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Apple Design Awards 2014

76 points by shutton 12y ago

shutton 12y ago
Looking at the winners there doesn't seem to be anything massively inspiring and only one dedicated OSX app. I'm not sure how much of a big deal these awards are.
- nicholassmith 12y ago
  They're a reasonably big deal, a lot of the developer community look to see who wins and if there's an emerging pattern that links the winners.
- emsy 12y ago
  I agree, they are kind of like the obvious choices. But then again, you can only innovate in the boundaries of the App Store approval.
  - coldtea 12y ago
    Yeah, but they are quite large boundaries, given that it has over 1 millions apps in all kinds of genres and ideas. If you can't innovate within those boundaries then you might be Frank Zappa or The Residents but you're not Jimi Hendrix or The Beatles. That is, you might be too wild for your own good.
    - emsy 12y ago
      Good point. But let's get to the Beatles and Hendrixes of the App Store world: I actually found the female masturbation app that was rejected recently interesting, seemingly well designed and forward thinking. I wouldn't say the app or its idea was too wild for its own good. But when I hear stories like that, I assume it will create a mental censorship in developers. Good ideas will die in fear of App Store rejection. Sure you have 1 million apps, but you don't have 1 million ideas. They are rare and need to be nurtured instead of extinguished.
- eddieroger 12y ago
  They're a big deal for a few reasons, such as they set the norm for what the next year's apps will try to mimic, but I agree that it's a bummer to see so few OS X apps (well, app). Hopefully Yosemite will inspire people to get back to writing award-eligible OS X apps.
oneeyedpigeon 12y ago
Nice to see an appearance for Threes - the developers deserve a bit of recognition after 2048 went crazy, and Threes is a really nice user experience.
k-mcgrady 12y ago
Monument Valley and Yahoo News Digest are both really nicely done. Definitely deserving of the award (not that the others aren't, I just haven't used most of them).
basicallydan 12y ago
So happy about Threes. Such an underrated game. Almost addictive but not quite; slick, classy, fun, kinda cute game. Great work. Well done!
- untog 12y ago
  It is, but increasingly I've seen far, far more people playing 2048 than Threes. Which, IIRC, is a wrapped webapp. Not that it's strictly relevant to the Apple Design Awards, but perhaps a reminder that it doesn't necessarily matter whether you win or not.
  - arrrg 12y ago
    2048 is free with ads. Of course more people are playing it. This award (and all the others given out this year) was nevertheless a nice recovery from Apple (compared to last years’ winners which were pretty crappy), showing what they value and telling the world about it. I hope they continue to show off these values in the editorial decisions they will make in the App Store in the future (but they have been relatively good about that in the past, with a few missteps).
    - wdr1 12y ago
      I have both on my phone. Honestly, I find 2048 to the better game.
      - arrrg 12y ago
        It’s an easier game. That makes it a better game for some.
  - basicallydan 12y ago
    True, but it's nice to be recognised anyway. I'm sure the awards have given them a little bump in popularity. I think that 2048 is a more accessible game. It takes zero time to figure out how it works. Whereas Threes is a little more complex. I enjoyed figuring out how it works, though.
Igglyboo 12y ago
I totally agree with Monument Valley. One of the most beautiful and unique games I've played in a long time, it's also a great example that you don't need to push a lot of pixels if you have good artists.
- pling 12y ago
  I agree it looks pretty but it took me 40 minutes to complete all ten levels. Thats not very good value for money.
  - aaronblohowiak 12y ago
    Duration is not the most important metric for value of an experience for me. Would you compare the quantity of food received at a fast food joint vs fine dining?
    - pling 12y ago
      If I had to go to McDonalds after the fine dining so I don't starve then yes.
      - arrrg 12y ago
        That’s where the metaphor falls flat, I guess … Look, you can’t expect a game like that that’s sold for a couple bucks to last more than a few dozen minutes. People who make games have to eat, you know. Either you like that or you don’t. If you don’t like that, no problem, there is more than enough information out there to gauge that beforehand.
  - onmydesk 12y ago
    40 minutes for a couple of bucks, you ever been to an amusement arcade? Not good value for money!! AN APP!!! And on HN as well. Unbelievable
    - pling 12y ago
ececconi 12y ago
Monument Valley is one of the most beautiful and serene games I've ever played.
NicoJuicy 12y ago
I'm no Apple fan, but seeing Threes in the list.. I have to admit, thumbs up
joshdance 12y ago
Monument Valley was one of the best mobile gaming experiences I have ever had. My jaw literally dropped a few times at the clever reveals.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
quarterto 12y ago
> Adding further polish are cClever sound effects and a catchy music score add further polish. Might want to have a look at that copyediting.
sdernley 12y ago
Sky guide looks great. Hadn't heard of it before but can't wait to download and give it a try tonight. Anyone else using it?
- phenylene 12y ago
  It's excellent! The background sound is great too (from the musician that did some of Osmos's music).
- arrrg 12y ago
  It’s excellent! The attention to detail is awesome, as is the thoughtfulness put into each and every feature (and the feature selection). Plus, the dev is super nice and friendly when you report bugs to them. I have gained a much better understanding of what I see in the sky. It’s nice to be able to pull up this app as soon as you see something in the sky and be able to tell what it is. Of course, other apps do that, too, but none do it as nicely. I recommend going ISS watching with it. (Requires an IAP, I think, but as always app prices are disastrously low.) The ISS is really bright and easy to see, plus the thought of six people soaring by up there is quite uplifting. And without the app this would always be a thing you have to plan for, not a thing you accidentally see after dinner, then walk out to the big town square to see the ISS go by with the people you were eating with.
gdubs 12y ago
I definitely recommend checking out the ADA winners if you're an app developer. It's really good to see what Apple deems award-winning, and can be very inspiring for your own work.
eieio 12y ago
Good to see Blek on there. One of the most interesting and unique games I've played in a while, and it's absolutely beautifully designed. I haven't seen too many people talking about it on HN even though it's been near the top of the charts in the app store recently: definitely check it out if you have a chance!
- weaksauce 12y ago
  just picked it up and it's quite good. super interesting game mechanic and not one that I have played before.
  - eieio 12y ago
    I love the mechanic and it actually took me a bit of time to fully grasp how it works (although perhaps I'm a bit slow). Just in case you haven't realized, the line that you draw will continue the exact pattern that you draw, no matter what you draw, until you release or connect the line with a dot. There is a time limit on drawing but you have a lot of time. I had originally assumed that some kind of physics were applied to the line once you release it but this is not the case. Once I realized how the game worked, I got really into finding elegant solutions for the later levels. You can "cheat" many of the levels with ugly solutions, but there's almost always a very simple pattern you can draw that will solve the level. Finding these simple patterns is extremely satisfying.
danra 12y ago
Device 6 is amazing. Reminded me of a David Lynch movie.
kosei 12y ago
What's most interesting to me about this is that not a single one of these apps is a free-to-play app. Freemium apps have a lot of room to grow on the design front and this could be a serious differentiator for certain apps.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]

