Apple’s got some great things planned for 2015, but before we get there we need to look back at the year that was 2014.
With that in mind, today marks the release of the company’s annual iTunes Store awards — highlighting the best music, movies, books, podcasts, apps and games from one of Apple”s most eventful years in history.
If you’re looking for the best possible recommendations for enjoyably passing the time this holiday season (at least until Cult of Mac announce our own “best of 2014” lists), you can find out Apple’s list of winners after the jump:
Apple’s iPhone App of the Year award goes to Elevate – Brain Training, while the best iPad App of the Year is the superb graphic editor Pixelmator. Best iPhone and iPad games respectively go to Threes! and Monument Valley. (You can check out our story on the latter game here.)
Beyoncé meanwhile snatched up the Best Artist award, which should be no surprise given that her album BEYONCÉ became the fastest-selling album in the history of iTunes within weeks of its release. Arriving exclusively on iTunes, the album was given an appropriately bombastic reception by Apple right from the start, which has since used its success to try and persuade other record labels to follow suit with iTunes exclusives.
Sam Smith picked up Apple’s Best New Artist award, while Taylor Swift received Album of the Year with 1989, and Iggy Azalea scored Best Song with “Fancy.”
Best Blockbuster movie was Marvel’s tremendous Guardians of the Galaxy, with The LEGO Movie winning the Family Movie category, Richard Linklater winning Best Director, and Obvious Child being Best Discovery.
Fargo was elected Best TV Show, True Detective was home to Best Performances, and The Honorable Woman was Best Discovery.
Finally, Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See won Best Fiction novel, while Best Nonfiction went to Jeff Hobb’s The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace.
Interestingly, Apple seems to have varied up the awards for different parts of the world, changing categories or adding different ones depending on where you are. In the U.K., for instance, The Honorable Woman is listed as Best British Program.
Let us know in the comments if any of these categories vary for you also.
