Apple CEO Commends ZJU Team for Winning China App Contest

“Congrats to the Zhejiang University team for their app Tipix, winner of our first University app contest,” Apple CEO Tim Cook sent his congratulations through his Twitter-like Sina Weibo account on October 12.

The China Collegiate Computing Contest received 361 app designs and projects submitted by entrants from 161 universities and colleges over a period of six months. On the morning of October 12, four finalists, including two Zhejiang University teams, one Tongji University team and one Central  South University team, contended for the top prize in the contest. The “Tipix-Everyone Can Be an Artist” app won the crown, thus eligible to take part in Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference next year, and the “Workout” app, designed by another Zhejiang University team, won the first prize.

Tipix is a photo-editing app. Users can choose a brush or move their fingers on smart phones to turn their photo into artwork and share it on social media. The app was developed by Zhang lekai, a Ph.D. student from the College of Computer Sciences and Technology, Qin Xinwei, a master student from the College of Mechanical Engineering, and Zhang Jiazhen, a master student from the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, in 2013. Team leader Zhang Lekai said he hoped the app would help inspire creativity.

“Workout” was designed by Chen Peijun, Wang Yixun and Deng Yihao. It is a customized health-oriented app. The team hoped that it could offer an optimum scheme for users.