2011 was a year full of great innovations. The biggest tech stories range from social media revolutions, surge in tablets production, improved mobile payment infrastructure, IPO’s, social network wars, massive improvement in smart phones, high adoption of cloud computing, explosion of mobile apps to web OS wars. Web and mobile communication improved significantly via web and mobile. 2012 will no doubt be the year of the tablet.
- With the help of social media, Activists from the Middle East overthrew their long serving governments including Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Yemen and Libya. Partly inspired by the Middle East uprisings, riots also took place in London.
- High growth internet companies including LinkedIn and Groupon listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Gaming company Zynga and Facebook are in preparation stages to list as well. LinkedIn raised $350m and valued the company at $3bn.
- Steve Jobs goes on indefinite medical leave. Steve Jobs resigns as CEO. Steve Jobs dies at 56. Tim Cook: Apple’s New CEO
- HP dumped the TouchPad & Open Sources webOS
- Adobe dumped Mobile Flash & Open Sources Flex
- Amazon launched its own tablet, the Kindle Fire. Priced at $199 and cheaper than the iPad
- Microsoft introduced Metro, its new all-purpose OS for the desktop, tablet and phone and dumps .Net
- Google acquired Motorola Mobility- it’s biggest ever at $12.5 billion
- Facebook unveiled the highly anticipated Timeline feature.
- AT&T and T-Mobile proposed a $39 billion acquisition amidst opposition from Federal Communications Commission.
- Apple launched iPhone 4S instead of the much talked about iPhone 5 with its sensational Siri “personal assistant” software.
- Android grabbed as much as 50% market share
- Oh and the launch of Google+ of course.
