Apple's Best of the iTunes Store 2012: 'Action Movie FX' and 'Paper' Win Top App Honors

[MacRumors]

Apple today released the 2012 version of its annual iTunes Store awards, previously called iTunes Rewind, which celebrates the best music, movies, TV shows, apps, books, and podcasts of the year.

Here are some of the notable winners for 2012:

Apps:
-iPhone App of the Year: Action Movie FX
-iPhone Game of the Year: Rayman Jungle Run
-iPad App of the Year: Paper by FiftyThree
-iPad Game of the Year: Room

Music:
-Best Artist: Channel ORANGE by Frank Ocean
-Best Album: Shields by Grizzly Bear
-Best Song: We Are Young by Fun.
-Breakthrough Album: The Lumineers by The Lumineers

Books:
-Best Novel: The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
-Best Nonfiction: Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
-Best Young Adult Novel: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
-Best Multi-Touch Book: Fashion by DK Publishing

For the first time in two years, no photography apps made it in to the top listings. 2012 also marks the first year that an Entertainment app was given an editor's choice award. As always, during the end of the year wrap up Apple highlights games and apps from a wide variety of categories, so it's well worth skimming the list for hidden gems.

Beyond the top-level awards for music, movies, TV shows, apps, books, and podcasts, Apple is featuring a number of other awards and Editors' Choice picks across various genres and categories for the various content types.

See previous winners here: 2009, 2010, 2011.

Article Link: Apple's Best of the iTunes Store 2012: 'Action Movie FX' and 'Paper' Win Top App Honors

[dlewis23]

Paper is iPad app of the year by far... Best app I have used and I use it almost every day.

[brock2621]

Action Movie FX?

I mean, it's good but App of the YEAR? I would disagree.

Paper is amazing and Apple's iPhoto is as well.

Sparrow, Clear are also worthy...

[redhawk87]

kinda odd that channel orange is artist of the year.... I know they mean to say Frank Ocean is artist of the year and not his debut album but still. Seems like a typo or they purposefully did it to give some marketing to his album?

[ctdonath]

At a glance, Room looks like a modern incarnation of Myst. Even the product description sounds the same "...If you're reading this, then it worked. I only hope you can still forgive me. ... You must come at once, for we are all in great peril. ... My study is the highest room." - followed by entry into a well-rendered, highly (for the time) touchable & explorable environment full of puzzles.

Anyone who can speak to similarities/differences?

[TouchMint.com]

Rayman Jungle Run.... Dont get me wrong its a good game but it is an insult to the iOS gaming industry.

There are innovative great new games out there and they pick this…

[meli]

What about Google Maps?

[charlieegan3]

Action Movie FX really? Nice to see paper in there though.

[Madmic23]

C'mon, the song of the year was clearly "Gangnam Style!" Sure, "We Are Young" is catchy, but does it have a guy dancing on an imaginary horse while wearing a powder blue jacket? Nope.

I would also accept the song "Thriftshop," but it probably came out a little too late in the year to catch on.

[nrose101]

Action Movie FX? Really? It is a nice waste of time for a couple of days...then you delete it!

[Ishimaru]

Originally Posted by meli

What about Google Maps?

lol App of the year for something that came out last night? Give me a break.

[nrose101]

Originally Posted by Ishimaru

lol App of the year for something that came out last night? Give me a break.

It could be why not?

[Mundty]

Not sure if I agree with much of this, but Grizzly Bear's new album did live up to the hype... it was definitely one of the best this year.

The Lumineers don't belong though, nothing ground breaking there.

[carl0sian]

Apple bashing will commence right ......about......now!

[Ishimaru]

Originally Posted by TouchMint.com

Rayman Jungle Run.... Dont get me wrong its a good game but it is an insult to the iOS gaming industry.

There are innovative great new games out there and they pick this…

Please explain how it's an insult to the industry. I'd actually like to know. I for one really enjoyed it.

[Megagator]

Rayman Jungle Run? Nay, nay.
How about the game that brought your Game Center servers to its knees?
Letterpress, anyone?

[longofest]

As good as ActionMovieFX is, I think Google Maps may quickly be more deserving, though Apple would never admit it.

[nzalog]

Weird, I thought people would actually be talking about some of these Apps but I have not used a single one of these and I visit tech blogs pretty regularly.

Did they just "Apple Maps" (aka half ass) these picks?

[cramerica916]

Originally Posted by nrose101

It could be why not?

google maps briefly disappeared on 9/19/12. NEVER FORGET!
google maps deserves the app of the year. or at least the best comeback of the year.

[GQB]

I understand the enfatuation with Paper, but it stays in my 'rarely used' folder until they give up on their idiotic 'rewind' to undo feature. Its clumsey, inaccurate, and gimmicky. Give me a damned multiple undo button and I'll start using it again gladly.

[RolyPolyBird]

Don't forget to include the mac appstore as well

edit: also worth noting that the honours are regional. The winning iPhone apps in the German appstore was a taxi sourcing program and runner up Propellerhead's Figure. The games were Jungle Run with Super Hexagon in second place.

[GQB]

Originally Posted by dlewis23

Paper is iPad app of the year by far... Best app I have used and I use it almost every day.

How in the world do you deal with their gimmicky 'undo' wheel?

[BvizioN]

Action Movie FX is fantastic.

----------

Originally Posted by nrose101

It could be why not?

That would be more like app of the day not a year, right?

[Cougarcat]

Originally Posted by ctdonath

At a glance, Room looks like a modern incarnation of Myst. Even the product description sounds the same "...If you're reading this, then it worked. I only hope you can still forgive me. ... You must come at once, for we are all in great peril. ... My study is the highest room." - followed by entry into a well-rendered, highly (for the time) touchable & explorable environment full of puzzles.

Anyone who can speak to similarities/differences?

It has a very similar aesthetic, but the puzzles are simpler and there is no exploration whatsoever (as the title says, you're in a room.) It's just you interacting with a giant lockbox. The story is light so far, but I'm about halfway through.

Still, they did a superb job in creating puzzles that work excellently with touch, and if you like Myst you'll like this, too. Coincidentally it just came out for iPhone today, which is what I'm playing it on.

[teknikal90]

Originally Posted by BvizioN

Action Movie FX is fantastic.

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That would be more like app of the day not a year, right?

I used it once on christmas day last year. I got a car to roll towards my friend as he quickly ducks. very neat stuff.
then I deleted it after I uploaded the video onto facebook.
In contrast tonnes and tonnes of otehr apps I use daily.
hardly best of the year?