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Top 10 Tech News Stories of 2012

From Apple vs. Samsung to Facebook's IPO, here's what had the tech world talking in 2012.

By Chloe Albanesius
December 28, 2012
Top 10 Tech News Stories of 2012
Top 10 Tech News Stories of 2012

Last year's top 10 list highlighted several things that didn't come to fruition – AT&T's purchase of T-Mobile, the Apple iPhone 5, and a comeback for RIM. In 2012, we got that iPhone 5, but T-Mobile opted to become the buyer and snapped up MetroPCS. As for RIM, it seems like we'll have to wait for 2013.

Until then, a look back at 2012 shows a very tablet-heavy year. After countless rumors from various Asian suppliers and leaked photos posted online, the iPad mini was finally revealed in October. There's no Retina display; the screen more closely resembles the iPad 2 than the newer models. But many consumers were itching for something smaller than 9.7 inches, and Apple got the message.

There were plenty of 7-inch tablets from which to choose this year – from Google's Nexus 7 to the Amazon Kindle Fire HD. At $199, they offered a lower price point than the iPad, which started at $329 for the mini and went up from there.

Many buyers used those tablets to tap into Facebook, which saw an explosion in mobile growth. Too bad it didn't also see an explosion in its stock price. One company that did benefit from Facebook this year, though, was Instagram.

But for all the innovation we saw in 2012, the biggest story was the effort to protect that work. Apple and Samsung continued to wage their patent war, with a nice little windfall for Apple in August. Don't expect their battle to finish anytime soon, though.

For more on the top 10 tech news stories of 2012, hit the slideshow.

1. Samsung-Apple Patent Verdict

Samsung-Apple Patent Verdict
After more than a year of fighting in various courts around the world, Samsung and Apple finally faced a jury in California this summer. Apple accused Samsung of "slavishly" copying the look and feel of its iPad and iPhone with its Galaxy note lineup of devices. Samsung also accused Apple of patent infringement and argued that Apple couldn't patent a rectangle, as it were. The jury, however, sided with Apple, handing down a huge $1.05 billion judgment in late August. Samsung is currently appealing, and tried unsuccessfully to request a new trial, citing juror misconduct. Still, the two sides are battling another, similar case in the same court – a trial for which will kick off in 2014 – so don't expect this to stop anytime soon. The European Commission, meanwhile, also accused Samsung of patent abuse recently, which could result in even more fines for the Korea-based company.

2. Windows 8

Windows 8
The last time Microsoft overhauled its OS was 2009, with Windows 7. This year, it was all about Windows 8. Redmond unveiled a consumer preview of Windows 8 at Mobile World Congress in February, released to manufacturing in August, and unleashed it on the public on Oct. 26. As Steve Ballmer and OS architect Steven Sinofsky said many times this year, Windows 8 was a "complete reimagining" of Windows. That basically meant incorporating some tablet-centric features into the OS, like the Windows Phone-esque tiles on the home screen previously known as Metro. The update got mixed reviews. For touch-based devices, it's a smooth experience. But those running standard laptops with Windows 7 might want to wait until they get their hands on a convertible, touch-based laptop, or a Windows 8-based tablet. Meanwhile, just weeks after the launch of Windows 8, Microsoft announced that Sinofsky would leave the company. He is now prepping to teach at Harvard. For more, see PCMag's full review of Windows 8.

3. Microsoft Surface

Microsoft Surface
Amidst preparations for Windows 8, meanwhile, Microsoft sent out invites for a mysterious June press event in Southern California. Rumors ran the gamut about what Redmond had up its sleeve – from an Xbox-enhanced B&N Nook to a Windows RT device from one of Microsoft's many partners. When Microsoft execs finally took the stage, however, the company took the wraps off its own tablet, dubbed the Surface. The move had many wondering how those partner companies would take to having extra competition from Microsoft itself. There was also talk about whether Microsoft would branch into more hardware, like phones. Steve Ballmer later talked about a "fundamental shift" for Microsoft that would more closely tie the PC, tablet, and phone experience together. The Windows RT version of the Surface tablet debuted with Windows 8 in October, and the Pro version is expected in early 2013.

4. Rise of the 7-Inch Tablet

Rise of the 7-Inch Tablet
For several years, Apple has dominated the tablet space with its iPad, with rivals failing to take a bite out of Cupertino's market share. That's still largely the case, but 2012 saw a number of 7-inch tablets that captured the attention of consumers not willing to shell out upwards of $500 for a tablet. Google's Nexus 7, for example, was well-received, as was the Amazon Kindle Fire HD – both of which started at $199. Barnes & Noble also rolled out HD versions of its Nook tablets and Samsung added to its Galaxy lineup. Samsung, however, seemed to have the most success with the smartphone/tablet hybrids – or phablets. The company unveiled the 5-inch Galaxy Note smartphone earlier this year, and followed it up with the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note II, both of which sold millions. Apple, of course, even saw fit to enter the small-tablet market with the iPad mini, but scoffed at the notion that its 7.9-inch slate should fall in the 7-inch category.

