Normally when we bestow our annual Editors’ Choice Awards—our way of honoring our favorite products from the past year—Apple dominates the proceedings. And for good reason: when it comes to the Mac market, all eyes are usually turned to Cupertino.
This year was different. When it came time to hand out awards for the hardware and software that shipped between November 1, 2007 and November 1, 2008, we bestowed only one Eddy statue on Apple—a well-deserved trophy for the iPhone 2.1 software update. While some might say that’s a reflection of what Apple did this past year—and there’s an argument to be made about that—we think it also speaks very highly of the work being done by third-party companies to help us get the most out of our Macs, iPhones, and iPods.
Follow the links below, as we fete 20 products (including the aforementioned iPhone software) that met our standards for quality, innovation, value, and usability—or some combination of those factors. After reading through our choices, we think you’ll agree that the Mac market is stronger than ever—and it’s partly thanks to hardware and software vendors outside of Cupertino that are taking the lead in pushing us in new directions.