76 points by shutton 12y ago

Looking at the winners there doesn't seem to be anything massively inspiring and only one dedicated OSX app. I'm not sure how much of a big deal these awards are.

nicholassmith 12y ago
They're a reasonably big deal, a lot of the developer community look to see who wins and if there's an emerging pattern that links the winners.
emsy 12y ago
I agree, they are kind of like the obvious choices. But then again, you can only innovate in the boundaries of the App Store approval.
- coldtea 12y ago
  Yeah, but they are quite large boundaries, given that it has over 1 millions apps in all kinds of genres and ideas. If you can't innovate within those boundaries then you might be Frank Zappa or The Residents but you're not Jimi Hendrix or The Beatles. That is, you might be too wild for your own good.
  - emsy 12y ago
    Good point. But let's get to the Beatles and Hendrixes of the App Store world: I actually found the female masturbation app that was rejected recently interesting, seemingly well designed and forward thinking. I wouldn't say the app or its idea was too wild for its own good. But when I hear stories like that, I assume it will create a mental censorship in developers. Good ideas will die in fear of App Store rejection. Sure you have 1 million apps, but you don't have 1 million ideas. They are rare and need to be nurtured instead of extinguished.
eddieroger 12y ago
They're a big deal for a few reasons, such as they set the norm for what the next year's apps will try to mimic, but I agree that it's a bummer to see so few OS X apps (well, app). Hopefully Yosemite will inspire people to get back to writing award-eligible OS X apps.

oneeyedpigeon 12y ago

Nice to see an appearance for Threes - the developers deserve a bit of recognition after 2048 went crazy, and Threes is a really nice user experience.

k-mcgrady 12y ago

Monument Valley and Yahoo News Digest are both really nicely done. Definitely deserving of the award (not that the others aren't, I just haven't used most of them).

basicallydan 12y ago

So happy about Threes. Such an underrated game. Almost addictive but not quite; slick, classy, fun, kinda cute game. Great work. Well done!