5. iPad mini

iPad mini
While there was much hysteria over the iPad 3 early in the year and the iPhone 5 in the fall, those two products were largely expected from Cupertino. What wasn't clear was whether Apple would dip its toes into the small tablet market. By late October, however, the 7.9-inch iPad mini was official. Many questioned whether this meant Apple was moving away from ideas held close by Steve Jobs, who famously called 7-inch tablets "dead on arrival." But during a recent earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook denied that the company has embraced 7-inch tablets and said Apple will "never" produce one. "The difference in just the real estate size between 7.9, almost 8, versus 7 is 35 percent, and when you look at the usable area, it's much greater than that," Cook said at the time. "It's from 50 to 67 percent and also, the iPad mini has the same number of pixels as iPad 2 does, so you have access to all 275,000 apps that are in our App Store that have been custom designed to take advantage of the full canvas." Apple, meanwhile, did get into some hot water this year over how its overseas suppliers – like Foxconn – treat their workers. Cupertino ultimately commissioned an audit of its suppliers, which found overtime and safety abuses. Foxconn has pledged to make changes in the coming months.

6. Facebook IPO

Facebook IPO
As Mark Zuckerberg stood on a stage at Facebook's Menlo Park headquarters in the early morning hours of May 18, many in the media marveled at how far the social network had come in less than a decade. Its 20-something CEO was about to become a billionaire as the company went public, and Facebook was well on its way to hitting 1 billion users. Unfortunately, Facebook wasn't as popular on Wall Street as it has been with its users. The stock price failed to keep pace with other tech bigwigs, quickly dropping below its $38 opening number. Several shareholders even sued over what they saw as a bungled IPO. Zuckerberg admitted in September that the IPO was indeed "disappointing." But he said Facebook was familiar with public scrutiny, and it was not the first (and certainly not the last) time the social network had been under fire.

7. Instagram

Instagram
This time last year, Instagram was named Apple's iPhone app of the year, and there were reports that the photo-filtering service was prepping an Android version of the app. But by April – just days after Instagram did unveil that Android app – Instagram was headline news when Facebook shelled out a reported $1 billion for the service. The move was bad news for Instagram rivals – Hipstamatic reportedly cut all but its "core team" of employees in the months after Facebook bought Instagram, PicPlz shut down entirely, and Google purchased Instagram rival Nik Software in response. By year's end, however, Instagram caused a scene when a policy update seemed to indicate that the service would be able to sell its users' photos without permission. Celebrities and average users were up in arms, prompting a mea culpa from Instagram, which denied ever having plans to sell pics and backtracked on advertising-related policy updates.

8. RIM's Continued Decline

RIM's Continued Decline
RIM had a tough 2011, leaving many to eye 2012 as a time to turn things around. The company took the wraps off its next-gen OS, BlackBerry 10, at BlackBerry World in May, but just one month later, RIM said it would have to delay the BB10 rollout until 2013. CEO Thorsten Heins stressed that the delay was "not related to quality or functionality." Instead, RIM was required to manage a "large volume of incoming code," and it had become "clear that the schedule we were working towards ... is no longer realistic," he said in June. All of this, of course, did not help RIM's lagging market share, as smartphone giants Apple and Samsung released gadgets like the iPhone 5, the Galaxy S III, and the Galaxy Note II. BlackBerry 10 now has a Jan. 30 launch date, and there have been several leaks regarding what the next BlackBerry devices might entail. But it looks like we might have to wait until 2013 until we see what's really in store for RIM.

9. Mars Curiosity Rover Landing

Mars Curiosity Rover Landing
In the early morning hours of Aug. 6, NASA scientists prepared for "7 Minutes of Terror," a period of time during which all their hard work on the Mars Curiosity Rover could land as planned and make history or go spectacularly wrong. Thankfully, all went according to plan, and Curiosity arrived on the Red Planet unscathed after a 154 million-mile, 36-week flight. She has been slowly exploring the surface of Mars ever since, giving us breathtaking photos and even a laser show. PCMag's Meredith Popolo was at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, Calif. covering the landing. For more, see her tour of JPL.

10. SOPA/PIPA

SOPA/PIPA
Tech policy issues have frequently made headlines – from the net neutrality debate to battles over online privacy. But the controversy over the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) got so much attention that it resulted in an Internet blackout early in the year. Both bills targeted overseas "rogue" websites that trafficked in fake goods, from purses and prescription drugs to pirated DVDs and MP3s. But the power that SOPA and PIPA provided to the Justice Department to go after those websites was worrisome to opponents, who feared the legislation would put legitimate websites at risk. Bill sponsors denied that was the case, but major tech firms like Facebook, Google, and Twitter spoke out against the measures, while sites like Wikipedia agreed to go dark for 24 hours in January to protest them. Google put a black bar over its homepage logo. In the wake of the blackout, both bills were tabled, but they have appeared in other forms – like CISPA.

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About Chloe Albanesius

Executive Editor for News

I started out covering tech policy in Washington, D.C. for The National Journal's Technology Daily, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. After a move to New York City, I covered Wall Street trading tech at Incisive Media before switching gears to consumer tech and PCMag. I now lead PCMag's news coverage and manage our how-to content.

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