Cult Of Mac’s Best Of 2011 Awards

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Screen Shot 2011-12-29 at 4.39.29 PM

2011’s been the best year yet to be an Apple fan, absolutely flush with exciting new apps, products and accessories. Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been letting you vote on the best Apple-related games, apps, accessories and products of the year, and we’ve come up with some truly fantastic finalists. Now it’s time to declare the best of each category: best Mac App, best iOS game, best iOS app, best jailbreak tweak, best Apple product accessory and best Apple product. As we all know from Highlander, there can be only one… but did your favorite app or product of the year get beheaded in our finalist rounds? Find out Cult of Mac’s picks for the best of Apple for 2011, after the jump.

Best Mac App: Alfred

We’ve covered the 1.0 release of Alfredextensively on the site, and it’s clear that Alfred deserves to sit amongst the top ranks of innovative Mac apps for 2011. The lightweight launcher utility makes operating a Mac delightful, and there’s plenty of available plugins for fine tuning your experience. Don’t let the cute hat fool you, Alfred doesn’t mess around — it gets stuff done.

For the full list of best Mac app finalists, click here.

Best iOS Game: Infinity Blade II

The much-anticipated Infinity Blade II received the most votes in our recent poll, and it’s easy to see why. Like its award-winning predecessor, this game uses the Unreal Engine 3 to provide console-quality visuals within a robust and dynamic 3D world. Take on a hoard of deathless tyrants and their legion of titans in your bid to wield the power of the Infinity Blade.

For the full list of best iOS game finalists, click here.

Best iOS App: Flipboard

Flipboard

Flipboard has so much to offer, which might explain why it’s so popular. It mixes up features you’d find in a magazine app, an RSS reader and a blogging tool. You end up with something very personal, tailor-made to your tastes. The recent iPhone version also wowed everyone with its smart looks. A great app, and a well deserved top place.

For the full list of best iOS app finalists, click here.

Best Jailbreak Tweak: SBSettings

It might take a little while for SBSettings to grow on you. At first blush, it doesn’t seem to do much but act as a little mini-dock for your most commonly used iOS settings. SBSettings quickly becomes indispensable, though, as turning on/off 3G, Bluetooth, WiFi and more become just a swipe and tap away… and with iOS 5 Notification support, 2011 was the best year for SBSettings yet.

For the full list of best jailbreak finalists, click here.

Best Apple Device Accessory: Keyboard Case by ZAGG

To be honest, turning your iPad into a wanna-be laptop just feels a bit wrong and defies what makes the iPad such a personal experience…but if you’re hell bent on getting a full-sized keyboard for your iPad your best bet is to go with the Keyboard Case by ZAGG. The keyboard almost feels like something you’d find on a MacBook, plus when you’re not using your iPad the case’s aircraft-grade aluminum provides sturdy protection so that you don’t have to worry if you accidentally drop your precious tablet.

For the full list of best Apple product accessory finalists, click here.

Best Apple Product: iPad 2

The iPad 2 wasn’t a radical departure from Apple’s first-gen tablet, but it perfected almost everything about it. The iPad 2 was thinner, faster, had more battery life, came in both black and white, supported Verizon’s 3G network, and boasted some truly ingenious magnet technology that made using a case with your iPad literally as easy as pulling back a Japanese bath lid. The iPad may have created the modern tablet market, but the iPad 2 is the device that popularized it.

For the full list of best Apple product finalists, click here.

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