna) who made the tough Top 10 Singles Chart. In the “Spirit” of collaboration, Kwesta and Wale brought a sprinkling of Kasi flavour while newcomer Sun EL Musician had 2 successes on the Singles Chart with “Akanamali” (feat. Samthing Soweto) and “Bamthathile” (feat. Mlindo The Vocalist). Hip hop royalty led the Top 20 Album Chart in the form of Nasty C’s “Strings and Bling” and AKA’s “Touch My Blood”, as well as Afrikaans artists Jo Black and Snotkop.
Best Music of the Year
Artist of the Year: Drake
Breakout Artist of the Year: Juice WRLD
Song of the Year: I Like It – Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny & J. Balvin
Album of the Year: Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves
Charts Best of 2018 (Music) http://apple.co/BestOf2018
Best of 2018 Editors’ Picks Playlist https://itunes.apple.com/za/playlist/best-of-2018-editors-picks/pl.757b83f216514160865f52cb05a88e87
Top 100 Songs 2018: South Africa https://itunes.apple.com/za/playlist/top-100-songs-2018-south-africa/pl.85df0e50a43343e886df15b376543c2a
Top 100 Songs 2018: Global https://itunes.apple.com/za/playlist/global-top-100-songs-2018/pl.bb583b4518624538b2b4ecd0a586597a
Up Next Class of 2018
https://itunes.apple.com/za/post/sa.06317cf0-f724-11e8-bb66-7c2fc98a7dd6
Movies
The movies of the year represent a rich mix of genres and topics ranging from indie, documentaries and animation to drama, horror and action. “Avengers Infinity Pool” and “Isle of Dogs” are the top picks of the year; they, along with other notable titles such as “Ready Player One”, “Black Panther” and “A Quiet Place” have been praised by critics and fans alike and fueled pop culture conversations and die-hard fandom around the world.
Best Movies of 2018 on iTunes
Avengers: Infinity War
Isle of Dogs
Ready Player One
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
A Quiet Place
Game Night
Black Panther
Deadpool 2
Sicario: Day of Soldado
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Apple Podcasts
This year, investigative reporting underpinned the immersive storytelling of shows such as American Public Media’s In t Burn.” News and Politics grew as podcast genres in 2018 with The New York Times’s “The Daily” and Crooked Media’s “The Wilderness,” while celebrities and a healthy mix of independents topped this year’s new shows, including Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert,” “Oprah’s Master Class” and Parcast Network’s “Conspiracy Theories” and “Unexplained Mysteries.”
Best Podcasts of the Year
In The Dark
Caliphate
The Dream
Everything is Alive
Slow Burn
Dr. Death
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
Bubble
Bundyville
A Very Fatal Murder
Wolverine: The Long Night
Serial
The Daily
This American Life
99% Invisible