Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard go over Apple's 2025 Design Award winners, exploring groundbreaking apps that showcase the best of Apple's platforms. From AI-powered language learning tools to visually stunning adventure games, these winners represent the pinnacle of mobile innovation and design excellence.
Delight and Fun Category
- CapWords - Revolutionary language learning app that transforms everyday objects into interactive stickers, supporting nine languages with AI-powered photo recognition
- Balatro - Award-winning poker-inspired deck builder that cleverly teaches poker fundamentals while delivering addictive gameplay across multiple platforms
Innovation Category
- Play - Developer-focused app enabling interactive SwiftUI prototype creation with seamless cross-device syncing between iPhone and Mac
- PBJ, the Musical - Quirky Shakespeare adaptation telling Romeo and Juliet with condiments as characters, featuring original soundtracks and creative storytelling
Interaction Category
- Taobao - Pioneering Apple Vision Pro shopping experience with photorealistic 3D models allowing users to visualize furniture and products in their actual spaces
- DREDGE - Atmospheric horror fishing adventure with seamless gameplay continuity across iPhone, iPad, and Mac platforms
Inclusivity Category
- Speechify - Accessibility-focused text-to-speech app supporting 50+ languages and hundreds of voices, designed for users with dyslexia, ADHD, and low vision
- Art of Fauna - Beautiful wildlife puzzle game featuring vintage-style artwork with full voiceover support and innovative block-based puzzle mechanics
Social Impact Category
- Watch Duty - Critical wildfire tracking app providing real-time evacuation updates and emergency information faster than traditional services
- Neva - Emotionally resonant adventure game exploring environmental themes through the relationship between a girl and her wolf companion
Visuals and Graphics Category
- Feather - Intuitive iPad app enabling users to transform 2D designs into stunning 3D models using touch and Apple Pencil interactions
- Infinity Nikki - Visually spectacular open-world adventure game featuring magical outfits, whimsical creatures, and breathtaking rendering quality
Shortcuts Corner
- New "Use Model" action in Shortcuts enables cloud, local, or ChatGPT model integration for AI-powered automation
- Apple's Shortcuts Gallery now features dedicated Apple Intelligence examples including leftover recipe generation and PDF summarization
App Caps
Mikah's Pick: Gigapixel
- AI-powered photo upscaling app that enhances image resolution and quality using sophisticated machine learning models
- Features standard and low-res enhancement modes plus specialized face recovery for portrait photographs
- Particularly useful for printing older photos or enlarging images without quality loss
Rosemary's Pick: Dark Noise
- Premium white noise app enabling custom sound mixing with extensive library of ambient sounds
- Supports audio layering with other apps, iCloud sync across devices, and Siri Shortcuts integration
- Includes whimsical features like "unnamed goose mode" and developer-friendly privacy controls
These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/ios-today/episodes/757
Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard
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