Christchurch’s Devin Davies makes history with Apple Design Award

CUPERTINO, Today: Christchurch software engineer Devin Davies is the first New Zealander to win an Apple Design Award. Davies, a senior software engineer at Smudge, was honoured at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in Cupertino.

His augmented reality cooking app Crouton, recognised across multiple Apple platforms, has received global acclaim, including coverage in the Wall Street Journal and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Created in 2019, Crouton allows users to scan, save, and store recipes. The latest version helps Apple Vision Pro users bring recipes to life with augmented reality. Crouton, one of the first cooking apps on Apple’s Vision Pro, is rated 4.8 stars out of 5 from 602 user ratings.

“I started Crouton for myself and my family,” says Davies. “I genuinely had no idea it would take off like this. The last few months have been a whirlwind.”

“It’s still a bit hard to believe it’s real. Winning this award is top of the bucket list for me, it’s not something I ever thought would happen.”

“It’s still a bit hard to believe it’s real. Winning this award is top of the bucket list for me, it’s not something I ever thought would happen.”

Crouton has over 160,000 downloads and was featured as a US Apple Store’s App of the Day in 2023.

Crouton for Vision Pro blends digital recipes, meal plans, and timers with physical kitchen space, showcasing practical use for Apple Vision Pro in daily life.

“Apple WWDC is one of the most important events of the app development world,” Smudge Managing Director Reuben Bijl says. “It’s an incredibly prestigious award and we’re absolutely thrilled that Devin has been recognised among the world’s best as the very first New Zealander to win one of these awards.”

For more information about Crouton Recipe Manager, visit the App Store. To learn more about Smudge and their custom software expertise, visit www.smudge.com.