Apple has released its annual iTunes Rewind 2011 and App Store Rewind 2011, which highlight the top-selling apps, music, TV shows, movies, and podcasts for the year. The lists feature a mix of popular games, consumer-friendly brands, and Apple’s own favorites.
The Big Winners
On the app front, Angry Birds dominated the year-end lists, taking the number one spot on both the iPhone and iPad in all categories except top free iPhone app, which was awarded to Facebook. The game’s success can be attributed to its availability as both a paid and free application.
Top Paid iPhone Apps
- Angry Birds
- Fruit Ninja
- Angry Birds Seasons
- Cut the Rope
- Tiny Wings
Top Free iPhone Apps
- Pandora Radio
- Words with Friends Free
- Angry Birds Free
- Skype
Apple’s Favorite Apps
In addition to the top-rated apps, Apple also selects its own favorite applications. This year, one of our preferred apps, Instagram, won the honor of being Apple’s ‘iPhone App of the Year.’
iPad Apps
Top Paid iPad Apps
- Angry Birds HD
- Pages
- Angry Birds Seasons
- GarageBand
- Angry Birds Rio HD
Top Free iPad Apps
- Angry Birds HD Free
- The Weather Channel for iPad
- Netflix
- CNN App for iPad
- Angry Birds Rio HD Free
Other Notable Mentions
Several other games appeared on the year-end listings, including:
- Fruit Ninja
- Cut the Rope
- Tiny Wings
- Doodle Jump
- Plants vs. Zombies
Non-game apps that made it to the list include:
- Netflix
- Skype
- Kindle
- Pandora
- CNN
- Apple’s Pages and GarageBand
Apple’s Editorial Picks
As for Apple’s editorial picks, it was Instagram as the favorite for iPhone, and photo app Snapseed for the iPad. Runners-up for the ‘app of the year’ title included:
- VidRhythm (iPhone)
- Band of the Day (iPhone)
- djay (iPad)
- Jamie’s Recipes (iPad)
Game of the Year
The game of the year went to:
- Tiny Tower (iPhone)
- Dead Space for iPad
You can view all the runners-up and top 30 lists in iTunes, where you can also find the results for the non-app categories.
Top 10 Lists
Here are the complete top 10 lists:
Top Paid iPhone Apps
- Angry Birds
- Fruit Ninja
- Angry Birds Seasons
- Cut the Rope
- Tiny Wings
- Angry Birds Rio
- Words With Friends
- Camera+
- Doodle Jump
- Plants vs. Zombies
Top Free iPhone Apps
- Pandora Radio
- Words with Friends Free
- Angry Birds Free
- Skype
- Netflix
- CNN App for iPad
- Kindle
- Apple’s Pages and GarageBand
Top Paid iPad Apps
- Angry Birds HD
- Pages
- Angry Birds Seasons
- GarageBand
- Angry Birds Rio HD
Top Free iPad Apps
- Angry Birds HD Free
- The Weather Channel for iPad
- Netflix
- CNN App for iPad
- Angry Birds Rio HD Free
Conclusion
Apple’s year-end lists provide a comprehensive look at the top apps, music, TV shows, movies, and podcasts of 2011. The lists highlight the success of popular games like Angry Birds, as well as consumer-friendly brands like Netflix and Facebook. Apple’s own favorites, including Instagram and Snapseed, also made it to the top of the lists.