untog 12y ago
It is, but increasingly I've seen far, far more people playing 2048 than Threes. Which, IIRC, is a wrapped webapp. Not that it's strictly relevant to the Apple Design Awards, but perhaps a reminder that it doesn't necessarily matter whether you win or not.
- arrrg 12y ago
  2048 is free with ads. Of course more people are playing it. This award (and all the others given out this year) was nevertheless a nice recovery from Apple (compared to last years’ winners which were pretty crappy), showing what they value and telling the world about it. I hope they continue to show off these values in the editorial decisions they will make in the App Store in the future (but they have been relatively good about that in the past, with a few missteps).
  - wdr1 12y ago
    I have both on my phone. Honestly, I find 2048 to the better game.
    - arrrg 12y ago
      It’s an easier game. That makes it a better game for some.
- basicallydan 12y ago
  True, but it's nice to be recognised anyway. I'm sure the awards have given them a little bump in popularity. I think that 2048 is a more accessible game. It takes zero time to figure out how it works. Whereas Threes is a little more complex. I enjoyed figuring out how it works, though.

Igglyboo 12y ago

I totally agree with Monument Valley. One of the most beautiful and unique games I've played in a long time, it's also a great example that you don't need to push a lot of pixels if you have good artists.

pling 12y ago
I agree it looks pretty but it took me 40 minutes to complete all ten levels. Thats not very good value for money.
- aaronblohowiak 12y ago
  Duration is not the most important metric for value of an experience for me. Would you compare the quantity of food received at a fast food joint vs fine dining?
  - pling 12y ago
    If I had to go to McDonalds after the fine dining so I don't starve then yes.
    - arrrg 12y ago
      That’s where the metaphor falls flat, I guess … Look, you can’t expect a game like that that’s sold for a couple bucks to last more than a few dozen minutes. People who make games have to eat, you know. Either you like that or you don’t. If you don’t like that, no problem, there is more than enough information out there to gauge that beforehand.
- onmydesk 12y ago
  40 minutes for a couple of bucks, you ever been to an amusement arcade? Not good value for money!! AN APP!!! And on HN as well. Unbelievable
  - pling 12y ago

ececconi 12y ago

Monument Valley is one of the most beautiful and serene games I've ever played.

NicoJuicy 12y ago

I'm no Apple fan, but seeing Threes in the list.. I have to admit, thumbs up

joshdance 12y ago

Monument Valley was one of the best mobile gaming experiences I have ever had. My jaw literally dropped a few times at the clever reveals.

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]

quarterto 12y ago

> Adding further polish are cClever sound effects and a catchy music score add further polish. Might want to have a look at that copyediting.

sdernley 12y ago

Sky guide looks great. Hadn't heard of it before but can't wait to download and give it a try tonight. Anyone else using it?

phenylene 12y ago
It's excellent! The background sound is great too (from the musician that did some of Osmos's music).
arrrg 12y ago
It’s excellent! The attention to detail is awesome, as is the thoughtfulness put into each and every feature (and the feature selection). Plus, the dev is super nice and friendly when you report bugs to them. I have gained a much better understanding of what I see in the sky. It’s nice to be able to pull up this app as soon as you see something in the sky and be able to tell what it is. Of course, other apps do that, too, but none do it as nicely. I recommend going ISS watching with it. (Requires an IAP, I think, but as always app prices are disastrously low.) The ISS is really bright and easy to see, plus the thought of six people soaring by up there is quite uplifting. And without the app this would always be a thing you have to plan for, not a thing you accidentally see after dinner, then walk out to the big town square to see the ISS go by with the people you were eating with.

gdubs 12y ago

I definitely recommend checking out the ADA winners if you're an app developer. It's really good to see what Apple deems award-winning, and can be very inspiring for your own work.

eieio 12y ago

Good to see Blek on there. One of the most interesting and unique games I've played in a while, and it's absolutely beautifully designed. I haven't seen too many people talking about it on HN even though it's been near the top of the charts in the app store recently: definitely check it out if you have a chance!

weaksauce 12y ago
just picked it up and it's quite good. super interesting game mechanic and not one that I have played before.
- eieio 12y ago
  I love the mechanic and it actually took me a bit of time to fully grasp how it works (although perhaps I'm a bit slow). Just in case you haven't realized, the line that you draw will continue the exact pattern that you draw, no matter what you draw, until you release or connect the line with a dot. There is a time limit on drawing but you have a lot of time. I had originally assumed that some kind of physics were applied to the line once you release it but this is not the case. Once I realized how the game worked, I got really into finding elegant solutions for the later levels. You can "cheat" many of the levels with ugly solutions, but there's almost always a very simple pattern you can draw that will solve the level. Finding these simple patterns is extremely satisfying.

danra 12y ago

Device 6 is amazing. Reminded me of a David Lynch movie.

kosei 12y ago

What's most interesting to me about this is that not a single one of these apps is a free-to-play app. Freemium apps have a lot of room to grow on the design front and this could be a serious differentiator for certain apps.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]