Breaking with convention, Apple on Monday announced plans to name its "favorite apps and games of 2019" at a special media event in New York on Dec. 2, a list usually presented to the public at large via press release.
Source: Lance Ulanoff
A venue was not revealed in the invitation sent out to media, but reporter Lance Ulanoff believes the gathering will be an intimate affair focusing on apps.
"Loved by millions. Created by the best," reads the invitation, which is adorned by a large, golden App Store icon.
The event appears to be connected to Apple's annual "Best of" awards covering content available through the company's various digital storefronts. Typically revealed in a press release in early December, this year's retrospective will apparently be accompanied by a formal ceremony. While specifics are at this point unclear, it appears the company plans to pass out awards or otherwise celebrate the developers and content creators who market their wares on the App Store, iTunes and other Apple properties.
In 2018, Procreate Pocket garnered the coveted App of the Year title, while Froggipedia and Pixelmator Pro took the top spot for iPad and Mac, respectively. Beyond apps, the "Best of 2018" release included songs, artists and albums from Apple Music, as well as selections from the iTunes Movie Store, Podcasts and Apple Books.
New hardware is not expected for unveiling at the event. Apple last week cleared the decks by releasing a long-rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro and announcing December availability for Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR.