Apple's Best Apps of 2014: Top Free, Paid and Grossing Apps

It's always interesting and valuable to explore Apple's Best of 2014: Top Lists. Below are screenshots of the Top Free, Top Grossing and Top Paid iOS Apps. You'll notice a few things:

Top Free: it's a list dominated by big brands. - Facebook has #1, #4, #5 and #11 with Messenger, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp respective. - Snapchat is #2. - Google has #3, #7, #12 with YouTube, Google Maps and Google. - Pandora is #6. Spotify is #9.

Top Paid: There is some variety here, Of the top 20 - 14 are games - 4 are Photo and Video - 2 Health and Fitness

Top Grossing: This gets slightly more interesting. - All of the top grossing applications feature in-app purchases. - Games still dominate: 18 of the top 20 are games. - Pandora is #3 overall and the only of the Top Grossing to also be a Top Free app. - Zoosk is the lone other top 20 app that is not a game. - Of the games, big names matter: King owns 3 of hte top 8 apps and SuperCell has 3 of the top 11

SportsCenter App for iOS8

Yesterday we released an update to the SportsCenter App for iOS - optimized for iOS8 and including a rich, personalized widget.

Users can now add the SportsCenter widget to their Today panel within iOS8. The widget includes live scores from your favorite teams and one-click access to listen to ESPN's live Radio broadcast. You can actually customize which teams appear within the widget from the settings section of the SportsCenter App.

Android / Google Play Top Grossing Apps

Google Play's Top Paid and Top Grossing App lists look quite different. Not only are there different inhabitants (Electronic Arts, for instance, has four of the top ten Paid Apps but none of the top ten grossing apps) - the business models and interactive models are obviously different.

Here are screenshots of each list - Top Grossing is fascinating and shows that two gaming companies (Supercell and King) dominate that list:

Top 8 Grossing Apps:

Supercell: #1. Clash of Clans #5. Hay Day #16. Boom Beach

King: #2. Candy Crush (#8 in Top Free Apps) #4. Farm Heroes #6. Bubble Witch (#12 in Top Free Apps) #7. Pet Rescue

Android / Google Play: Top Free Apps

Messaging rules the app stores these days... as does Facebook. Here is a screenshot of the Google Play Store's Top Free Apps: #1. Facebook Messenger #2. Facebook #4. Instagram (Facebook) #5. Snapchat ... #9. Skype #10. Kik #13. Twitter #16. WhatsApp

Notable others: music has #3 and #11 with Pandora and Spotify, respectively. King has games at #8 and #12 with Candy Crush and Bubble Witch 2. And Netflix is #7.

ESPN, Google & World Cup Highlights in Search Results

Yesterday, Google and ESPN combined to deliver real-time video highlights directly into Google search results via Google's homepage, World Cup related search queries and Google's new World Cup page, and so on. This integration will be live during the entire 2014 World Cup - meaning soccer fans can find their highlights.

- on ESPN.com & ESPNFC.com, ESPN's suite of mobile apps - on social media through integrations like Twitter Cards that play directly in-line and are sharable and embeddable - and now on Google and directly within search results

At ESPN, our mission is simply to serve sports fans, anytime and anywhere. This is another great, big step in that direction with our partners at Google.

Robin van Persie's incredible flying header may wind up being the goal of the World Cup. VIDEO: http://t.co/WZqoePm916

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 13, 2014

Press coverage (as represented by Techmeme):

Chris Welch / The Verge: Google and ESPN partner to put World Cup highlights in search — If you're stuck in a cubicle at work and unable to watch every minute of the World Cup, Google and ESPN will at least help you keep up with the latest highlights. The two companies have teamed up to pair both in-progress …

More: The Official Google Blog, Re/code, GeekWire, The Next Web, eWeek, LAPTOP Magazine, Gigaom and Quartz

Today on ESPN: US Open, World Cup 2014, NBA Finals

Today is one of those special days at ESPN: live on our networks and our digital suite of applications you'll find the US Open at Pinehurst, the opening game of the 2014 World Cup (Brazil vs. Croatia) and then Game 4 of the NBA Finals (Spurs at Heat). And that's in addition to a roster of other sporting events, news and happenings. It's a magical sports day and you can follow it all live and live-streamed on ESPN and ESPN apps. Everything will be available on Watch ESPN - which you can access on web, iPhone & iPad, Android phones & tablets, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, and more.

And you can follow along with the SportsCenter App (on iOS and Android) and the new ESPN FC App for World Cup and soccer (on iOS and Android).

You can also listen live via ESPN Radio, which is now available on iTunes Music, and of course via web, iOS, and Android.

It's a fun, unique day to be a sports fan - enjoy!

Schedule: US Open - 9am EST on ESPN, ESPN Radio & Watch ESPN App World Cup - 4pm EST on ESPN, ESPN Radio & Watch ESPN App NBA Finals - 9pm EST on ABC, ESPN Radio & Watch ESPN App SportsCenter - 11pm EST on ESPN & Watch ESPN App

ESPN Radio Now on iTunes Music - In time for World Cup 2014

Ahead of tomorrow's opening World Cup game, ESPN Radio has launched on iTunes Music. To access the live stream of ESPN Radio, just open iTunes Music on your iPhone or iPad and either click on the ESPN Radio channel or search for 'ESPN'.

And with World Cup starting tomorrow (Brazil vs. Croatia at 4pm EST), you will also be able to listen to the game live on ESPN Radio within iTunes Radio or the iOS / Android apps.

More to come on World Cup 2014...

Introducing WatchESPN for Amazon Fire TV

Today, Amazon released their new Fire TV - available immediately and priced at $99. As part of that announcement and release - WatchESPN has launched on the Fire TV, giving users access to ESPN's suite of live programming and 1,000s of additional games & events exclusively available via ESPN3. Also noteworthy: WatchESPN is now available to Dish subscribers.

Introducing ESPN's Tournament Challenge App

Last night, the NCAA Basketball Tournament brackets were released... You can find your team among the field of 68 here. You can also follow your team - and make your bracket picks - with the new Tournament Challenge Application on iOS (iPhone + iPad), Android and Kindle. You can also dial **bracket from your mobile phone to download the app directly.

Here is a video of the new Tournament Challenge App on iPhone (where it is currently #2 in all of iTunes):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5Lcvh__7SM

And remember, choose wisely: