Behold, Apple's best of 2020!

December 05, 2020

It's December, so it's time to brace yourself for the annual onslaught of "best of" recommendations. Cupertino came out of the gate hot this week, crowning its favorite 15 apps and games of the year.

Separately, the company also highlighted the biggest hits on Apple Music, diced in a variety of ways, as well as the best podcasts, books and audiobooks of 2020.

And, like last year, Apple Music users can check out their own personal hit lists. Take a look at your Replay 2020 playlist for insight into what you streamed with abandon during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Should I be worried that most of the songs on my list are about whiskey? I guess it's been that kind of year.

Cheers,

Lewis Wallace, managing editor

As 2020 thankfully sputters to its conclusion, Apple has released its list of the year’s best 15 apps and games “notable for their positive cultural impact, helpfulness, and importance.” Take a bow, App Store Best of 2020 winners!

Plus, more best of 2020:

News and opinion

Will we get new Apple hardware next Tuesday? We certainly hope so — this could be the “Christmas Surprise” that had been predicted. Here's a look at what might be coming.

The fast new Macs let users run iPhone and iPad apps natively for the first time, but you should think twice about loading up certain games.

It's not just you: Lots of iPhone 12 users are reporting annoying problems with either fast-draining batteries or botched calls.

While we likely won’t get to see what Apple's got planned for iPhone until WWDC 2021, a talented 20-year-old designer came up with a dream upgrade.

New tests show relatively speedy performance for a Mac mini with an ARM-based Apple M1 processor running the ARM version of Windows 10. In fact, it smokes a Microsoft Surface Pro X.

How-tos

Many of the frustrations you might encounter with HomePod and HomePod mini can be rectified with a simple factory reset. It’s easy and doesn’t take long, but Apple doesn’t make it immediately obvious how to do it.

You just got a shiny new iPhone 12 and of course you want your Apple Watch to play nicely with it. You could reset the watch to start out fresh, but there’s an easier way to make the switch.

If you share a Mac with others and are frequently switching between user accounts, you’ll be pleased to know you can do that quicker than ever in macOS Big Sur, thanks to a new feature called fast user switching. You’ll need to set it up yourself because Apple doesn’t enable it by default.

Deals

There are no two things more chaotic in life than 1) a desk full of tangled wires and 2) a low iPhone battery. Thankfully, you can organize your space and boost your productivity with this sleek multi-device wireless charger.

Keep your Apple devices protected and in pristine condition with some high-quality accessories from SwitchEasy. They’re brilliantly designed, well-built, and on sale for a limited time.

Building apps for mobile or desktop devices might seem like magic. But anyone can do it, with some basic knowledge about languages like SwiftUI. This pair of courses offers an accessible but comprehensive entry point.

The members-only warehouse store stocks plenty of Apple gear and other tech, as well as loads of groceries and household supplies, all at rock-bottom prices.

Reviews

Apple TV+ ups its nature doc game again with Earth at Night in Color. Exciting, beautiful and cute, the show is as easy to watch as its title is cumbersome to utter.

It includes USB-C and USB-A ports, and fold-down electrical prongs. And it juices up iOS handsets as fast as possible — far quicker than Apple’s old 5W chargers.

Apple TV+ continues its inspired streak of children’s fare with an adaptation of Jon J Muth’s Zen book series. Stillwater takes the central character from those books, a stoic and wise panda, and pits him against the foibles of three young kids.

Let’s be honest. You already know whether you’re going to watch Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special on Apple TV+. But you really should!